In 1862, Coney Island, off the coast of County Sligo, Ireland, had a population of 124 people, with 45 children attending the local school. Just one family lives there today. Unusually, it has 14 large stone pillars stretching across the causeway, which were built in the early nineteenth century to guide residents returning from the mainland at night. 

This poem is based on a ride across to the island which I was part of in 1982. Unforgettable.