Knightstown, County Kerry

Knightstown
Baile an Ridire
Village
Knightstown

Location in Ireland

Coordinates: 51°55′31″N 10°17′38″W / 51.92532°N 10.293846°W / 51.92532; -10.293846Coordinates: 51°55′31″N 10°17′38″W / 51.92532°N 10.293846°W / 51.92532; -10.293846
Country Ireland
Province Munster
County County Kerry
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 215
Time zone WET (UTC+0)
 • Summer (DST) IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference V422773

Knightstown (Irish: Baile an Ridire, meaning "Town of the Knight")[2] is the largest settlement on Valentia Island, County Kerry, in Ireland. It lies within the townland of Farranreagh, at the eastern tip of the island. Knightstown has a population of 215 (CSO 2011).[1]

History

In 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]

Knightstown Catholic Church.

Locality

The 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, on Valentia Island, County Kerry, Ireland contains a number of shops, cafés and pubs.

Knightstown is also the location of the car ferry connection between Valentia Island and Reenard Point on the mainland.

Knightstown served as a base of operations for the laying of the trans-Atlantic telegraph cable completed in 1866.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 05. Census 2011, Profile 1 - Town and Country (Report). Central Statistics Office of Ireland. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  2. ↑ Placenames Database of Ireland
  3. ↑ "Knightstown" (PDF). West Iveragh Settlements Local Area Plan. Kerry County Council. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  4. ↑ RNLI Lifeboat Station History
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