Crinkill (), sometimes spelt Crinkle, is a village in
County Offaly,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, close to
Birr. Crinkill was designated as a
census town by the
Central Statistics Office for the first time in the 2016 census, at which time it had a population of 682 people.
History
The village originally grew up around a
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 ...
military barracks,
Birr Barracks
Birr Barracks () also known as Crinkill Barracks () was a military installation in Crinkill, near Birr, County Offaly in Ireland.
History
The barracks were built by Bernard Mullins at the instigation of Lawrence Parsons, 2nd Earl of Rosse, w ...
, which was constructed around 1805. However, the barracks was abandoned by the British army around the time of Irish independence, and was burnt down in July 1922 as a result of the civil war that followed. Today only the ruins of the outer wall remain. In 2013, the Regimental Association of the
Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians)
The Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 100th (Prince of Wales's Royal Canadian) Regiment of Foot and the 109th Regiment of Foot ...
erected a memorial to commemorate the regiment's strong linkages with the area.
Features
The Thatch, a 200-year-old thatched restaurant and bar in the center of Crinkill, has been in the same family ownership for nearly 200 years. The Thatch has won several awards, including the Offaly Pub of the Year and the All Ireland Pub Of The Year in 1999 and 2001.
Education
Crinkill National School is the local
national (primary) school.
Sport
The village is home to Crinkill
GAA and Handball Club. Together with neighbouring clubs Carrig and Riverstown the club fields teams at all levels in the name of CRC Gaels.
Kevin Breen, a member of the East Tennessee State University cross country team known as the Irish Brigade, is a native of Crinkle. Breen was member of the ETSU team that placed second in the 1972 NCAA Division One cross country championships in Houston, Texas. He competed for Tullamore Harriers and has won Irish National Track championships medals.
References
{{reflist
Towns and villages in County Offaly