Coney Island

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An Island on the Fergus River estuary, which is north off the Shannon River estuary, towards Ennis.
Strictly speaking, only the little, uninhabitable, high-tide, islet to the southwest is the part known as Inish-da-Droum (sp.?) or Isle of Two Humps.
Inisdadrom, & also Rat Island to the northeast, were recorded separately on ownership records because of their important seaweed harvests.

A nun (Sr Rose Anne Ginnane) who was born on this island c.1913, wrote a book in 1984-5 entitled "From Coney Island to Paris". Her grandfather Ginnane died in the same house, that same day.
The monument on the hill (which can just be seen casting a shadow) is to Captain John Foster Fitzgerald, who died of wounds received in a British Cavalry charge in The Punjab (Khyber Pass area of India/Pakistan) c.1855. It was erected by his exact namesake father, who was a Field Marshal & a Knight. He must have bought the island [c.1790-1810 (?)] as an absentee landlord, after it came up for deceased-estate bankruptcy auction caused/sued by the HENN family of Paradise, which is on the mainland just to the west. That 'For Sale' advertisement from the Ennis newspaper is on the internet.

The GINNANES leased most of Coney during the 1800s at least, & until the last old man, Sean's brother, died c.1990? Now it is cattle-farmed by Normoyles & Ginnane descendants commuting via Crovraghan Pier / Ballycorick Church / Killadysert=Kildysart area to the northwest.

Ginnanes spread to nearby islands by intermarriage -- see Horse, Low, Canon, Feenish, Deenish, Deer, Inishmacowney Islands, etc.

These GINNANES /= Mac An Gowan = Ghabainn = Smith, -- may have been evicted from www.BORRISOKANE.com area of Co.Tipperary by Cromwell c.1660
Sean Ginnane (aged c.80s, one of a family of 11) was buried on Coney in 1984, at which time only the last one of his brothers was living there. The cemetery surrounds the ruined church and monastery of St Brendan of Ardfert (A.D.550) on the southeast corner, closest to Shannon Airport.
There is another church ruin on the eastern end; and there was an O'Brien / Thomond castle, perhaps on the hilltop?, from which the cut stones were probably taken to build the village.

There were 10 houses and a school at the Censuses of 1901 / 1911, and reducing numbers of people after that.

There were also a family named Kieran / Kerin / Karin; and numbers of NORMILE / Normoyle / Normoile / Normyle families. See the 1826 Tithe Applotments, 1855 Griffiths Valuations, 1829 List of Registered Lease-Freeholders/Voters, etc.

There is a rumour that c.1700s(?) the island was de-populated by an epidemic of some sort.

There are Iron Age (time of Christ), post & wattle fishing traps still visible in the mud to the north, as well as similar ones from the 12th-16th centuries.

There were Viking raids on the churches around the 10th & 11th centuries, -- although Imar & his 2 sons were probably actually killed in A.D.977 on Scattery Island to the west 15 miles or so, nearer Kilrush.

All corrections, updates & extra information appreciated.
Murray@Ginnane.co.nz