About

The island lies in Sligo Bay between Rosses Point and Ben Bulben in the north, and Strandhill and Knocknarea to the south. The island which is 1½ miles long by ¾ mile across is accessible by boat from the pier at Rosses Point, but the most popular route is by way of Cummeen Strand when the tide is out. This strand is exposed at low tide and is marked by 14 stone pillars for a distance of 5km leading to the island.

Old stone walls, friendly locals and amazing empty beaches make this a must-see when in Strandhill. Laze on the beach, have a picnic or have a pint of Guinness in McGowans public house, the only pub on the island.

Access to Coney island via Cummeen Strand is signposted. Driving from Strandhill take the main Sligo road for 2km. Once you pass Scarden graveyard on your left, it is the next left-hand turn. Before crossing Cummeen Strand.

VARY IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR VISITING CONEY ISLAND.

Coney Island is one of a very few Tidal Islands in Ireland. A tidal island is an island that can only be accessed at low tide. Normally at high tide you can only access Coney Island by boat from Rosses point. When the tide is low you can drive onto Coney Island. There is a set of 14 pillars to guide you to the island. Underneath the sand 20m to the Left of the pillars is a sunken road. This prevents your car from sinking in the sand. Here are the 12 golden rules on going to Coney Island.

1. Know the time of the tides, you should not attempt to drive to the island 3 hours before high tide and you will not be able to come off the island until 3 hours after high tide.

Tide times

2. High tides that are full around 7pm in the summer (6pm winter adjusted for the daylight saving hour) it can take longer for the tides to go out.

3. In winter and in windy, low pressure weather tides can be higher and more unpredictable so it may take 4 hours for the tide to clear the causeway.

4. Keep within 20meters to the left of the pillars when you are driving towards the island (to the right when you are coming off the island).

5. Do not stray more than 20m from the pillars as the sand can be very soft and your car will sink in the sand and get stuck, every year a number of cars are lost on the strand.

6. If you intend to have your car next year drive slowly (10-20km/hr) as the salt water is very corrosive on the underside of the car.

7. During hot summer days there can be a lot of traffic on the narrow roads on the island so park up and walk.

8. If you are parking your car at the Mill road on the mainland and walking to the island, make sure you park it well up the road if there is a high tide due.

9. The best time to come to the island is when there is a 1/2 moon as this signals low tides that are full around 1 (12 in the winter) these tides often don't cross and you will have more flexibility as to when you can come and go.

10. When there is a full moon ,new moon or almost a full moon or a very small sliver of a moon the tides are full around 7 and are highest. When the moon is a half moon the tides are at their lowest (neap tides) and the tide is in full at 1(12 in the winter). The best time to visit the island is when the neap tides The tides move from very high (full at6/7 to very low 12/1 every week so if you are local you can just wait a week for the low tides.

11. Enjoy your stay and bring home your litter as we have no services on the island

12. Wash the underside of your car in fresh water after your trip.

This is the original Coney Island which gave its name to the American Coney Island. In Gaelic the name means “the island of rabbits”. In the last century the merchant ship “Arethusa” used to sail between Sligo and New York. The captain of the ship, observing many rabbits in the New York Island, named it after his own Coney Island in Sligo Bay. Or so the story goes…

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