Kilnamartyra ( , meaning ''church of the martyr'' or ''church of the relic'') is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It is located around half-way between

Killarney Killarney ( ; ga, Cill Airne , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Ross Castl ...

and

Macroom Macroom (; ga, Maigh Chromtha) is a market town in County Cork, Ireland, located in the valley of the River Sullane, halfway between Cork city and Killarney. Its population has grown and receded over the centuries as it went through periods of ...

. The parish is a kilometre from the L3402 local road which joins the

N22 road The N22 road is a national primary road in Ireland which goes through counties Kerry and Cork, from Tralee in the west through Killarney, Macroom and Ballincollig to Cork City in the east. Improvements Sections of the N22 were upgrad ...

, three kilometres away. Historically its townlands were part of the

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

Muskerry West Muskerry West ( ga, Múscraí Thiar) is one of the baronies of Ireland, a historical geographical unit of land. Its chief town is Macroom. It is one of 24 baronies in the county of Cork. It may also be viewed as a half barony because sometime bef ...

. The local national school is called ''Scoil Lachtain Naofa''. It is a ''

gaelscoil A Gaelscoil (; plural: ''Gaelscoileanna'') is an Irish language-medium school in Ireland: the term refers especially to Irish-medium schools outside the Irish-speaking regions or Gaeltacht. Over 50,000 students attend Gaelscoileanna at primary an ...

'' and is named after Saint Lachtain, the patron saint of Cill na Martra. Other amenities in the village include a GAA pitch and two pubs.

History

The Irish St Lachtin is believed to have found a monastery in the area in the 8th century, and the village name of ''Church of the relic'' likely refers to him, while the

Shrine of Saint Lachtin's Arm The Shrine of Saint Lachtin's Arm (known in Irish as Lámh Lachtaín) is an early 10th century Irish arm-shrine type reliquary made of wood and metal shaped as an outstretched forearm and clenched fist.Moss (2014), p. 291 St. Lachtin's dates t ...

, now in the

National Museum of Ireland The National Museum of Ireland ( ga, Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann) is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has thre ...

, may have originate from the area and once have contained portions of his arm bones.Synnott, Chris.
Artefacts from Blarney in the National Museum
. Blarney and District Historical Society. Retrieved 3 October 2021

Industry

Kilnamartyra has been home to the Prince August Toy Soldier factory since 1976. Founded by the Swedish couple Lars and Gunilla Edman, they manufacture and sell a range of military and fantasy figurines and home-making kits, and have established a local visitor's center. At one point, the company employed almost 40 people.Quinlan, Áilín.

. ''Irish Examiner'', 13 August 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2021

References

Sources

* Synnott, Chris.
Artefacts from Blarney in the National Museum
. Blarney and District Historical Society. Retrieved 1 August 2021 {{County Cork Towns and villages in County Cork Gaeltacht towns and villages Gaeltacht places in County Cork