The town's open central square slopes gently down to the harbour and is the focal point of Bantry life — site of the Friday market, the May mussel fair, and a good deal of casual lingering on dry days. The statue at the lower end is of Theobald Wolfe Tone, the United Irishman whose abortive 1796 invasion fleet sheltered briefly in the bay just to the west.
Colourful three-storey shopfronts line three sides, with the bay closing the fourth. Most of Bantry's pubs, cafes and small shops are within a minute's walk of the square, which makes it the natural starting and ending point for any day in the town.