Bantry

Bantry, With a history stretching back to Neolithic times when humans left their first imprints here in places like Killnaruane just off the old Rope Walk, through to the tumultuous times of the French Armada and Theobald Wolfe Tone now commemorated in permanent form on Wolfe Tone Square, through the frenetic commercial mackerel and pilchard fisheries of the 19th and early 20th centuries to the busy modern cosmopolitan town with its fusion of modern and traditional streetscapes, Bantry town offers delights for all the senses.

Wolfe Tone Square is in fact the filled in harbour basin from the days of sailing ships. It is named after the Irish revolutionary hero who arrived in Bantry Bay in 1796 with a French Fleet of 31 ships and 15,000 marines sent by the Directoire to export the French Revolution to Ireland and expel the English. A storm prevented the fleet from landing in one of the great “might have beens” of Irish history. At the seaward side of the square is the statue of St. Brendan the Navigator who is reputed to have left from here and have reached the mainland of North America. A manuscript was written in the 9th century that tells the story of his famous voyage in search of Hy Brasail, or the Island of the Blessed. This manuscript is called “Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis”, Latin for “Voyage of St. Brendan the Abbot”.

In 1977 using the 1,200 year old medieval text as his guidebook, the British explorer and writer Tim Severin theorised that the Navigatio of Brendan the Navigator (c 484 &emdash; c 577) to “the Promised Land” far across the sea to the west &emdash; might actually be based on historical fact and he recreated the “Brendan Voyage” to Newfoundland in a tiny open 36 ft. leather boat coated in grease and built using the traditional techniques from St. Brendan’s time. Further evidence of Bantry’s transport history can be seen in the old railway embankment to the north of the square which went to Bantry Pier where Supervalu now is. From here the train connected with a steamer to Castletownbere.

It is 35 miles from Bantry to the open Atlantic ocean at the mouth of Bantry Bay and it is a stunningly beautiful deep water bay framed by the mountains of the Beara Peninsula and the hills of the Sheep’s Head Peninsula. Bantry House with its wonderful terraced gardens drinks in this view and this fine heritage house has been pluckily preserved by descendants of the Earls of Bantry (the White family, the title became extant on the male line) and is well worth visiting for its history and eclectic contents. It features large in the many festival held in Bantry, the Literary Festival, Choral Festival and Masters of Tradition.

Top Tip: The town is “en fete” every Friday morning for Bantry Market with fascinating stalls, bric-a-brac and artisan food producers. The first Friday of the month is “Bantry Market”, a larger version of all the above. While strolling try some of the excellent Cafes such as Organicos (vegetarian), The Stuffed Olive, The Box of Frogs and the excellent Fish Kitchen above its own fish shop and stroll up to the lovely library building incorporating the water wheel which once provided electricity to the town.