Ballymore is a small village on the R390, halfway between Athlone and Mullingar, with a long history and a short main street. Don't confuse it with Ballymore Eustace — that's a different village, in Kildare, an hour away. This one is the Westmeath one, the one with the ruined church on the hill and the lake out the back.
What's here: two pubs, a closed church, a graveyard with old stones, a lake the locals are slowly tidying up, and a road. What's nearby is the bigger story. The Hill of Uisneach is eight kilometres east — the mythological centre of Ireland, the hill where the druid Mide is said to have lit the first fire, the place the High Kings claimed when they wanted the whole island. The Bealtaine festival there in May is the village's busy weekend.
The other story is Argentina. In the 1860s most of the young people in the townlands around Ballymore got on a boat and went to the River Plate. They became sheep farmers, ranchers, the second-largest Irish diaspora in the world. There are families in Buenos Aires who still know which Westmeath townland their grandfather left. In Ballymore there are families who still know which cousin in Argentina sent the last letter. It's not a museum-piece. It's a thing the place still half-remembers about itself.
Three things every local will eventually mention. Read these and you've already understood more than most day-trippers do.
The mythological centre of Ireland sits on the next hill over. The Bealtaine fire is lit there every May. You can see the summit from the road into the village.
Stories & lore → 02 The lakeBallymore was Loughsewdy in the medieval rolls — Baile Mór Locha Seimhdí, the big town by the lake. The water is still there. The new jetties and slipway are recent.
Walks & outings → 03 The two pubsCassells on Low Street has been in one family since 1880. Cunningham's on High Street is the other one. Pick a side or have one in each.
Pubs →None of these are themed Irish pubs, because they don't need to be. A few that earn the trip:
On Low Street. The Cassells family have been behind the counter since 1880 — James Cassells rented the pub from the Mannions that year and his descendants are still pulling pints. Marked 145 years of continuous family ownership in 2025.
On High Street. The other pub. Hosts the village reunions, the GAA crowd, and most of what passes for a session.
The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.
Wear waterproofs. Bring a sandwich. Tell someone where you're going if it's the mountain.
Mullingar to Ballymore is about 20 minutes west on the R390. Athlone to Ballymore is about 25 minutes east on the same road. The village is the road — pull over by either pub.
Local Link service connects Mullingar and Athlone via Ballymore on weekdays. Check timetables; rural runs change with the school year.