Surrounded by Ancient Woodland, Bandon Bridge was officially founded in 1604 as a plantation town. It became the jewel in the crown of Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork, who prized it above all his other holdings and protected it with a town wall and gatehouses of unprecedented scale.

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As an important market town, Bandon became a centre for distilling, brewing and other industry in the 19th Century. This shaped its architecture and character which it retains today, with its fine Georgian Buildings and imposing neo-gothic churches. Our town remains a busy market town with a superb choice of shops, cafes and restaurants, nestled among ancient woodland and on the banks of our beautiful river.      ​