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 ...

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to th ...

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

. It lies 12 kilometres south west of Downpatrick, 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 or ...

of Tyrella and Dundrum. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 348 people. It is within the Newry, Mourne and Down 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 C ...

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 Gurkha ...

base known as Abercorn Barracks.

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 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 A lottery is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of ...

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 walk which passes the

Blue Flag beach The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator meets its standards. The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE, which is a not-for-profit non-go ...

at Tyrella. A nearby coastal path is maintained by the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

, although access is prohibited when shooting ranges are active.

Transport

Ballykinlar Halt railway station 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 Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by ki ...

team called ''Baile Choinnleora'' (which is Irish 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.Ballykinlar
down.gaa.ie. Accessed 1 October 2022.

Civil parish

The civil parish is in the historic

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

of Lecale Upper 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