Bantry Bay is the largest of the long marine inlets in south-west Ireland. It is approximately 35 km long, running in a south-west to north-easterly direction. The entrance to the bay is approximately 10 km wide, steadily narrowing to 3-4 km at its head. Bere Island, situated on the north shore adjacent to CastletownBere, and Whiddy Island lying near the head of the bay on the southern shore are the two largest islands in the bay.

Latitude: 51°42'N Longitude: 009°28'W 
UNCTAD code: IEBYT

The Port of Bantry is situated on the south coast in the Republic of Ireland and there are four main industries in Bantry Bay: Aquaculture; Oil Transhipment; Stone Export; and Tourism.

The majority of ships calling at the port are bulk cargo and tankers. A number of cruise liners anchor either off Glengarriff or in Bantry Inner Harbour.