Knightstown is the largest settlement

Town

A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...

 on Valentia Island

Valentia Island

Valentia Island is one of Ireland's westernmost points, lying off the Iveragh Peninsula in the southwest of County Kerry, Ireland. It is linked to the mainland by the Maurice O'Neill Memorial bridge at Portmagee, as well as by a ferry which sails from Reenard Point to Knightstown, the island's...

, County Kerry

County Kerry

Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...

, Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

. It lies within the townland

Townland

A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...

 of Farranreagh, at the eastern tip of the island. Knightstown has a population of 172 (CSO 2002). In the 1830s the then Knight of Kerry commissioned Scottish Engineer Alexander Nimmo

Alexander Nimmo

Alexander Nimmo was an Irish engineer and architect active in early nineteenth-century Ireland. His maritime engineering designs combined classical motifs with utilitarian functionality.-References:...

 to draw up plans for a village. Development began in the 1840s.

Locality

Knightstown coffee has been catering to passers by since 1888. It is a Cafe, Bistro and Wine Bar which also has a second hand book shop. There is a selection of local coffee shops and bars also in Knightstown.

The local RNLI Lifeboat station moved here in 1869 from Reenard Point and has since been known as the Valentia lifeboat station.

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

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland
• List of RNLI stations