In the modern period, Beara was the traditional seat of power of the O'Sullivan Beare and one of the last points of native Irish resistance after the 1601 Battle of Kinsale. Allihies, on the tip of Beara, later became major copper mines and featured in the Daphne du Maurier novel 'Hungry Hill' - later made into a film. Around 1796, the French navy threatened Bantry Bay, and English forces responded by erecting defences on Bere Island, including martello and watch towers.