Ballykinler (), often transcribed as Ballykinlar, is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in County Down,

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. It lies 12 kilometres south west of

Downpatrick Downpatrick () is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Lecale peninsula, about south of Belfast. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of the Dál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty of Ulaid. Its cathedral is said to be the b ...

, in the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

of Tyrella and Dundrum. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 348 people. It is within the

Newry, Mourne and Down Ulster Scots: ''Newrie, Morne an Doon'' , settlement_type = District , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_type1 = Constituent country , subdivision_type2 = , subdivision_type3 = , subdivisi ...

area and runs parallel to the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...

coast. Located within the Lecale Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the village is surrounded by low drumlins and marshes. It is also the site of a former

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

base known as

Abercorn Barracks Abercorn Barracks, sometimes referred to as Ballykinlar Barracks or Ballykinler Barracks, is a former military base in Ballykinler in County Down, Northern Ireland. The surrounding training area is retained by the Ministry of Defence. Early histo ...

Etymology

At the time of the conquest of

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

John de Courcy {{Infobox noble , image = Sir John de Courcy (1150-1219).jpg , caption = , alt = , more = no , succession = , reign = , predecessor = , successor = , ...

around 1177, Ballykinlar was called ''Lesscummalscig.'' The

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more ...

s from the area went to

Christ Church, Dublin Christ Church Cathedral, more formally The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, is the cathedral of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and the cathedral of the ecclesiastical province of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel in the ( ...

to pay for wax candles hence it became .

Amenities

Public houses in the area include the Minerstown Tavern (located 3 miles to the east along the coast) and The Four Roads Inn (2 miles from the village). The village was selected for an award from the Big Lottery Fund of £128,472 to provide a new children's playgroup area. Visitors include walkers and hikers who wish to observe the coastline of County Down, and undertake the Ballykinlar to

Killough Killough ( ; ) is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the Irish Sea shore near Ardglass, five miles southeast of Downpatrick. It is a conservation area notable for its sycamore-lined main street. In the 2001 Censu ...

walk which passes the Blue Flag beach at Tyrella. A nearby coastal path is maintained by the Ministry of Defence, although access is prohibited when shooting ranges are active.

Transport

Ballykinlar Halt railway station Ballykinlar Halt railway station was on the Belfast and County Down Railway which ran from Belfast to Newcastle, County Down in Northern Ireland. History It was opened by the Belfast and County Down Railway in October 1914, primarily to service ...

was opened in March 1915, but closed on 16 January 1950. A regular bus service runs between Downpatrick and Ballykinlar, via Clough.

Sport

Ballykinlar has three sports pitches, including two changing facilities. It also has several association football teams including U13's, U15's, U17's and a second and first team. Ballykinlar also has a Gaelic Football team called ''Baile Choinnleora'' (which is

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

for Ballykinlar), founded in 1932. The club's ground is named Tadhg Barry Memorial Park, in memory of Irish nationalist, trade unionist and journalist

Tadhg Barry Tadhg Barry (1880 – 15 November 1921) was a veteran Irish republican, leading trade unionist, journalist, poet, Gaelic Athletic Association official, and alderman on Cork Corporation who was actively involved in, and eventually was killed duri ...

.Ballykinlar
down.gaa.ie. Accessed 1 October 2022.

Civil parish

The civil parish is in the historic barony of

Lecale Upper Lecale Upper (named after the former barony of Lecale) is a barony in County Down, Northern Ireland. To its south lies the Irish Sea, and it is bordered by three other baronies; Lecale Lower and Kinelarty to the north; and Iveagh Upper, Lower Ha ...

and contains the settlement of Ballykinler. The civil parish contains the townlands of Ballykinler Lower, Ballykinler Middle, and Ballykinler Upper.

References

Bibliography

* ''Prisoners of War - Ballykinlar Internment Camp 1920-1921, ''Liam O'Duibhir 2013 * ''The Ulster Defence Regiment: An Instrument of Peace?'', Chris Ryder 1991

External links

Drumaroad HistoryBFBS radio in Ballykinler on 107.5 fm
* http://www.mercierpress.ie/irish-books/prisoners_of_war_ballykinlar_internment_camp_1920_1921/ {{authority control Villages in County Down