Bannow Island is a beach in the south-west coast of County Wexford in Ireland, its a place that is very close to my heart as I grew up here and Its where I learned to explore.
A lot of my time as a child was spent looking in rock pools along the beach and walking in the fields trying to dodge the cattle and occasional Bull ( you haven’t lived until a herd of cows chases you).
Bannow has a rich history and the Norman conquest of Ireland began in Bannow Bay in 1169 when three ships commanded by Robert Fitz-Stephen arrived at the behest of Diarmait MacMurrough to support his claim to the Kingdom of Leinster. Another group of Normans under Raymond le Gros landed the following year on the far side of Bannow Bay, on the Hook Peninsula at Baginbun. There was a small promontory fort there, easy for the Normans to defend and thereby ensure a safe landing.
At Bannow Island, the ruins can still be seen of the 13th-century Norman Romanesque parish church of St Mary, originally impropriated to the monks of Canterbury. It consists of a nave and chancel. Another famous Norman soldier and an officer who landed in the first invasion was Meiler Fitzhenry, whose son adopted his father’s name, and thus began the Meyler family of County Wexford, who later were prominent in the Wexford Rebellion of 1798.
Bannow Island is a beautiful beach that is heavily affected by the tide. at low tide, the beach is much bigger and a is a lovely walk and you can walk around the corner and look at the mouth of the bay which leads up to Wellingtonbridge and Tintern Abbey. Check tide times for Fethard-On-Sea, Bannow is best enjoyed when the Tide is out and be very careful the tide can come in very quick here.
There are rock pools to be enjoyed at the right side of the beach as you walk onto it, loads of little creatures to be found.
If you’re looking for another beach close by you can check out Cullenstown, It’s only a few minutes down the road and well worth a visit.
Bannow Island is well worth a visit if you’re looking for somewhere to go for a few hours, it’s not very big but what it lacks in size it makes up for in character. Bring a book and a chair and sit back and let the world go by.
Here is a video of Bannow I made:
Directions: