residence of the O'Mahony's was at Rathleann, on the Bandon river, where they subsequently erected a castle on the site of the old rath, called Castle Mahon, now Castle Bernard, the seat of the Earls of Bandon. St Finn Barre, patron saint of Cork was born at Rathleann. His father, Amergin, was chief smith to Tygernach, the then prince of the O'Mahonys. The town of Bandon (or Bandon Bridge), in the barony, ows its establishment chiefly to the first Earl of Cork; and Lewis his second son created 1628 Baron of Bandon Bridge and Viscount Kinalmeaky, was its first governor. The town was incorporated in 1613, and for a long period remained an almost exclusively Protestant settlement.

The landlord of this place long ago was Lord Bandon. He lived in Castle Bernard Bandon. He was landlord of Bandon and the district around it. They were landlords of the district since the time of Cromwell. A man named Mahony had it before Lord Bandon and he was killed fighting for the Desmonds against Cromwell.
Lord Bandon was a good man but his agents were very bad. he never evicted any person but his agents used to send writs and he used not know about them. When people were evicted they built huts near their farms. Lord Bandon bought the land from

inferior quality Lord Bandon afterwards sold it for a large sum.

During the year that Lord Bandon was ruling in the locality of Dreenlomane, a pot of silver was found in Dreenlomane when men were turf-cutting in a bog which is now a dry field. The finder, who was Mr. MacCarthy, sold it to Lord Bandon for five pounds, as he was led to believe that the silver was of inferior quality. Lord Bandon afterwards sold it for a large sum.

There are nuns of an old school on the farm of Mrs McSwiney Tullyland Bandon

About half a mile west of Bandon stands Castle Bernard. In this castle lived the lords that ruled Bandon and district. This castle was first built by the O'Mahonys who were the owners of West Cork at the time of the Desmond rebellion. When Desmond was at war the O'Mahonys helped him and when he was beaten the O'Mahonys were deprived of their land. Then an English lord got their land and in this land English tenants were planted. No lord ruled Bandon since 1922.

the well for years after. There are plenty of old Bandonians alive still who saw the crutches near the well. Fr. Thomas Shinnick's remains now rest beneath the Mc. Swiney memorial in St Patrick's, Roman Catholic Church, Bandon.
The memorial was erected in memory of Canon Daniel Mc. Swiney, P.P.,V.F., of Bandon, who was uncle of Right Rev. Monsignor D. McSwiney also Parish Priest of Bandon.
During Fr Shinnick's time some English soldiers were quartered outside the town of Bandon at a place called Mawmore. Some Irishmen who had joined them rebelled one night and three of them Drumgoole and two Sullivans were sentenced to be shot. The English soldiers marched across Bandon Bridge whilst the condemned men each marching behind his coffin were taken to a place called Falvey's Brake near Innishannon in the townland of Curranure and shot and buried. Father Shinnick walked before the coffins and the condemned men but the English soldiers turned him away and would not allow him to go to Falvey's Brake.

prince of the OMahonys. The town of Bandon (Bandon Bridge) in this Barony owes its establishment chiefly to the First Earl of Cork, and Lewis, his second son, created 1628 Baron of Bandon Bridge and Viscount Kinalmeaky was its first governor. The town was incorporated in 1613 and for a long period remained an almost exclusively Protestant settlement. Bandon is genetive of Bandan also written Banna. It means trickling or flowing water - therefore a stream. It takes the article as An Bandan. It is the same as An Bandan. It is the same as the Bann in Ulster and in Wexford.

Father Thomas Shinnick was for 35 years Parish Priest of Bandon. He was the founder of the chapel of Kilbrogan, Bandon. Father Shinnick died on 11th Feb. 1814 and was buried in the old Catholic Church which stood on the same ground as the Junior Boy's School now stands. Near his grave was a well where cures were effected and coins, medals and crutches were found at the well. This well was closed by order of Right Rev. Monsignor Mc. Swiney, P.P.,V.G., years after. About the same time there was buried in Ross a famous priest, Rev John Power. People travelled from far and near to Fr Power's grave on St. John's Day where they paid "Rounds" and many cures were reported.
Now it happened that a man came from Liverpool to Bandon on his way to Ross. He was a poor cripple with two crutches and while he was in Bandon some one persuaded him to go to Fr Shinnick's grave to pay rounds there. He went and remained up all night praying, etc. Next morning he came out with one crutch only and limping badly with the other. After a few hours he returned to the tomb and placed the other crutch on the tomb. To the surprise of the onlookers (some schoolboys at the time) he walked perfectly out on to the road. His crutches with several others were to be seen near

Bandon was to be built in Newcestown but the authorities found no water there. Then they searched around for water and found it in Bandon.
The North side of the town was built first. The South side was all a bog. The old bridge of Bandon stretched from Lees Bridge over to Koehanes. Mattie Perrott was the man who built the new bridge.
The four gates of Bandon were where Hawkes live now in Kilbrogan Hill, in Castle Road, in the new Road, and in Watergate. That is how Watergate got it's name.

One day there was a man named Coughlan going to Bandon. He met a man on the road and he told him to bring him some bran. It was all Irish Coughlan used to speak and when he went to Bandon, it was into a Dentist he went for the bran, for he did not know a lot about bran. When he went into the Dentist he asked him what did he want, and he told him in Irish that he wanted some bran. The Dentist did not say a word, but he got the pincers and pulled all the bad teeth from him. When Coughlan went home the man asked him where was the bran, and he said if you asked for bran in Bandon they would not let a tooth in your head.

Many years ago a seiner named Charley Carthy living at Bandon Road left his house one night to go out fishing. Like all the poor people of this time he had no clock and had to judge the time by the light of the sky. When he got as far as Bandon Road Cross, he saw a great crowd of people, some of them coming down Bandon Road and the others from Abbey Lane. Both crowds halted at the corner house. The town clock struck either 12 or 1. Charley got scared and turned homewards. He said that as he moved away the crowd divided into two one party going towards the Friary Chaple and the other towards the Parish Chapel.

Matter supplied by Mr. Carey Castle Road, Bandon.
Written down by: John B. Coughlan Schoolteacher, Bandon.Lady Bandon presented a peal of seven bells to St. Peter's Church Ballymodan. A local poet to commemorate the event composed a poem on the matter. The poet's name was John Hennessy employed as a clerk in the office of Mr. Walsh a well known trader of Bandon! The opening two lines of poem were"On my morning rambles around the Shambles
Taking a breath of the morning air"Another verse ran like this
"On Xmas morning a noisy warning
Disturbed the quiet of Bandon town

We were talking about a death in our town one night while sitting around the fire.
The dead person was a relative of an old man who had a tannery factory here in Bandon long ago? He said there was quite a good lot. He then told me about one.
He said "that in Bandon there lived a rich old gentleman named Richard Clear. He owned one factory down Watergate Street and tanned leather. He employed about 18 to 20 men. The factory was built fairly big and was situated at the end of the street
He sent his manufactured leather around Bandon and most of the shoemakers bought it. He bought his hides and skins in Bandon and farmers were given high prices for the skins at that time
Around Bandon factories were at work at that time. There were two of them at that time very near each other near Kilbrogan Rectory one in Mr McGrath's field and another

During the years that Lord Bandon was ruling in this locality, a pot of silver was found in Dreenlomane. The finder who was Mr Mac Carthy, sold it to Lord Bandon for £5, as he was led to believe that the silver was of

There are many stories told about hidden treasure. "Donnchadh Dubh" the highway-man is supposed to have hid some gold. "Donnchadh Dubh" came from around Bandon. He used rob the rich and give to the poor.
He had a resting place at Ardcahan. The people used know when he was out but they used never know when he was inside. When he used be coming back he used turn the shoes on the horse. He went into a house in Mágh Mór. It was a Holland family who lived in this house. Donnchadh got a ladder and went in the top window and shot a lighting candle off the table. The Hollands over-powered him and took him prisoner to Bandon.
Some say it was at the Cork Assizes he was tried. He was condemned to be hanged. Some say it was at Gallows Hill Bandon but more say it was at Killmeen. Before he was hanged he was asked had he anything to say, he said "is there any one here from Nedineagh" "if there is " "tá bróg óir lán go bhárr" in the ditch running from the Bandon river to Fanlobbus. He also said "the best thing to light your is the withered stalk of a potato."
When they went to hang him they failed for he had an iron collar around his neck which a blacksmith made for him. After a

The village of Enniskean is situated about mid way between Bandon and Dunmanway. It is built on the river Bandon and it is a modern village being equipped with electric light and water-works. The land at its north side is hilly but very fertile and the land at its south side, the valley of the Bandon, is level and though the surface presents the appearance of marsh it is very suitable for grazing purposes.Cromwell planted the locality with English Protestants, it is difficult to find out much of the early history of the village. The ancient name of Enniskean was Beal an Átháin, the Áthán being a river which flows at the eastern end of village. Tanning lather was an important industry of the inhabitants in earlier times, and a river is very much needed in any place where such an industry is in progress, and so it was from a tannery that the river Áthán got its name, --abha an Tháin.It was a man named Boyle from Bandon who first built Enniskean and afterwards some people from Scotland came to the village (village) and started the weaving trade there and they were very successful at it. As time went on these Scottish people took the Mc Carties who lived in the village into apprenticeship to the trade

Timothy Holland's grandmother was Mrs Keohane from Butlerstown. 90 years ago she used to walk, with a lot of other women, from there to Bandon market with a basket of eggs and butter tied on her back. This journey to Bandon and back a distance of 26 miles - they used to make every fortnight.

1649 Cromwell in Bandon.
Cromwell selected Youghal as his head-quarters during the winter of 1649. He frequently left it on tours of inspection to the various garrisons that were quartered throughout the country. In December of that year he came to Cork accompanied by Lord Broghill, and after Ireton's arrival - in two days after - he proceeded to Kinsale and thence to Bandon.
He came several times to Bandon, and always put up at a little two storied house - that then occupied a site upon which at present stands the residence of Mr. T. Bennett South Main Street. I believe it is at present occupied by Mr. Scott. In a little bedroom here Cromwell retired to rest. Such importance did a subsequent owner of this house attach to everything connected with his visits to the town that when the house was taken down about the beginning of the last century, to make for its present successor, he had the boards of the bedroom, (also bed) carefully removed. They are in Bandon at the present day.
T. Bennett. Esq lived in Scott's house South Main Street.

Meantime David and Michael were being prepared for their final despatch at Bandon. Their execution took place at Gallows' Hill, on the Green in front of the houses now known as Hill Terrace. As the appointed hour approached, the streets of Bandon rang with the tread of thousands of people from all over the district, who made the occasion a festive holiday many of whom were excited to sympathy for the fate of the two brothers. When Mick was asked the