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BALLYLEAGUE

CO. ROSCOMMON · IE

Ballyleague
Béal Átha Liag, Co. Roscommon

The Ireland's Hidden Heartlands
STOP 08 / 08

Béal Átha Liag · Co. Roscommon

The Connacht half of a town split by the Shannon - water on three sides, a bridge to Longford, and the saints and queens of Lough Ree just offshore.

Ballyleague is the western, Roscommon half of a town the maps usually file under its eastern, Longford half: Lanesborough. The River Shannon runs between them, and so does the border - county, province, diocese and parish all change as you cross the bridge. A plaque set into the stonework tells you the exact spot. In practice nobody minds. The two halves function as a single small town, and Ballyleague is the quieter, more residential side of it.

The bridge is the oldest thing here. There has been a crossing on this spot since around the year 1000, when Malachy, High King of Meath, is said to have thrown the first one across. Turlough O'Connor built another in 1140. Bridges were burned, a ferry capsized and drowned dozens in 1701, a nine-arch stone span went up in 1706, and the one you drive over now is essentially the 1844 bridge with a 1970s concrete addition where the swivel section used to open for boats. For a thousand years this has been one of the few dry ways across the middle Shannon.

What brings people now is the water. Lough Ree opens out to the south, shallow and island-dotted and full of fish - this stretch produced the largest pike ever recorded in Ireland, a 62-pounder, and the angling hub still draws competition fishermen from across Europe. Cruisers off the Shannon navigation tie up at Hanleys Marina or the Waterways Ireland pontoons. It is not a postcard village. It is a working river town that happens to sit on a very old crossing in the middle of the country.

Population

~1,733 combined with Lanesborough (2022); the Roscommon side is a few hundred

Pubs

1and counting

Walk score

Harbour to bridge to marina in ten minutes

Founded

Bridging point on the Shannon since c. 1000 AD; St Faithleach associated with the area in the 6th century

Coords

53.6744° N, 7.9920° W

01 / 08

At a glance.

Three things every local will eventually mention. Read these and you've already understood more than most day-trippers do.

01 The twin town

One town, one bridge, two counties, two provinces.

Ballyleague sits on the Roscommon and Connacht bank; Lanesborough faces it across the river in Longford and Leinster. A stone plaque on the bridge marks the line. People shop, drink and play GAA on whichever side suits. Treat it as one place and you will not go far wrong.

Stories & lore → 02 The water

Where the Shannon widens into Lough Ree.

This is the northern tip of Lough Ree, the second-largest lake on the Shannon. Cruisers tie up at the marina, anglers come for the pike and bream, and the charity boat Lough Ree Access For All runs trips out to the monastic islands. The water is the whole point of the place.

Walks & outings → 03 The saints

St Faithleach's well here, Queen Maeve's island offshore.

St Faithleach - brother of Brendan the Navigator - left a holy well and a ruined church on the Roscommon road. Out on the lough, Inchcleraun carries six early church ruins and the legend of Queen Maeve, killed by a slingshot while bathing. Deep history for a small village.

Stories & lore →

02 / 08

The pubs.

None of these are themed Irish pubs, because they don't need to be. A few that earn the trip:

Across the bridge in Lanesborough

Walk five minutes east

Honest note rather than a single recommendation

Ballyleague itself is the residential, quieter half of the twin town and is thin on its own bars. The pubs, shops and most of the food are over the bridge in Lanesborough, Co. Longford - a two-minute walk. See the Lanesborough entry for named spots. If a Ballyleague-side bar is open when you visit, treat it as a bonus, not a plan.

03 / 08

Where to eat.

Place	Type	€	Local note
Lanesborough side, Co. Longford	Cross the bridge for the eating	€€	There is no restaurant strip on the Ballyleague bank. The cafes, takeaways and pub food are across the river in Lanesborough, along with Lough Ree Distillery and its gin school. Pack the appetite and walk over. The Lanesborough entry lists the confirmed places.

04 / 08

Stories & lore.

The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.

6th century, on the Roscommon road

St Faithleach and the holy well

Just outside Ballyleague on the road to Roscommon town, behind a stile and a public right of way across private land, is St Faithleach's well and the ruins of an old church. Faithleach was one of four sons of Fionnlugh Mac Olchú and a brother of Brendan the Navigator. He is credited with founding the abbey at nearby Cloontuskert around 520 AD - a monastery that grew into a celebrated place of learning. For fourteen centuries the well has carried his name. The local Tidy Towns group put up the signs that get you there. Bring boots; it is a field, not a visitor centre.

Inis Clothrann, founded c. 540 AD

Inchcleraun and the death of Queen Maeve

A few kilometres south on Lough Ree lies Inchcleraun - Inis Clothrann, the island of Clothra. St Diarmaid founded a monastery here around 540 AD and it became a centre of learning until the Vikings, and then time, wore it down; six church ruins survive, the smallest just eight feet by seven inside. The island is named for Clothra, sister of Queen Maeve of Connacht. The myth says Maeve retired here in old age and was killed while bathing in the lough, struck by a slingshot stone flung from the mainland by her nephew Furbaide in revenge. The island is uninhabited now, grazed by goats and cattle. The boat from Ballyleague will take you out.

Lough Ree Power Station, 1958-2020

The power station that shaped the skyline

For over sixty years the dominant structure on this stretch of the Shannon was the Lough Ree (Lanesborough) peat-fired power station, just across the bridge on the Longford side. It burned milled peat from the Bord na Móna bogs and, with the ESB, was one of the largest employers in the district. It closed in 2020 as Ireland moved off peat, and the site is being repurposed. The chimney is gone from the skyline now, but two generations of families on both banks of the river worked there.

05 / 08

Things to do outside.

Wear waterproofs. Bring a sandwich. Tell someone where you're going if it's the mountain.

Harbour and bridge stroll From the Ballyleague harbour and marina along the river to the bridge and back. Cross to the Lanesborough side if you want the shops and the pubs. The plaque marking the county and province line is set into the bridge. Flat, easy, and the water is in view the whole way.

2 km returndistance

40 minutestime

St Faithleach's well Signposted by the local Tidy Towns group on the R-road toward Roscommon town. A stile and a right of way lead across a field to the well and the church ruin. It is private land with public access - close the gate, take nothing, and pick a dry day because it gets muddy.

Short walk off the Roscommon roaddistance

30 minutestime

Lough Ree boat trip to the islands Lough Ree Access For All, a registered charity based at Ballyleague, runs guided boat trips, lake hire and angling tours - including out to Inchcleraun and the other monastic islands. Book ahead; it is not a turn-up-and-go service. The accessible boat is the only reliable way most visitors will set foot on the islands.

On the waterdistance

Half a daytime

06 / 08

When to go.

There is no bad time. There are different times.

Spring

Mar-May

The lough wakes up, the angling season builds, and the islands are at their greenest before the summer crowds. Good light on the water in April.

◉ Go

Summer

Jun-Aug

Peak boating season on the Shannon. Cruisers fill the marina, the boat trips run most days, and the whole twin town is at its busiest. Book any island trip ahead.

◉ Go

Autumn

Sep-Oct

The big-fish season for pike anglers, and the September regatta runs Shannon-One-Design dinghies on the lough. Quieter than summer, still mild.

◉ Go

Winter

Nov-Feb

Short days and wind off the open lough. Boat trips wind down and the place goes quiet. Fine for a bridge walk and a pint over in Lanesborough, less so for the water.

◐ Mind yourself

07 / 08

What to skip.

Honestly? Don't bother.

If a local was sitting beside you, this is the bit where they'd lean in.

Expecting a tourist village with a main street

Ballyleague is the residential half of the twin town. The action - shops, pubs, distillery, food - is across the bridge in Lanesborough. Come for the water and the islands, not for a high street.

Trying to reach the islands without a boat

Inchcleraun and the other monastic islands are out on the open lough with no causeway. Do not stand on the shore expecting a way across. Book the Lough Ree Access For All boat in advance or you will only see them from a distance.

Looking for the power station chimney

The Lanesborough power station closed in 2020 and the landmark chimney has come down. If you remember it from years ago, the skyline has changed. The site is being redeveloped.

Getting there.

By car

On the N63 roughly midway between Roscommon town (about 15 km west) and Longford town (about 16 km northeast). The bridge over the Shannon links Ballyleague to Lanesborough. Easy parking near the harbour and marina.

By bus

Bus Éireann routes serving Lanesborough across the bridge (including the Galway-Athlone-Longford corridor and local services) put you within a few minutes' walk. Check current Bus Éireann and Local Link timetables; rural frequencies are limited.

By train

No station in the village. The nearest railway is at Longford (about 16 km, on the Dublin-Sligo line) or Roscommon town (about 15 km, on the Dublin-Westport/Galway line). Both need an onward bus or taxi.