Bull Rock Island: Ireland’s Surreal Abandoned Island
Ireland‘s Bull Rock Island simply doesn’t look real. Bull Rock Island features a defunct lighthouse and a large abandoned stone building that looks like a natural outcropping of the jagged rocks that surround it.
Bull Rock Island’s most stunning attribute is a natural arch large enough for boats to pass through. Irish folklore states that Bull Rock Island’s arch is a passage to the netherworld. It is certainly not difficult to imagine a skeleton ferrying passengers from this world to the next beneath Bull Rock Island’s signature arch on a boat constructed out of bones.
No visitors are allowed on Bull Rock Island at this time, but numerous Irish companies offer boat tours. Curious onlookers can cruise past Bull Rock Island and admire the island’s lighthouse which was originally constructed in the late 1800s. Bull Rock Island was abandoned in the late 20th century after the island’s lighthouse became automated.
Images by Dursey Boat trips.
UnusualPlaces Field Notes
- Location
- Bull Rock and lighthouse, County Cork, Ireland (offshore rock; boat-viewing reference)
- Coordinates
- 51.5920167, -10.3012167
- Access
- View Bull Rock on a boat trip; the advertised route departs Garnish Pier, Garnish, Beara (P75 D582), not the Garnish Island pier at Glengarriff. The operator lists trips daily April–September, weather permitting; sea conditions determine the route and whether the boat can pass through the natural arch.
- Admission
- No separate island admission ticket is listed. The operator’s trip page lists €63.60 for adults 13+ and €31.80 for children 6–12; its homepage currently lists €63.50 including booking fee. Confirm the live fare when booking.
- Time needed
- About 1.5 hours for the Bull Rock boat trip.
- Best season
- The operator’s boat-trip season is April–September; all departures are weather permitting.
- Opening hours
- Boat trips are listed daily April–September, weather permitting; departure times vary by date, bookings and sea conditions.
- Location checked
- 2026-09-28
- Facts checked
- 2026-09-28
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