Heritage and Rambles
Step back in time and discover the charm of Ballyglunin and the surrounding area, a place so full of sights, stories, and heritage! Explore one of Galway’s tourist attractions, through living history, heritage walks and relaxed rambles that connect magnificent Ballyglunin Station to the wider community and other local heritage sites!
Over 6 acres discover charming, restored buildings like the Station House, Storehouse and Signal Cabin, the original platform and track. Explore at your leisure an outstanding example of a late 19th century railway station in Ireland and find out more about the restoration of this magnificent heritage icon. Walk in the footsteps of John Wayne as he filmed those famous movie scenes at Ballyglunin (named ‘Castletown’ in the film). Self-guided tours last about 10-15 minutes. Plan your visit in advance and book a guided tour of Ballyglunin Station with one of our heritage experts for unrivalled insight into the history of Ballyglunin and the significance of the station in local and national rail heritage.
Biodiversity Park
At Ballyglunin we are passionate about ensuring that our site and visitor attraction adds to our
community. Promoting biodiversity and championing sustainability in everything we do sets Ballyglunin apart as a modern, environmentally aware heritage site. Upon our beautiful 6-acre site, you can explore the park adjacent to the station at your leisure. Watch out for the wildflower meadow and native Irish orchard, and the insects, birds and small animals that find a home here. With picnic tables dotted around the site, it’s an ideal location to relax with a packed lunch.
All we ask is that you respect our site and please use the bins provided!
An Taisce Green Flag Award
Ballyglunin Station holds an An Taisce Community Green Flag Award from An Taisce, the international benchmark standard for parks and green spaces, only awarded for exceeding stringent environmental standards in green space management and excellence in visitor attractions.
Volunteers have planted an Irish native orchard, wildflower meadow and installed bee-friendly window boxes and a ‘bug hotel’. 6,000 square foot of lawn has also been preserved to allow a natural clover area to develop to provide a vital feeding habitat for our native bee, insect, and pollinator species. We are proud to manage and preserve this green space for our local community and visitors to enjoy.
Ballyglunin Heritage Trail
Discover our award-winning ‘Golden Mile’! Ballyglunin Station is part of a wider story of local heritage sites that include manor houses, gate lodges, bridges, gates, walls, ringforts, cairns, a waterfall, weir, mill, icehouse, chapel, and monastery best explored on foot. Recognised by Galway County Council as part of the Golden Mile initiative, the Ballyglunin Heritage Trail will take you through a peaceful rural setting so you too can celebrate the diversity of our rural roadways, stonewalls, flora and fauna, along with the many heritage gems of our award-winning ‘Golden Mile’ at Ballyglunin.
Discover an easy looped walk of 4.5 km distance over level terrain. Highlights include:
- The remains of the grand old Brooklodge House with significant architectural features still visible and a Gothic-style chapel.
- Brooklodge Icehouse built around 1770 to store ice and act as a refrigerator to keep food fresh for the residents of Brooklodge House.
- Limestone walls of Ballyglunin Park, the home of the influential Blake family.
- Pallas Bridge and the Abbert River.
- Ringfort and Cillín.
Surrounding Attractions
Hidden Heartlands
Ballyglunin is associated with the Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands tourist region of Ireland, which spans Leitrim, Roscommon, Longford, as well as parts of Westmeath, Cavan, North Tipperary, Galway, and Offaly. This Irish tourism experience is about getting off the beaten track and discovering Irish life and heritage at a slower pace. Ballyglunin fits into this itinerary very well, a hidden rail gem in the rolling Galway countryside with a wealth of heritage and stories for you to discover.
More to Explore!
There are also plenty of recreational parks and activities to enjoy in the area including nearby axe throwing and glamping! Ballyglunin is located midway between the historic town of Tuam to the north and medieval town of Athenry to the south. There’s also the rich cultural experience of Galway city to enjoy during your stay to this part of Ireland, just 30 minutes from Ballyglunin.
Visit https://galwayglamping.ie/ for more information.
