Public meeting called by Playground Action Group in Ballymahon

The Ballymahon Playground Action Group has called a public meeting to discuss plans for relocating and redeveloping the town’s playground.

The meeting will take place on Tuesday, February 17, at 9pm in the Bridgeways Family Resource Centre, and all members of the community are encouraged to attend.

The group, made up of local parents, was formed to address concerns about the current playground’s location on the banks of the River Inny, behind the Inny Kayak Club.

The group say the site is affected by "unpleasant odours from the nearby sewage treatment plant", and that its slightly location has "made it a target for anti-social behaviour, including littering, vandalism, and broken glass".

Since mid-2025, the parents involved have been exploring options to relocate the playground to a more suitable site.

Their vision is to create a state-of-the-art, inclusive, and universally accessible playground that works with the natural landscape to encourage healthy play, strength development, and safe risk-taking within a sensory-friendly environment.

At the meeting, the group will share the research and community feedback gathered, discuss potential relocation and redevelopment options, outline possible funding streams, and invite further ideas and participation.

The interim committee, which currently includes Carla Naltchayan, Denise Keegan, Dani Kavanagh, Natasha Nally-Finn, Claire Delaney, and Aine O'Rourke, will also seek to ratify existing officers or elect new ones from those interested in helping move the project forward.

For queries or more information, email newplaygroundballymahon@gmail.com