Coney Island is the only inhabited island on Lough Neagh. Archaeologists have carried out many excavations on the island and have found evidence of continual human occupation since Mesolithic times - approximately 8500 years ago. The island is presently 8 acres in size, but it is still easy to see the old shoreline which existed before the lough was lowered.

The main features on the island are :-

St. Patrick's Stone
This is traditionally the spot where St. Patrick rested when he visited the island in the 5th century. He supposedly walked to the island by using a ford called St. Patrick's Road which stretched from the mainland. The ford was removed during the last century to help barge navigation on the lough.

Anglo-Norman Motte
This was built as a defensive stronghold during the 13th century and is one of the most westerly Anglo-Norman outposts in Ulster. During the 16th and 17th centuries Coney Island was used as a penal colony and condemned prisoners were supposedly beheaded on this mound.

Coney Cottage -
The cottage was built in 1895 as a summer retreat for Lord Charlemont. recently renovated, it is now the private home of the island's warden. The ruins behind the island are thought to have been the servant's quarters.

The Island's Wildlife -
The island boasts a rich variety of wildlife both native and introduced. There is a good variety of trees including horse chestnut, beech, oak, Scots Pine, sycamore, willow and alder. There is a heronry in the taller tress and around the shores a variety of wildfowl nest in the reeds and undergrowth. Pheasants and domestic fowl were introduced several years ago and now range freely through the woodlands and grassy areas. Coney is also notable for its variety of bats which include Leisler's Bat, Baubenton's bat and two distinct species of Pipistrelle. The bats feed on the huge number of flies and midges which are found over the water and in the woodlands at dusk.