Knightstown (Irish: Baile an Ridire, also An Chois),[2] alternatively called Knight's Town, is a village and the largest settlement on Valentia Island, County Kerry, in Ireland. It lies within the townland of Farranreagh, at the eastern tip of the island. As of the CSO census of 2022, Knightstown had a population of 244.[1]
Knightstown
Irish: Baile an Ridire / An Chois | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 | |
  Knightstown Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates: 51°55′31″N 10°17′38″W / 51.92532°N 10.293846°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Munster |
| County | County Kerry |
| Population | 244 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-1 (IST (WEST)) |
| Irish Grid Reference | V422773 |
History
editIn 1830 Maurice FitzGerald, the 18th Knight of Kerry, commissioned Scottish engineer Alexander Nimmo to draw up plans for a new village. During the 1840s, development began on what was initially known as the New Town of Valentia.[3]
Locality
editThe local RNLI lifeboat station moved to Knightstown in 1869 from Reenard Point and has since been known as the Valentia Lifeboat Station.[4] There is a selection of local coffee shops and bars in the town, as well as Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland 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 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.[5]
Knightstown participates in the annual "Tidy Towns" competition where it is regularly recognized for the quality and cleanliness of its environment.[6]
See also
edit- R565 road (Ireland) which runs through Knightstown to the ferry
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
- List of RNLI stations
References
edit- ^ a b "Census Mapping - Towns: Knightstown - Population Snapshot". visual.cso.ie. CSO. 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
- ^ Placenames Database of Ireland
- ^ "Knightstown" (PDF). West Iveragh Settlements Local Area Plan. Kerry County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 November 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
- ^ RNLI Lifeboat Station History Archived 2010-06-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Valentia Heritage Centre
- ^ Knightstown Tidy Towns Report 2018