Locality
Drim N.S. is located in the parish of Ballinakill. It is situated high in the Sliabh Aughty Mountains. Here the land varies from boggy marsh to pasture. The area is also densely wooded which enriches the beauty of the area. To the south lies Lough Graney and to the south-west lies Lough Cutra, providing the area with a magical view. From the Sliabh Aughty, a pleasing view of Lough Rea, and its plains can be viewed.
History of Ballinakill
The old name for Ballinakill which dates back to 1306 is ‘Kenalogn’. Ballinakill is a very large parish and at one time was divided into Abbey, Woodford and Ballinakill. In the village of Kenalogn, there was both rectory and vicarage with Carthusian connections. The monks owned three large tracts of land given to them by the Burkes of Marble Hill who were the landlords at this time. Today, however, there is no evidence of their inhabitancy. The monks had Norman connections and the reason for their extinction was linked with the fall of most Norman institutions in the country.
The first traces of human activity in this district are to be found in the Dolmens at Marble Hill. This affords proof that the first inhabitants were there in pre-Celtic times. The Forts belong to a much later period, as does the primitive Christian Church in Ballinakill Graveyard. Tradition asserts that St. Patrick passed through the district. A stone in Derrybrien is said to bear the impression of his knees as he knelt to pray there. With the coming of the Normans, a castle was erected, and this castle is believed to have been destroyed in 1601 by Redmond Burke.