[3] In 1611, Ballinakill was acquired by Sir Thomas Ridgeway who invested heavily by building a castle and developing the local area.

[5] The town was besieged and plundered by Irish rebels, including the Earl of Castlehaven and Lord Mountgarret, during the 1641 Rebellion.

Remarkably, this information survives to us through an account from a native American Patagonian from present day southern Argentina/Chile 'but now a Christian' who had been a servant to Captain Richard Steele for twenty years and lived in Ballinakill.

A daily Town Link service, operated by Slieve Bloom Coaches, routes through the village between Portlaoise and Borris-in-Ossory.

[citation needed] Ballinakill has an outdoor swimming pool which is operated seasonally from June to September, Masslough lake on the edge of the village, and a playground which opened in 2022.