BANDON, or BANDONBRIDGE  , a market-town of county Cork, Ireland, in the south-east parliamentary division, picturesquely situated in a broad open valley on both sides of the river Bandon . Pop . (1901) 2830 . It iS 20 M . S.W. of the city of Cork by the Cork, Bandon & South Coast railway . It is an important agricultural centre and there are distilleries, breweries and flour-mills . The open park of Castle Bernard (earl of Bandon), on the riverside, is attractive, and 2 M. below 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 to the Imperial parliament until 1885 . After the destruction of the walls by the Irish in 1689, Bandon long resisted the admission of Catholic inhabitants .