Bandon County Cork, sometimes called the Gateway to West Cork, is 27 km south-west of Cork City (about a 30 minute drive to the city centre or Cork Airport). The name in Irish (Droichead na Bandan) literally means “Bridge of the Bandon”, because it is located on a crossing-point on the river Bandon.
Bandon is a busy active town with good schools, clubs, societies, restaurants, shops and pubs. It is a good shopping town with a range of supermarkets , local food shops, fashion shops and more. The main commercial activities of the town are agriculture and tourism based.
There is a wide range of local activities including the Bandon Music Festival, the Summerfest, St. Patrick’s Day Parade, drag racing, pony trotting the All Ireland Road Bowling Championships (a very typical Cork sporting activity). There is excellent salmon and trout fishing on the Bandon River which is also a haven for wildlife.
Access to Bandon County Cork is by road (N71). Public transport is provided by Bus Eireann with a regular service to and from Cork City and other locations.
Bandon County Cork is twinned with Bandon, Oregon in the United States and has had some famous residents including chat host Graham Norton, Brian Crowley MEP and Dr Clare O’Leary.
Click on the images for more views of Bandon:
Things to do in Bandon
Visit the West Cork Heritage Centre to explore some of the history of the area or check out some of the old birth records to find your roots.
See the Weir at Bandon a beautiful a walk by the river.
Visit the Bandon Music Festival and take part in some of the historical walks and nature trails.
Play Pitch and Putt at the Town Park or Brinny or play a full round of golf at Bandon Golf course at Castlebernard.
Enjoy the various music weekends, street festivals and sporting events.
See the many historical monuments in the town for a taste of local history.
Farmers Market every Saturday or the Country Market every Friday.
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Eating Out in Bandon
The town and surrounding area has a number of very nice restaurants.
Some recommended restaurants include Sorrentos, Italistro, Marmatice, Cappucinos, Urru and the Poachers Inn.