Drawing from all available records from Census to Land Registry, Church and Civil, the author has not only a deep interest in the area but was around when the townland was in the final days of it's country roads and farms. Personally knowing and being part of the lives of some of the residents of the large houses has enabled not only an accurate description of the area but also a real insight into this disappearing part of Irish life. Each of the large houses that once sat on the lands of Ballinteer from the early 1800s is covered and where possible, each resident of those houses has been researched and what has been uncovered is nothing short of amazing. Tales of gun running and kidnapping accompany underhanded deals that saw inheritances whipped away from family members. Accompanied by old maps and aerial photographs, the author has amassed a collection of personal photos of some of the old estate houses that have never been published before.