Spike Island, County Cork
Native name: Inis Pic | |
|---|---|
Gates of Fort Mitchel on Spike Island | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Cork Harbour |
| Coordinates | 51°50′06″N 08°17′06″W / 51.83500°N 8.28500°W |
| Area | 0.41 km2 (0.16 sq mi) |
| Length | 0.8 km (0.5 mi) |
| Width | 0.5 km (0.31 mi) |
| Administration | |
| County | County Cork |
| Additional information | |
| Official website | www |
Spike Island (Irish: Inis Píc) is an island of 103 acres (42 ha) in Cork Harbour, Ireland. Originally the site of a monastic settlement, the island is dominated by an 18th-century bastion fort now named Fort Mitchel.
The island's strategic location within the harbour meant it was used at times for defence and as a prison. Since the early 21st century the island has been developed as a heritage tourist attraction, with €5.5 million investment in exhibition and visitor spaces and accompanying tourism marketing. There were in excess of 81,000 visitors to the island during 2019, a 21% increase on 2018 numbers. Spike Island was named top European tourist attraction at the 2017 World Travel Awards.