in the heart of West Cork, is a region of astounding natural beauty that is unparalleled anywhere else in Ireland.

Bantry Bay's shores are washed by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. The bay itself is one of the world's deepest and safest harbours and it's also the largest of the long marine inlets in south-west Ireland.

According to ancient folklore, the first inhabitants of Ireland arrived in Bantry Bay, landing in Donemark on the outskirts of Bantry town. As one of the safest and most spectacular deep water harbours in Europe, Bantry is steeped in tradition and during the Napoleonic years prospered with the population reaching over 4000 people.

The Battle of Bantry Bay (1689)

A famous battle between the British and the French Navy's which took place in 1689 between Bere Island and The Sheep Head Peninsula The battle was so severe that a lot of the locals left their houses and took to the hills for protection. Numerous ships were sunk in the Bay and parts of these ships have been located from time to time.

Wolfe Tone was a famous Irish man who lived in the 18th Century and arrived off the Beara Coast line in 1796 with a fleet of French ships and soldiers to free Ireland from British control. A storm blew up and the ships were scattered so the French invasion failed.