Cork

What To Do in Bantry: West Cork's Market Town & Our Hub

Darragh Doran

26 Dec 2024 — 6 min read

Bantry in County Cork. By K. Mitch Hodge

Why We Chose Bantry For Our West Cork Hub

Bantry is pure Cork. It has just the right balance of being a real working town and not a tourist town. But it has plenty for the visitors to see and do. You'll get a true feeling for what it might be like to live in Ireland after your few days here.

It is perfectly placed for exploring the three peninsulas of the region. You can explore the region by day, come home, eat and drink in the town, and be well positioned for tomorrow's sites.

The town itself is a grand place to start the day quietly. Have your morning coffee in the Town Square beneath the trees, an anchor and fountain. Then walk the mile path along the seafront wall, with plenty of seating and viewing points along the way.

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Read why Hubs are the better way to see Ireland

The Friday market is the social highlight of the week in Bantry. In this part of the world, it's rude to just hand over cash and quickly move on. Come read to chat to the local producers, and think of it more an exchange, than a business transaction.

Bantry seems to have festivals every other week. The Bantry Agricultural Show in August may not be on your typical tourist itinerary, but you'll never get a better insight into Irish country life and you will meet some serious characters!

What To See and Do in Bantry

Bantry House

Bantry House has Bridgerton vibes about it. A classic Irish estate house that has been in the same family for 300 years. It is worth the visit for the gardens alone, you may get lost in the maze in front of the house, while behind the house, you can look out over Bantry Bay. You'll probably find yourself gliding through the rooms in the house as if you were dancing at 19th century ball.

You can stay overnight in the East Wing. The rooms were designed by the 2nd Earl of Bantry. Fair play lad, way to put some pressure on the 3rd Earl to keep up the standards.

You can also stay for a shorter time in the cafe. It's only a 15 minute walk from Bantry so absolutely worth the visit.

Bantry Market

The market takes place in Wolfe Tone Square in Bantry on Fridays from 9:30-1pm. It has everything you'd expect in a village market but this one is for locals, it's not a tourist market, so come and chat with the traders.

When I'm traveling, I'll often ask the farmers if I can come visit their farm, they usually love showing off their pride and joy. This is Ireland, everyone is friendly and this is how you get to see a side of it that no one else does, stick your neck out a bit and ask!

The first Friday of each month is a special market. It's the biggest one in all of Cork and you may see animals being traded here

Whiddy Island

By now, you'll have figured out that I love my islands. They're just so unique and are the last bits of rock before 3000 miles of the Atlantic Ocean.

Whiddy gets the gulfstream effect, so it's has its own climate and is more colorful than you'd expect from a windswept, rain soaked island on the edge of Europe.

Whiddy is just 10 minutes by boat direct from Bantry. It's 5km by 3km so a grand size to explore in a day. Staying overnight in the old schoolhouse is an option and have a drink with the locals in the Bank House bar.

Whiddy is well known in Ireland for tragic Whiddy Island disaster in 1979. The French-owned oil tanker, Betelgeuse, caught fire and 50 people died. There's a memorial on the island

Bantry Walking Trails

Stretch your legs on any of the 4 walking loops from Bantry. They all easy and the longest is just 5km. My favorite is the Knocknaveagh & Vaughan’s Pass. You'll get views out over Bantry Bay. You'll be encountering locals here, rarely other tourists, so be sure to stop and chat with them.

The Béicín Loop is easier and better on a wet or winter day. It's a loop around Bantry and a good way to see the town.

Bantry Bay Boat Tour

Bantry Bay is one of the longest natural harbors in Europe. Get out on a boat and explore it. Pass by the islands, see if you can spot some seals, dolphins, whales and even eagles. You might catch some mackerel, but you'll definitely learn a lot about Bantry and Ireland.

Bantry is famous in Ireland for its mussels, so be sure to order mussels where ever you eat.

In Ireland, if someone talks a lot, we say they have a mouth like Bantry Bay. You'll understand it more by the end of the boat tour.

Walk With Alpacas

You'll meet some locals, both 2 & 4 legged, when you bring an alpaca for a walk by a waterfall in a small Irish village. This is the kind of thing I would skip seeing the Mona Lisa in the Louvre for. Such a different and fun experience. Even the drive to the small village of Castledonovan will bring you through rarely visited parts of Ireland.

You can even stay on the farm for a few nights. 20 minutes from Bantry.

Durrus Cheese

I hate cheese with a passion. Rare for an Irish person living on this dairy filled island. But for those of you who somehow love it, you need to go to Durrus Cheese. Durrus Cheese is made by mother and daughter Jeffa Gill and Sarah Hennessy, in Coomkeen just outside Durrus village.

You can visit the dairy, chat the cheesemakers and see how it's made. It's another one of these side trips that will bring you to small villages you wouldn't see otherwise.

Gougane Barra & St. Finbarr's Oratory

Gougane Barra is one of those places that even though it's in the tourist guides, it still manages to feel authentic and spiritual rather than commercial.

If this was in Bali or one of those spots, you'd have every divinely annoying influencer here proclaiming its life changing spirituality. Fortunately for us, it's in wet and cold Ireland.

There's been a religious site here since the 6th century. The current building is only 125 years old, still under warranty.

While most tourists visit the oratory and do a quick forest walk, locals know the best views come from hiking up to the old butter road path above the valley. From here, you get a stunning view of the whole complex with the mountains behind. Come early in the morning, when it's still (probably) misty.

Even better, stay overnight at Cronin's Hotel and have the place to just yourself and the big man, St Finbarr.

Get Lost

We'll point you in the right direction, but the real adventure is when you wander off on your own. Because in Ireland, there's no such thing as a wrong turn. Just don't ask the locals for directions unless you've got time for a chat.