Castlemartyr (Irish: Baile na Martra, formerly anglicised as Ballymarter or Ballymartyr)[2] is a large village in County Cork, Ireland.

[8] There is also evidence of the early inhabitants' attempts to defend themselves and their livestock against marauders and the threat posed by wild animals.

[9] Some of the earliest evidence for the existence of a town or "vill" in the vicinity of Castlemartyr is to be found in the Pipe Roll of Cloyne.

[6] Castlemartyr was known as "Leperstown" in ancient times because of the Leper House that is said to have existed near Ballyoughtera, itself said by Smith to have become a village of some note during the Middle Ages.

[11] There is evidence to suggest that the Church was already in ruins before 1641 (probably as early as 1615) and that it was built before 1539, with a Chancel being added on later, possibly to cope with an expanding population in and around the village.

[citation needed] In the Norman invasion of Ireland, the FitzGerald dynasty (a Geraldine line) was granted lands in the barony of Imokilly.

[12][13] The Fitzgeralds of Imokilly were known to the local peasantry as the Madraí na Fola ("Dogs of Blood") due to the blood-thirsty disposition they displayed.

[citation needed] In 1581, the Earl of Ormond overran Imokilly; at Castlemartyr he captured the aged mother of the seneschal, John FitzEdmund, and hung her from the wall of the castle.

In the south-east corner of the old church in Ballyoughtera, the stone has a boar crest surrounded by triple incised circles and shallow cross carving which is also encircle.

For the next two hundred years the history of Castlemartyr was closely linked with that branch of the Boyle family which have the title Earl of Shannon.

[17] In 1689 it was a centre of Protestant resistance against the rule of James II, but was swiftly defeated by Irish Army forces under Justin MacCarthy who also put down a larger rising at Bandon.

[citation needed] It was also Henry Boyle, 1st Earl of Shannon, who was primarily responsible for the construction and expansion of Castlemartyr House.

About 5pm, after their bikes were blocked by a farm cart pushed through a gateway, the two RIC men were rushed by volunteers with revolvers drawn.

O'Hurley, coming from Midleton with several other volunteers, picked up the two RIC prisoners at Churchtown and advanced to Castlemartyr, before knocking at the barrack door.

[22][23] While on tour in Ireland in January 1965, The Rolling Stones passed through the village on their way to play the Savoy Theatre in Cork.

[24] While Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts took tea at Mrs Farrell's eating-house, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Brian Jones had a drink across the street at Barry's Bar.

[25] Located on the N25 road between Cork and Waterford, as of the 2016 census the majority of Castlemartyr's 1,900 residents commuted less than 45 minutes to school or work.

[1][26] Employers in the area include the 5-star Castlemartyr Spa & Golf Resort hotel, which (as of early 2018) had approximately 200 staff.