BANDON or BANDONBRIDGE, town, Co. Cork, Ireland, situated in a broad open valley on both sides of the river Bandon. Pop. (1926), 2,816. It is tom. S.W. of the city of Cork by the Great Southern Railway. It is an important agricultural centre and there are distilleries, breweries and flour-mills. Two miles be low Bandon on the river is Innishannon, the head of navigation. Bandon was founded early in the 17th century by Richard Boyle, earl of Cork, and was incorporated by James I. It returned two members to the Irish parliament and thereafter one tc the imperial parliament until 1885. After the destruction of the walls by the Irish in 1689, Bandon long resisted the admission of Catholic inhabitants.