How in Co Cork proudly maintains ‘heart of a village’ despite major changes over the years

How booming Ballincollig proudly maintains ‘heart of a village’ despite major changes over the years

In the first of a series about Irish towns thriving amid challenges, this bustling town once dominated by an army barracks, which took up one side of the main street, has doubled in population since the 1970s

Sometimes it takes the heart of a village to make a successful town. Ballincollig in Co Cork – which takes pride in its nickname of “The Village” – knows precisely what that means.

For decades a sleepy community on the western approach to Cork city, best known for its gunpowder mill, Ballincollig grew in size from the late 1960s as new housing estates transformed the area.