It sat there, a short boat-ride out into Lough Neagh - tantalisingly inaccessible. Coney Island - not the New York one with its noisy, white-knuckle, roller coaster, its foot-massage machines, its fried chicken shrimps and its blue clams - but Co Armagh's own, providing a refuge for Stone Age people, a resting place for St Patrick, a look-out for Shane O'Neill and inspiration for Van the Man.
It's only a small island - you could walk round it in 10 minutes - but a northwesterly wind which was making our small boat yaw and buck, was whipping across the lough and churning its surface into a storm of short, choppy waves that battered the island's only jetty. Flashes of summer blue appeared in the sky but boatman Tom Forker shook his head: a landing was impossible. Instead, he turned round the Troscan - a converted Lough Neagh fishing boat - and headed back for Maghery. Behind us, Coney remained green and still among the white-tipped waves - a beckoning Atlantis we couldn't reach. Next day, though, the sun shone, the winds were kind to us and Coney welcomed us into its wooded and secret places.
No one is sure where the name comes from. One story is that a supporter of O'Neill, falling ill, was taken to a healer called Coney - an O'Connor supporter. The healer, discovering the man's allegiance, killed him instead of curing him and, for her own safety, was taken to the island which then became known as Coney. It was later captured by the O'Neills and used as a store for Shane O'Neill's riches. The island's Irish name is Inis Daibhle.
Eventually, Coney was acquired by Lord Charlemont who, in 1895, built a summer cottage on it. The cottage will be home to the next warden of Coney Island - a paradise in summer and, let's put it like this, a challenge in winter. Choppy waves aren't the only thing that makes landing difficult: fog and ice can cut the island off from the mainland for days on end. A sunken telephone line is then only contact with the mainland. There is neither drinking water nor electricity: power comes from a generator so fuel has to be ferried over from the mainland. When you go to Coney, you're on your own. Now, in high summer, however, the island is in paradise mode. The clearing by the landing stage has been mowed - a lush green carpet laid out specially for picnickers. Sunlight slices through the tall trees and enticing pathways disappear through mountainous, overhanging elderflower bushes. A layer of summer heat lies across fuscia 10 feet high. Hydrangeas and tiger lilies grow around the garden of the cottage; rambling roses lean languorously against its walls. The doorway into the ruins of the O'Neill lookout tower is framed with greenery and inside is the grave of Lord Charlemont who had asked to be buried here. Walking up the footpath that spirals round the motte - yes, the Normans were here too - a pheasant and its chicks start up from the long grass right at my feet and overhead, there's a sudden rasping sound as a heron lumbers through the tree tops. Coney lies within Lough Neagh's bird sanctuary and is home to something like seven herons, their nests clearly visible up in the trees. There are also grebe and mallard and, of course, swans - for the Children of Lir are said to have dropped in on Lough Neagh.
You can get out to Coney by hiring a boat and a boatman. From Oxford Island, on the south east corner of Lough Neagh, a round trip on the Master McGra, costs £30. This fare includes up to 12 passengers. Alternatively, you can drive to Maghera, about six miles away, where the shorter boat trip costs £5 for adults and £3 for children. If you'd like a tour of the island, contact Phil Davidson, senior conservation officer of Craigavon Borough Council. She is also responsible for the excellent Lough Neagh Discovery Centre at Oxford Island.
It's sometimes possible to get permission to camp on Coney - especially attractive if you're a bird watcher. But remember, once there, you're on your own and you have to bring your own water. However, that's a small price to pay for a short stay on paradise.
Getting there
from Oxford Island. The car drive from Dublin takes two-and-a-half hours. I put my bike on the train at Dublin's Connolly Station, got off at Lurgan and cycled to the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre on Oxford Island. Return fare: £23 plus £7 for the bike.
To hire the Master McGra, call Paddy Prunty on 0801 762 327573. Advance booking essential. For details of tours of the island and for all information about Lough Neagh and Coney Island, ring the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre on 0801 762 322205.
Where to stay: the Northern Ireland Tourist Board offers a free B&B guide. From it, I chose the Redbrick Country House, two miles out of Portadown. A home from home.
"Put down the snib when you go," said the bean a ti who left the house ahead of me. B&B £16. Tel: 0801 762 335268.
