[5] The island was the property of the O'Sullivan Bere clan and remained so until the power of the Gaelic chieftains was finally broken in 1602.

[3] In December 1796, a French Navy fleet entered Bantry Bay and Berehaven Harbour, led by Lazare Hoche under the direction of Wolfe Tone, the leader of the Society of United Irishmen.

[6] Adverse winds prevented the main force landing and eventually caused the fleet to disperse and return home.

[citation needed] Rear-Admiral Sir Robert Calder, who commanded the Royal Navy squadron based in Castletownbere Port, wrote to William Wickham on 22 December 1803 to request protection for his victualers and store ships, which were to be based at the Berehaven anchorage to supply his squadron.

[7] The four, all circular in shape and built of rubble masonry, were sited to defend the anchorage between the mainland and the small harbour of Lawrence Cove on Bere Island.

[11] The island is located between Berehaven Harbour and Bantry Bay in the western part of County Cork, about 1.5 km off the port of Castletownbere.

[citation needed] Work started on providing mains electricity to the island via submarine cable in July 1957 and was completed in April 1958.

[17] A local radio station[18] broadcasts for a few hours on Sundays from a small transmitter on the island on 100.1 MHz FM.