Shop and smell the roses

More than a year has passed since Ballincollig became a part of Cork city, and what a year it’s been for this rapidly growing suburban hub.

As Cork ever so slowly emerges from what we hope was the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has never been more crucial to shop local and support the businesses that make our city and county tick.

Last year Ballincollig joined towns like Blarney, Grange and Glanmire when it transitioned from county to city in the 2019 Cork city boundary extension.

With a population of more than 200,000 people and a long list of businesses, big and small, the town is quickly becoming one of Cork’s most popular shopping destinations.

You can’t put a foot wrong in Ballincollig, and once every shop on the main street has been perused, shoppers will inevitably find themselves drawn towards the always impressive Castle West Shopping Centre and it’s thirty plus stores.

Just minutes from the shopping centre, on the south bank of the Lee, lies the award-winning Ballincollig Regional Park, a vast green expanse filled with walkways and wildlife as far as the eye can see.

It’s the perfect place to unwind and reflect upon the day’s purchases. The area also has a skate park which was the first of its kind to be installed in the county.

But Ballincollig isn’t just a pretty face or a shopper’s paradise.

The town is filled with historical sites and points of interest that paint a vivid picture of a time gone but not forgotten.

One such site is the popular Gunpowder Mills which were historically used to manufacture gunpowder for the British Government.

Then, standing proudly to the south west, you’ll find Ballincollig Castle, which dates back to at least the fifteenth century. The castle itself is on private land but is viewable from the town and is fondly depicted in Cork balladeer John Spillane’s song ‘Beautiful Ballincollig’.