Overview
Cill na Martra, also known as Kilnamartyra, lies in West Muskerry, County Cork, west of Macroom and in the Múscraí Gaeltacht. In place of a high street it has a stone parish church and a football ground that dominates the village. The village is off the N22 between Cork and Killarney.
This is Irish-speaking country, and the language is part of everyday life rather than decoration: the national school, Scoil Lachtain Naofa, runs as a gaelscoil. Come for an uncommercialised corner of rural Cork rather than a checklist of sights, and if there is one thing to see, it is the toy-soldier factory.
History and monastic roots
The parish takes its name from an early church: Cill means ‘church’ and na Martra ‘of the martyr or relic’. Tradition holds that Saint Lachtain founded a monastery here in the 8th century. His name survives in the Shrine of Saint Lachtain’s Arm, a medieval reliquary that once held fragments of his arm bones and is now among the treasures of the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin.
The present parish church, St Lachtain’s, still serves the community. The surrounding townlands belonged historically to the barony of Muskerry West, a reminder of the Gaelic lordships that held this ground long before the roads and the factories arrived.
Prince August toy-soldier factory
The most unexpected thing in Cill na Martra is a toy-soldier factory. Lars Edman came from Sweden and established Prince August here in 1976. The factory makes moulds and metal figures, from soldiers to fantasy characters, and the moulds and paints let you make your own.
Ask the Toy Soldier Factory about casting demonstrations and painting workshops if you want to make a visit of it. Families have been able to finish their own painted figures, from historical infantry to dragons. Entry to the visitor centre and parking are free. Workshops are charged separately. The shop sells finished pieces and starter kits, which make an unusual souvenir.
The operator currently lists 9am to 5pm on weekdays, with Saturdays temporarily closed and Sundays closed. Check holiday hours and workshop availability on +353 26 40222 before you build a day around it. The Eircode is P12 FN79.
GAA and community life
Sport is the pulse of the place, and the pitch is the first thing you see driving in. Founded in 1978, Cill na Martra GFC has climbed steadily through the Cork grades, taking the county Intermediate A title in 2018, then the Premier Intermediate Championship and the Munster Intermediate Club title in 2023. In January 2024 the club reached the All-Ireland Intermediate Club final at Croke Park, where it lost to St Patrick’s, Cullyhanna.
Off the field, life turns on the school feiseanna and the Gaeltacht calendar. The area has a musical streak too: the folk song Kilnamartyra Exile was written by Johnny Brown, a local man who served in the First World War and later became a missionary in Africa.
Practical information
Getting there – You will want a car. Cill na Martra is off the N22 near Macroom, and public transport is limited, so check timetables for Macroom if you are relying on buses.
Nearby – Further west in the Gaeltacht, Ballyvourney has a pilgrimage site associated with St Gobnait. Macroom to the east has the shops and services, and Killarney is a straightforward run for anyone carrying on to the national park.
Irish is the everyday language here; English is widely spoken, but the Irish-language signs and notices make good, gentle reading practice as you drive through.