For other places with the same name, see Bantry (disambiguation).

Bantry town centre

Bantry is a small town at the head of a very large inlet, Bantry Bay in County Cork, Southwest Ireland.

Understand

Bantry is remote and surrounded by hills except for the 30 mile sea inlet that is named after it. It has a population of about 3000 yet is the biggest town for miles around. The setting is magnificent and it can make a marvellous place to visit if the weather is kind. The landscape gets wilder to the north and west, leading out to the even more remote peninsula of Beara to the west and over a mountain pass into Kerry to the north. In contrast to the landscape Bantry and the surrounding area has a mild climate and is well-known for luxuriant 'sub-tropical' vegetation.

See

• Bantry House, ☏ +353 27 50047, info@bantryhouse.com. 10 am - 5 pm from April to October; closed Mondays in April, May, September, and October (but open bank holiday Mondays). A stately home, formerly owned by the White family with impressive gardens offering scenic views over Bantry Bay. The house is peculiarly mixed in both architectural styles and décor. House and gardens are open to the public and sometimes host to orchestral concerts. €11 home and garden; €5 for garden (children under 16 free); family and group rates available. 
• Glengarriff is a village at the northern head of the bay where the scenery gets even more dramatic. A popular excursion here is to take a boat trip to Garinish Island to see the Italianate gardens, open April-Oct.

Do

Take part in the annual Bay Run half marathon in May, which is from Glengarriff to Bantry and hugs the coastline along the route. The route is an excellent chance to take in the spectacular scenery available in the area.

Friday is marked-day in the town centre. Clothes, ironware and food are sold from around 9 am till 2 pm on Wolfe Tone Square.

Go horse-riding through the scenic hills of West Cork at Bantry Pony Trekking situated in Coomanore South, 10 minutes from bantry. In nice weather you get to witness stunning views of the Mealagh valley, all of Batry Bay, Whiddy Island and Bere Island, as well as the Caha mountain range. For more information see www.bantryponytrekking.com

• West Cork Literary Festival, 13 Glengarriff Rd, ☏ +353 27 52788, toll-free: 1850 788 789 (domestic). Every July. A week-long event celebrating reading and writing, with workshops and reading programmes bringing famous names to the town of Bantry. (updated May 2018)

Eat

• Organico Cafe, 3 Glengarriff Rd. Wonderful organic food in a light and spacious venue - recommended. 
• Blair's Cove, Durrus, Bantry. Gorgeous food, gorgeous location. 

Sleep

• Caher Lodge, ☏ +353 2751665, caherlodge@yahoo.com. Luxury Self Catering Accommodation located on the spectacular Bantry Bay Golf course.