placenamesMartinstown
Baile Uí Mháirtín
The village’s station history and community projects connect Martinstown with neighbouring settlements in the Glenravel valley.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Baile Uí Mháirtín · Irish · main form · validated name
- Martinstown · English · main form
Place & story
From Knockanally to Martinstown
The railway station serving Martinstown originally carried the name Knockanally. Railscot’s station record dates its passenger opening to 1886 on the Ballymena, Cushendall and Red Bay Railway, with services extending onward to Parkmore in the following years. In 1920 the station name changed to Martinstown. Passenger services ended in 1930. The two names preserve different stages in the history of a rail connection which linked this inland valley with Ballymena and the narrow-gauge route towards the Glens. [2]
A school designed for two villages
Mary Queen of Peace Primary School brought together the former Glenravel Primary School in Martinstown and Saint Mary’s in Cargan. In November 2024, Hamilton Architects described its plans for a nine-classroom building for 250 pupils, with a prominent hall taking its shape from local barns and pitched classroom roofs echoing rural houses. Education Minister Paul Givan visited the existing premises and the proposed site that month. A planned footpath into Martinstown formed part of the project’s connection with the surrounding community. [3]
A gathering after isolation
The grounds of Mary Queen of Peace Church hosted Glenravel and the Braid’s first Big Parish Get-Together on 22 July 2022. Fr Conor McGrath proposed it after a parish listening process highlighted loneliness and isolation across the rural district. Hundreds attended, with games and activities for children, space for families to meet and a prayer area inside the church. The gathering served Martinstown, Cargan, Newtowncrommelin and the wider parish, marking a return to shared activity after the restrictions of the pandemic. [4]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Antrim
- Barony
- Antrim Lower
- Civil parish
- Skerry
- Coordinates
- 54.96070, -6.23567 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 1417274 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Martinstown. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Martinstown station, formerly Knockanally · Railscot
- Education Minister visits site for new school for Glenravel community, November 2024 · Hamilton Architects
- Hundreds gather for Glenravel and Braid’s Big Parish Get-Together, 25 July 2022 · Love Ballymena
- Mary Queen of Peace Church, Martinstown illustration: based on a RC Church, Mary Queen of Peace by David Dixon. AI-assisted watercolour and ink adaptation; cream paper margins added, incidental clutter omitted and fine details simplified. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2021-05-26. How this page was prepared.