Overview
In June 1984 Ronald Reagan stood on the green at Ballyporeen and told the crowd his great-grandfather had been baptised in the village church before sailing for America. That day is still the thing Ballyporeen is known for. The village lies in the Galtee-Vee Valley with the Galtee Mountains to the north and the Knockmealdowns to the south, the River Duag – a tributary of the Suir – running through the middle, and the R665 threading its long, straight main street. It’s 11 km from Junction 12 of the M8, which makes it an easy pull-off crossing Munster. The 2016 census put the population at 318.
History and the planned village
Ballyporeen is a made village. Until the 1700s the local hub was nearby Carrigvisteal; Ballyporeen grew once it landed on the main Cork–Dublin coach road and the inns and passing trade followed. The Earls of Kingston, the big local landlords, shaped what you see: Robert, the 2nd Earl, is credited with the wide, straight main street, kept ground rents low to draw tradespeople, and by 1810 was holding large open-air markets three times a year. Kingston’s Mills, at the lower end of Main Street, gave steady work into the early 1800s.
The name is argued over. The usual reading of Béal Átha Póirín is ‘ford-mouth of the little round stones’, for the river’s rounded pebbles; another traces it to the Anglo-Norman Power family, ‘Power’s Town’.
The Reagan connection
Michael Regan, Ronald Reagan’s great-grandfather, was baptised in the village on 3 September 1829 before emigrating – to London first, then the United States in 1857. Reagan’s own visit on 3 June 1984 drew the world’s press and, out on the edge of the village, around 600 protesters kept behind barriers by anti-war groups and voices from the Catholic Church.
Here’s the honest part: there isn’t much left to see. The Ronald Reagan Pub on Main Street closed in 2004, and its fittings and signage were shipped off to the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. The building stands, and a plaque marks the spot, but the pub itself is now on the far side of the Atlantic. Come for the story, not for a shrine.
What to see and do
Heritage
- Church of the Assumption – the Catholic church that serves Ballyporeen and neighbouring Skeheenarinky. It’s worth a look inside for the stained glass, including a St Patrick window by Michael Healy.
- Templetenny – the old church ruins a few kilometres east, with a graveyard still in use. This is where the Reagan family are buried, which makes it a quieter and more genuine stop than the plaque in the village.
- Main Street – the wide Georgian-planned street laid out by the Kingstons, its stone fronts and old shopfronts still legible.
Outdoors
- Galtee and Knockmealdown Mountains – Ballyporeen is a handy base for the Galtees. Galtymore (919 m), Ireland’s highest inland peak, is the prize for fit hillwalkers; the valleys between the two ranges give gentler walking.
- River Duag – a quiet corridor for a short riverside stroll, with woodland and wetland birdlife along it.
- Cycling – the R665 and the lanes off it are well used by cyclists working the Golden Vale towards Mitchelstown.
Culture and sport
- Ballyporeen GAA – the Gaelic football club plays senior in the Southern division of Tipperary GAA. Match days pull supporters from across the barony.
- Handball – the village has a long handball record, with courts that have turned out county-level players.
- Gemma Hayes – the singer-songwriter is from Ballyporeen; her debut Night on My Side, with ‘Hanging Around’, was up for the 2002 Mercury Music Prize.
Practical information
Getting there
- By road – on the R665; from the M8 take Junction 12 and follow signs about 11 km.
- By bus – Bus Éireann route 245 stops five times a day each way on weekdays (three at weekends), linking Clonmel, Mitchelstown, Fermoy and Cork.
- Airports – Cork (about 80 km) and Shannon (about 130 km).
Food, drink and parking
- Pubs – a handful of traditional pubs, among them Doolis Inn, Caseys and Ballyhi.
- Food and shopping – a shop and café cover the basics; for a proper choice of restaurants, Mitchelstown (12 km) or Cahir is a short drive.
- Parking – free on the street and in the small car park behind the post office.
Getting around
The main street is flat and paved, fine for wheelchairs and buggies, though some older buildings, the church included, have steps at the door. Summer is the busy season for the Galtees, so book beds early for a walking trip; autumn thins the trails and colours the valley.
Give it an hour: walk the main street to the Reagan plaque, then drive out to Templetenny to stand where the family are actually buried.