placenamesWalderstown
Baile Bháltair
Walderstown appears in accounts of Civil War disruption and, a century later, in the community effort behind major motorcycle road races.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Baile Bháltair · Irish · main form · validated name
- Walderstown · English · main form
Place & story
A shop raid in 1922
A grocery business in Walderstown was among the premises raided by armed men during unrest around Glasson in late 1922. Westmeath County Council’s historical research records the theft of provisions, including tea, sugar and bacon, from a contemporary newspaper account. The perpetrators were not identified. The incident brings the disruption of the Civil War into the history of ordinary village trade. [2]
The Race of the South
The Race of the South began running at Walderstown in 2000, having previously used the Fore village circuit. Fore Motorcycle Club organised the two-day road-racing event. In 2022 chairman Michael Halpin described its planned return after the interruption following the 2019 races, explaining the work needed to maintain the voluntary club and prepare the course for competitors and spectators. [3] [4]
Preparing the roads
Halpin’s account made clear how much the event depended on practical organisation and local help. Sponsorship and fundraising supported the meeting, while barriers, bales and course markings had to be brought in before racing. Residents assisted the organisers, and visiting spectators supported accommodation and businesses around Athlone. The race therefore involved a wider network of volunteers and services beyond the riders themselves. [3]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Westmeath
- Barony
- Kilkenny West
- Civil parish
- Drumraney
- Within
- Walderstown
- Coordinates
- 53.47280, -7.75902 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 1413834 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Walderstown. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Burn houses, and get money: Civil War raids around Athlone · Westmeath County Council Decade of Centenaries research
- Race of the South returns to Walderstown, 18 April 2022 · Deirdre Verney; interview with Michael Halpin
- Walderstown Race of the South · Fore Motorcycle Racing Club
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.