royal gunpowder mills

Ballincollig Royal Gunpowder Mills lie in what is now Ballincollig Regional Park and is Ireland's largest industrial archaeological site. It can be accessd via Inniscarra Bridge as well as via the East Gate by the new Aldi in Ballincollig.

The white round tower at the entrance to the park was once a watch house for the gunpowder mills where workers were searched upon entering the complex.  It is possible to enjoy a walk along the designated paths and see the ruins of other  old buildings associated with gunpowder manufacture. These include a charcoal mill, a sawmill, a huge circular coal store and two magazines at the eastern end, a boiler house in the middle for drying the powder and the weir and Inniscarra Bridge at the western end.

One of the most important features of the site is the main canal which runs the length of the complex and which acted as a means of transport within the factory as well as providing the power to drive the waterwheels of the mills.