Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon, Ireland.

Ballaghaderreen is a busy Cathedral town of approximately 2000 population situated on the Mayo/Roscommon border close to the Lung River.

Historically it has been the gateway to the West. Dillon House on the Square was the ancestral home of John Blake and John & James Dillon, major figures in Irish political life. It is now the headquarters of the Western Development Commission. Beside it is the Headquarters and Administrative Offices of The Border, Midland and Western Regional Authority.

In keeping with the whole area, which is famed for the richness of its archaeological and historical heritage, St. Nathy's College, now a large very modern Secondary School, is built around a British Military Barracks dating back to 1798. Ballaghaderreen, situated in a river valley and surrounded by hills with captivating views, it has proved to be the inspiration for a large and vibrant colony of artists.

As you approach Ballaghaderreen from the east, you pass the home of the First President of Ireland, Dr. Douglas Hyde, after whom a very successful Annual Conference on Irish History is held together with a School of Traditional Irish Music and Song, and from the front of the Hyde Interpretive Centre one gets their first view of the scenery and the landscape that has inspired generations of great Irish people..

With the friendliest of people, excellent food and accommodation together with an abundance of natural leisure facilities, Ballaghaderreen is a place to visit and linger.