Sheep Island

Sheep Island is a small, uninhabited island around half a kilometre off the coast near Ballintoy — just 3.5 hectares, with steep, mostly rocky shores and one near-vertical cliff face over 20 metres high. The name comes from the practice of ferrying sheep out to graze there over the summer months.

The island is protected as a Special Protection Area and Area of Special Scientific Interest for its cormorant colony — home to more than 5% of the entire population of that species in Ireland. A 2021 drone survey counted 139 breeding pairs, the highest number recorded since 2010. Shag, fulmar, kittiwake, great black-backed gull, razorbill, black guillemot, and guillemot also nest here.

There’s no public access to the island itself, but it’s visible from the coast road and from boat trips along this stretch of coastline.