The northern boundary of this rural area forms the Kildare/Meath county border north west of Enfield and north of the M4 today.  The northern border of the townland of Moyvally sits just 1km south of Longwood in Co. Meath and its eastern border is the Blackwater which divides the two counties at this point. To the west of Moyvally sits the small townland of Calf Field and then on to Ballynakill whose northern boundary is the river Boyne, part of the Meath and Kildare county border. 

The area was an important transport hub between Dublin and the West of Ireland. The Royal Canal links the River Liffey in Dublin to the Shannon River 145km away in Longford. Work commenced in 1790 and construction through the Moyvally townland was completed in 1806, and the Shannon was reached at Clondra Co. Longford in 1817. For 30 years the Royal Canal was a modest commercial success, transporting 134k tonnes annual by 1834, and 46,000 passengers in 1837. In 1807 the Royal Canal Hotel was built in Moyvally to support this transport system, and a policeman had to be billeted there to counteract local Ribbonmen who were attacking the boats. 

But the arrival of the railways would put an end to the canals. In 1845 the Midland Great Western Railways was incorporated in 1845 and purchased the Royal Canal and commenced construction of its rail lines that would pass through this area of Kildare, to reach Galway by August 1851. By the 1880’s the Royal Canal was only shipping 30k tonnes per annum. 

It is in this context that one must look at the population decline in the Ballynadrumny area from 1841 to 1901. It declined a staggering 73% when compared to decreases of around 45% in rural areas of south Kildare, so the decline of the Royal Canal commercial activity must have had some bearing on this. 

Between 1841 and 1851, the famine decade, the population declined by 22%, or at a rate of almost 36 people a year. In the 1850’s the decline continued at an average rate of 34 per annum. From the 1860’s to 1901, the decline continued at an average of 12 people per annum. Today’s population of 580 is only 33% higher than in 1901, as development is preferred in areas such as Enfield, Longwood and Kilcock.

In the 1850’s John Wright Switzer (1806-1891), founder of the Switzers Department stores in Dublin, acquired the Royal Canal Hotel and re-established it as a successful Hydropathy and Spa Hotel as well as using it as his private residence, where he died in 1891.  In 1901 John Switzer (40) his wife Augusta Ledwich (39) and their three young children Ernest, Kenneth and Irene, were resident on Census night alongside seven domestic staff. 

Moyvally House was vacated in the 1930’s and finally demolished in 1977 to make way for the new roadway. 

The most common surname in the Ballynadrumny ED on Census night was Cully with 27, followed by Foran (25), Malone (20), Kelly 914) and 12 each for Monahan, Mooney and Murray.