Welcome to IMAGES OF BALLINCOLLIG PAST

The idea for this page is to create a collection of images of times past for everyone to enjoy. Pictures that will awaken memories and start conversations. Also, those that will highlight the many changes that have occurred in Ballincollig through the decades.  If you have photographs of people, shops, buildings, streets, clubs, groups, occasions etc. through the years, it doesn’t matter whether the photographs are black and white or colour, email them all to us at –

info@ballincolligtidytowns.ie

Include as much information as possible

An Ariel photo of Ballincollig in the1960’ s shows a very different Ballincollig

The left side of the photo shows the expanse of Murphy Army Barracks

This picture of the launch of the 1983 Belle of Ballincollig Festival which took place in Beamish and Crawford, South Main Street, Cork on 28th June was recently sent to us. So many faces, some sadly no longer with us. Who do you recognize? Perhaps you are there yourself.

Ballincollig enjoyed considerable success on the GAA Fields in the 1940’s. In 1941,1942 and 1943 the Club featured in the County Senior Hurling Final athough they failed to win the Championship.

Two great players for Ballincollig featured in these teams Paddy ‘Hitler’ Healy and Billy ‘Long Puck’ Murphy

The Ballincollig Hurling Team of 1909 who were winners of the Mid-Cork Championship

Billy Murphy was born in Ballincollig in 1915. He rose to fame playing with the Ballincollig Hurling Team where he struck the ball probably
further than any other player has ever done. He will always be known as ‘Long Puck Murphy’.

He won All Ireland Medals for Cork at right corner back. For 10 years he was picked to play for Munster at full-back and corner back, winning
8 Railway Cup Medals.

Noted both as a hurler and a footballer, Paddy Healy (better known as ‘Hitler’) won All-Ireland Medals in both Sports. He won All-Ireland medals in the 1940’s. He won medals in hurling (sub) in 1943 and 1944 and in his playing wing back in 1946.

Although he played most of his career with Ballincollig, he also played for Clonakilty during his time stationed there as a member of the 31st Army Battalion. Between 1944 and 1952 he won 4 Cork County Football titles with Clonakilty and he won an All-Ireland Football Medal in 1945.

He got his nickname during the war years due to the fact he was game for anything and he also had a similar hairstyle to the real Hitler

Ballincollig Soccer Club was founded in 1973 and has produced some great players over those 47 years. Photo shows the 1976 Ballincollig Soccer Team

Rosewood Residents Association Committee at an Annual Dinner Dance in the 1980’s. The dance was more than likely held in The Blarney Park Hotel

Back row L-R:  Dermot Murphy, Jack White, Michael Murphy RIP,  Frank Holland, Michael Dineen.
Front row L-R: Con O’Sullivan, Hannah O’Sullivan RIP, Tony Whelan, Joan Healy.

BCS Student Ann Piggott was awarded the Individual Winner in the 1985 Bank of Ireland All-Ireland Debating Competition

Ballincollig Community School Students Anna Cotter and Pamela Byrne National Winners in the 1988 Bank Of Ireland All-Ireland Project Competition.

Ballincollig Community School – Ger Hickey Memorial Cup 1991 BCS First Year Football Team with coaches Ted Kennelly and Fr M Keohane who won the Annual Football Tournament held in honour of Gerard Hickey a member of the Staff of Ballincollig Community School who sadly passed away in 1986

Cormac McCarthy BCS  was awarded first place in the UDT National Tourism Competition in 1985 with Teacher I Ní She

Ballincollig Community School Student Andrew Nixon who won and award for being the best Engineering Student in County Cork in the leaving Certificate in 1984 with his proud parents

Sara O’Dwyer and Gretta Costello were winners of the ITGWU/FWUI 75th Anniversary Competition on the 1913 Lockout Included in photo is Dan Murray Principal and Dermot Lucey Teacher

In the Irish Times Young Historians Competition in 1990 Ballincollig Community School Students Gerard O’Sullivan and Eoin McCarthy were winners in the Senior Category

Ballincollig GAA Club Members celebrating the winning of the Mid Cork Minor Hurling Championship in 1956. The celebrations took place in the boys school which is now part of the Community Centre on Station Road

Cleburne served as a regimental,brigade, division and acting corps commander in the army of Tennessee and saw action in some of the most important engagements of the war, Shiloh, Perryville, Missionary Ridge. His great bravery and fearless leadership earned him the nickname the ” Stonewall Jackson of the West” after the other famous
Confederate Leader. Patrick Cleburne was killed in the Battle of Franklin on 30th November 1864 Cleburne City in Texas was named in his honour

A large group of people attending the Ballincollig Pitch and Putt Club Annual dinner in 1963. A lot of men proudly wearing their Pioneer Pins

Oriel House Ballincollig was the former home of Thomas Tobin Managing Director of the Royal Gunpowder Mills. The picture was taken in the 1970’s before being renovated into a hotel. It went through huge renovations in latter years and is now owed by the The Talbot Group.  One of the function rooms was named after Thomas Tobin  when the hotel opened.

The Flying Circus   –   In the 1930’s a number of flying circuses came to Ballincollig  and used the ‘Landing Field’ behind the ruined barracks for their displays. The public enjoyed the thrill of air flights, parachute drops, giro copters and the exploits of Britain’s youngest pilots, Miss Winnifred Drinkwater and Mr Alan Cobham At this time Ballincollig was being considered as a possible location for Cork Airport but was found to be unsuitable because of the nearby hills. The Landing Field name lives on today as that is the name of Ballincollig AFC pitches.

Ballincollig Rugby Club was founded in 1978 and their first match was played against Highfield RFC in March of that year. The club has gone
from strength to strength. Picture is of the Senior Team in September 1982

Ballincollig Community School were winners of the 1988 Cork Schools One Act Drama Competition .

Noreen Ni Luasaigh who received an award for being the best student in Cork in Leaving Cert Biology in 1984 with her teacher L Hegarty and other members of staff

Ballincollig boys and girls from 4th 5th and 6th Classes at a liturgical festival in Bandon in 1962 or 1963

Ballincollig has a very strong tradition in Pitch & Putt going back many years. The Picture shows the members of the Ballincollig Pitch & Putt Team who were Senior League Winners in 1966

In Ballincollig Community School a notable feature of the life in the school is the annual prize giving ceremony. The Eacht Awards honour students who enrich the life of the school through their participation in class and extracurricular activities and their example to others. This is a photo taken at the 1987 Eacht Award Ceremony with award winners, sponsors, Principal Mr Dan Murray Chairman of the Board of Management Dr Carthach McCarthy and Guest Speaker Mr Batt O’Keeffe TD

Jack Harrington was in charge of the Village Team who were the first winners of the P Twomey Memorial Cup in 1955. Harrington Street where
Ballincollig Credit Union is located is named after Jack Harrington

Ballincollig Community Students Greta Costello, Carol O’Hea and Lisa Horgan runners up in the 1989 Chartered Accountants Awards

In 1986 on the 10th Anniversary of the Founding of Ballincollig Community School the Board of Management  hosted a Staff Dinner. Included in this picture are the Board Of Management members, with staff and Principal Mr Dan Murray.

How many people do you recognise?

On 28th September 1998 the Tri Colour was lowered for the last time in Murphy Barracks Ballincollig as the Barracks Officially Closed

This project on the road to the Powdermills and the GAA club was so overgrown that it took 4 nights and approximately 150 Volunteer Hours to clean it up.

Left to right Mrs Flynn. Mrs Murphy, Mrs Fitton, MrsMcNulty, Mrs Kavanagh, Kitty O’Callaghan, Mrs Fitton
All from Fr Sexton Park

Sgt Flor Kelly and Sgt Ger Hogan with the bullet that missed them during an ambush in the Congo in 1960

Did you guess who she is?  It’s our very own Volunteer Kitty O’Callaghan and the Class of 1954

Main Street…..a sight we don’t see anymore  in Ballincollig

CCC Workers reclaiming footpaths on the Link Road in 2005. Wow! see how much footpath was reclaimed. MD O’Shea & Sons under construction in the background

An Caislean under construction in 2005

Mc Dermott’s Shell Service Station at Eastgate. Across the road is the vacant site before ALDI was developed

The Corner House which was previously The West End and was then developed into a Branch of the Ulster Bank. This building is now vacant 

Beech Road Residents:

Beech Road won the Lena Down Memorial Trophy in 2007 for the Best Kept Estate. Residents from Beech Road with the Trophy and County Mayor Cllr Derry Canty and Minister Batt O’Keeffe T.D

BTT Volunteers 2008 

A group of Ballincollig Tidy Towns Volunteers. Eleven years on, Many of these people are still volunteers today

Public Building Winner 2007 

Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr Derry Canty presenting Fr George O’Mahony PP with the prize for Best Public Building in 2007 with Geraldine Drohan Ballincollig Tidy Towns 

Pub Front Winner 2007

Mary O’Mahony (RIP) Ballincollig Business Association presenting Joan Stevenson of Mary O’Connell’s Bar with the Best Pub Front Prize for 2007 with Kieran O’Shea Ballincollig Tidy Towns

Front Garden Winner 2007. 

Ms Peg Bolton being presented with her prize for the Overall Best Front Garden by Minister Batt O’Keeffe T.D. Also included is Angela O’Rourke (RIP) from Ballincollig Credit Union(Sponsor of the Gardens Competitions) and Brendan Murphy Ballincollig Tidy Towns

Commercial Industrial Property Winner 2007

Mary O’Mahony (RIP) Ballincollig Business Association presenting the Overall Winner of the Commercial /Industrial Category to O’Flynn Construction for Barrack Square 

Poulavone Roundabout in 2007. Very different to how it looks today

Gary O’Brien  

Gary O’Brien was with members of Ballincollig Youth Club doing a Litter pick in Castlepark as part of National Spring Clean in 2007

26th June 1965 Ballincollig Tidy Towns was officially started by a fantastic team of people . The minutes book written in magnificent handwriting recorded all of the meetings and decisions taken and a glimpse of times past

We got together to celebrate 50 years of Ballincollig Tidy Towns

Main Street in 2004. The construction site is where McCarthy and McCarthy Solictor’s office are now located 

Heading west from the centre of Ballincollig In 2003. You can see there’s lot of rubbish- a sight we don’t see today 

Awards Night 2000.  Young helpers. The Collins Brothers (Paul, Stephen, Ronan and Jason) and David and Kara Butler. 

Train ride home after Tom Butler and Tadgh Murphy of Ballincollig Tidy Towns, collected a Landscape Award for Poulavone Roundabout  from the National Tidy Towns Awards in The Mansion House Dublin.

Seems like the excitement was too much for one 😉

Ballincollig Tidy Towns Volunteers 2012

Ger McSweeney meeting Mickey Harte at the Oriel House Hotel

White Horse Golf Society Outing to Blarney Golf Resort

Ballincollig by pass under construction 2002

A young Mags and John McKenna enjoying one of the many Open Days in Murphy Barracks Ballincollig. This photo was taken on 9th September 1994. It was Artillery Day. The 50th Anniversary of Murphy Barracks.

These Open Days were great for Bringing the community together 

Picture courtesy of Mags McKenna

Tom Butler presenting Joe Sheehan with his Prize in The Garden Competitions at Ballincollig Tidy Towns Awards Ceremony in Ballincollig Rugby Club in 2001

Gunpowder Mills. Aerial View

In 2000 Ballincollig Tidy Towns Committee consisted of 5 people namely Tadg Murphy, Con O’Sullivan, Tom Butler, Brendan Murphy and Brian Hughes. Also included in picture are Minister Michael Martin and Cllr. Derry Canty.

For many years these five kept things moving forward

Ballincollig Barracks Royal Artillery Group 1912

11th Hussars Ballincollig Barracks 1885

Ballincollig Around 2000 – Finbarr O’Connell

Ballincollig 1960’s – Examiner Photos

Ballincollig Barracks 1930’s – Examiner Photos

A selection of photos at Ballincollig Tidy Towns Awards Ceremony in Ballincollig Rugby Club in 2001. Sadly some of those pictured are no longer with us.

2001 Tidy Towns Awards Night in Ballincollig Rugby Club Selection of social and prizewinners. 

Beech Road Winners 2007

The last day the public were allowed into the Barracks before it became a construction site

Looking from inside the Barracks to Main Street

Ballincollig Schools Hurling Team Winners Of Schools Shield  on 7th March 1933 
Names like Murphy, O’Mahony, Harrington and McCarthy appear on the list of players. Perhaps one is a relative……let us know

Father and son John and Sean Buckley on the morning of Ballincollig’s St Patrick’s Day Parade 2013

Entente Florale 2013 Nieuwpoort Belgium