Knightstown (, also ) is the largest

settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building * Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction *Settlement (fin ...

Valentia Island Valentia Island () is one of Ireland's most westerly points. It lies off the Iveragh Peninsula in the southwest of County Kerry. It is linked to the mainland by the Maurice O'Neill Memorial Bridge at Portmagee. A car ferry also departs from ...

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

, in

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 lies within the

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...

of Farranreagh, at the eastern tip of the island. As of the CSO census of 2016, Knightstown had a population of 243.

History

In 1830 Maurice FitzGerald, the 18th

Knight of Kerry Knight of Kerry (), also called The Green Knight, is one of three Hiberno-Norman hereditary knighthoods, all of which existed in Ireland since feudal times. The other two were The White Knight (surname fixed as Fitzgibbon), being dormant sinc ...

, commissioned Scottish engineer

Alexander Nimmo Alexander Nimmo FRSE MRIA MICE HFGS (1783 – January 20, 1832) was a Scottish civil engineer and geologist active in early 19th-century Ireland. Life and career Nimmo was born in Cupar, Fife in 1783, the son of a watchmaker, and grew up i ...

to draw up plans for a new village. During the 1840s, development began on what was initially known as the New Town of Valentia. Knightstown Church

Locality

The local RNLI lifeboat station moved to Knightstown in 1869 from

Reenard Point Reenard ( ga, an Rinn Aird) is a townland in County Kerry, Ireland. It is located in north central Iveragh Peninsula on the southwest coast of Ireland opposite Valentia Island about 5 miles west of Cahersiveen. Reenard is connected to the Irish ...

and has since been known as the

Valentia Lifeboat Station The Valentia Lifeboat Station is located at Knightstown, Valentia Island, County Kerry, Ireland. The first lifeboat house in the area was constructed in 1864 on the mainland at Reenard Point, facing the island of Valentia. It closed in 1896, ...

. There is a selection of local coffee shops and bars in the town, as well as

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...

churches.

Knightstown is also the location of the car ferry connection between Valentia Island and Reenard Point on the mainland. The area served as a base of operations for the laying of the first successful

Transatlantic telegraph cable Transatlantic telegraph cables were undersea cables running under the Atlantic Ocean for telegraph communications. Telegraphy is now an obsolete form of communication, and the cables have long since been decommissioned, but telephone and data a ...

to Heart's Content, completed in 1866. A cable station operated until it was closed in 1966. The history of the transatlantic cable and artifacts from it can be seen at the local history museum located in Knightstown. Knightstown participates in the annual "Tidy Towns" competition where it is regularly recognized for the quality and cleanliness of its environment.Knightstown Tidy Towns Report 2018
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References

{{County Kerry Towns and villages in County Kerry Planned communities in the Republic of Ireland

History

Locality

See also

References