Ballinafad College from the Ground

The house was built in 1827 and was sold or gifted to the African Missionary Brothers around 1908 by Lieutenant Colonel Llewellyn Blake of Ballinafad and became a seminary. Thousands of men from all over Ireland were educated here and over the course of a 70 year period nearly 500 students went on to be ordained to the Society of African Missions or SMA. A new wing was added in 1932.

Ballinafad College from the Air

In the late 1970s the house was sold to Balla Mart and became an Agricultural College for a few years. Though the estate cannot be seen directly from the trail, one of its many entrances can. The gates to Ballinafad are located on the corner across from Bridgemount Estate on the way to Guesdian.