The old township of Killandrist meaning the cell of Andrew suggests this area was once dedicated to him probably in early Christian times, 8th century onwards, when folklore suggests a monastic community nearby or a scattering of monk cells, belonging to the Culdee sect.
Along the road on the left is a spring below the road, partly hidden from view, which was probably the township well. Now used for animals it seems to have been the water source for locals until modern times.
From here you look down on one of Lismore’s freshwater lochs – Balnagowan – a site of special scientific interest (SSRI) because of its rare flora. Alexander Carmichael, the celebrated Gaelic folklorist, lived in a house nearby now ruined.
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Back up the road is the ruin of Samuel MacColl’s school built in the 19th century funded by the parish. It educated boys and girls aged from five upwards. Alexander Carmichael was schooled here in the 1830s and 1840s. The school is now within the garden of a private house but from the road you can see the ground floor schoolroom and evidence of first floor accommodation, probably the living quarters of Samuel MacColl, who was the schoolmaster here for 33 years.