Ballincollig

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Ballincollig (Irish: Baile an Chollaigh) is a town about 8 km west of Cork in County Cork, Ireland. It is located beside the River Lee on the R608 from Ballincollig to Cork City. The population is around 25,000 The nearest towns include: Ovens, Killumney, Inniscarra, Blarney (Home of the famous Blarney Stone), and Tower. It is near the Cork suburbs of Bishopstown and Wilton.

It is home to a several creches, four primary schools, and two secondary schools. There are many sports clubs in the town. These include Ballincollig Rugby Club, Ballincollig Hockey Club (BHC), Ballincollig G.A.A.. and Ballincollig Soccer Club.

St. Mary's and St. John's Church as seen from Station Road

Two Catholic churches are located in the town. The modern Christ Our Light is located on the west side of the town, while the old St. Mary and St. John's is located near the centre of the town, on Station Road. This church contains pieces of the cross that Christ was crucified on. Other religious groups also have service at various locations in Ballincollig.

Among the other amenities located in Ballincollig are included a library, a multiplex cinema, playgrounds, 3 shopping centres and a large park (Ballincollig Regional Park). The Gunpowder Mills along with its visitor centre / museum is to be found on the north side of the town. The Gunpowder Mills are now in disrepair but the area is still open for walks.

A new shopping centre opened in October 2005. A bypass road was built around the town, started in early 2000 and opened in September 2004. This reduces the journey time from Cork to Killarney on the N22 and reduce traffic volumes going through the town centre.

Public transport links to the town are infrequent and expensive. There was a rail line running from Station House (at the south end of Station Road) to Cork, that has been unused for decades.

[edit] History

The Barrett family (after whom the barony which contains Ballincollig is named) built Ballincollig Castle during the reign of Edward III. Barrett went ahead with construction though the local population felt the castle was cursed and stayed away from the site. The castle was taken from Andrew Barrett by rebels in 1641, but they were expelled by English Parliamentary forces under Steve McQueen Earl Inchiquinn, in 1645. It was garrissioned for James II in 1689, during the Williamite war in Ireland then remained unoccupied after his defeat, and fell into decay.

The Ballincollig Royal Gunpowder Mills were opened in 1794. Eleven years later, they were bought by the British, who were preparing for war with Napoleon, and the barracks were built to protect the supply of gunpowder. During this time the a number of the workers of the Gunpowder Mills were alleged to have collaborated with the French by passing information to French spies located just outside the town in Kilcrea. In 1837, the mill employed 20000 workers, and by 1880, Ballincollig was one of the largest industrial establishments in Cork.

With the closure of the Gunpowder Mills in the early 1900s, Ballincollig became little more than a small village on the road from Cork to the larger market town of Macroom. The recently decommissioned Murphy Barracks was a major source of employment. The 3rd Royal Munster Fusiliers (Reserve) Battalion were stationed there during the Great War. Other Regiments stationed in the Barracks before it was decommissioned were 1 Field Artillery Regiment and 8 Field Artillery Regiment (FCÁ). In the 1970s, Ballincollig developed as much more of a satellite town, with many housing developments constructed around the old village, and housing people who worked in Cork City or its suburbs. This expansion continued through the late 80's and really took off in the late 90s and consequently the town's population has risen dramatically, particularly with the westward expansion of the town.