Leaving Sligo along the coast to the north, almost immediately you have the option of a short detour to ROSSES POINT (bus #480 from Sligo), around five miles north of town. This (or Strandhill) is the place to go for a day at the beach, a perfect picture-postcard scene, with the streaks of Coney Island and its neighbour Oyster Island guarding the entrance to the bay and the distinctive beauty of Knocknarea and Benbulben standing behind. A sea marker called the Metal Man marks the deepest part of the channel for Sligo-bound boats; placed there in 1822, it was called by Yeats the “Rosses Point man who never told a lie”. The tip of the headland, Deadman’s Point, took its name from a sailor who was buried at sea here with a loaf of bread thoughtfully provided by his comrades – they weren’t sure whether he was really dead but wanted to despatch him quickly so they could make port before the tide turned. Today Rosses Point Blue Flag beach is good for swimming and for reflecting on the works of Jack B. Yeats, W.B.’s brother, who painted the scene here on many occasions.