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'Bandon' (''Droichead na Bandan'' in Irish) is a town in County Cork, Republic of Ireland. With a population of 5,161 as of census 2002, Bandon lies on the River Bandon between two hills. The name in Irish means "Bridge of the Bandon", a reference to the origin of the town as a crossing-point on the river. In 2004 Bandon celebrated its quatercentenary. Bandon is sometimes called the "Gateway to West Cork".
TV presenter Graham Norton is one of Bandon's most famous living sons. Graham Norton notes in his autobiography that his time in Bandon, growing up as a Protestant in a Roman Catholic town was miserable and described the place as “the last outpost of hell”.

Contents

History

Decline of Protestant population

Festival

Twin city

Economy

Transport & communications

People

Sport

See also

External links

History

Bandon was founded as a plantation town in the early 1600s by Phane Beecher. Originally it was inhabitated solely by Protestants. Buildings sprang up on both sides of the river and over time a series of bridges have linked the two settlements. Sir John Moore later leader of the British Army who was killed in the Peninsular War at Corunna Spain in 1809, was governor of the town in 1798. Major General Arthur Ernest Percival was commander of the British garrison in Bandon in 1920-21 during the Irish War of Independence. He was subsequently the commanding officer of the British troops who surrendered Singapore to the Japanese forces in 1941. In 1945 he was invited by Douglas MacArthur to witness the surrender of Japanese forces in Tokyo in 1945 which ended the Second World War. Irish army leader Michael Collins was killed in an ambush at Béal na mBláth, about 6 miles outside Bandon.

Decline of Protestant population

During the Irish War of Independence, Bandon’s Protestant population, which was largely unionist, suffered from British Army intimidation and attacks. Between 1911 and 1926 the Protestant population of Bandon dropped by 4.5% [sources: 1911 Census of Ireland; 1926 Census of Saorstat Eireann].
During January-March 1921, the IRA in Cork engaged in a serious of violent attacks on the English military, and during this period at least five Protestants were murdered in Bandon by the Black and Tans: Thomas Bradfield, James Coffery, Jimmy Coffey, Alfred Cotter, Donovan (Christian name unknown) (source: Southern Irish Loyalist Relief Association papers). On 29th June, the Protestant social hall in Bandon was burned to the ground by Her Majesty's Forces (source: Liam Deasy: “Towards Ireland Free”).

Festival

Bandon Summer Fest is a family orientated festival run by a volunteer committee held over the August Bank Holiday weekend.[1]
The Bandon Music Festival takes place every June Bank Holiday weekend. In 2007 acts include Director and Mary Black.

Twin city

Bandon has a twin city agreement with Bandon, Oregon in the US. That city was founded in 1873 by Lord George Bennet, a native of the Irish Bandon who named the American one after it, and who is known espcially for having introduced gorse into the US ecology with some disastrous results.

Economy

The one time beef industry centre for the southern part of Ireland.
Other Industries in Bandon include Acorn Water - Ireland's leading water treatment company- they offer a range of office water coolers and water testing services as well as chemicals for water and waste-water treatment. Acorn Water's best known customer is Galway City, where water was undrinkable for months on end in 1997.

Transport & communications

★ Bandon is located 27 km southwest of Cork City, on the N71 road

★ Nearest airport Cork Airport

People

Notable local figures (most of whom have emigrated) include :

★ Jeremiah Holland, a life-long resident, anthropologist, biologist and bicyclist. Jeremiah remains an active community member.

★ Comedian/ TV presenter Graham Norton, who was raised in Bandon.

★ Sir George Strickland Kingston, who emigrated to Australia and became a prominent civil engineer, architect and politician.

★ Author Margaret Wolfe (Hamilton) Hungerford, who wrote numerous Victorian era novels and was the originator of the phrase "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", died in Bandon of typhoid fever on 24 Jan 1897.

★ South African born Andre Jute, the noted self-publicist, vacuum tube hi-fi designer, cyclist, music collector, liar, poseur, charlatan and critic, author, economist, psychologist, soldier and advisor to statesmen worldwide has made his home in the vicinity for many years.

Sport

You will find sport aplenty with soccer, golf, tennis, GAA, Hockey and Rugby clubs; the river is popular among fishermen who are content to while the hours away "fishing" while their children are busy scoring deals. Lamping rabbits, darts and ring throwing are also popular and the town has a snooker with two full sized tables. If Bandon could ever be described as an oasis, it would surely only be one to the avid sports fan. Here's a facinating sound byte worthy of any conversation amongs sports fans when discussing the town of Bandon:

★ Bandon Rugby Football Club were the inaugural winners of the Munster Senior Rugby Cup in when they defeated Garryowen Football Club in the final in 1886.

★ Bandon AFC play at the Town Park on the Macroom Road. The club has active mens, juveniles and ladies teams. The ladies team play in the West Cork winter league and in the Cork Ladies Soccer League ([2]in the summer.

See also

★ List of towns in the Republic of Ireland

★ Bandonbridge (Parliament of Ireland constituency)

External links

★ Bandon Grammar School website

★ Bandon website

★ History of Bandon

★ Bandon History

★ Bandon Summer Fest website

★ Acorn Water