beach in Galway, Ireland

Omey Island

Drive across the seabed to a church that was lost under sand for a thousand years.

Worth the wander

Omey is a tidal island off Claddaghduff reached by a sandy causeway exposed only at low tide, with a medieval church excavated from the dunes in 1981 and a horse race run on the strand each summer.

Quick answers

Cost: Free
Time and distance: Low-tide causeway crossing, roughly 1.5 km of sand; full island loop about 1 hour
Parking: No formal car park; vehicles cross the strand at low tide or park roadside at Claddaghduff before walking

Find your way

Claddaghduff, Co. Galway