Sheephaven Bay is a north-facing bay, situated on the north-west coast of Co. Donegal in north-west Ireland. The site occupies the entire inner part of the bay and includes the intertidal area at Carrickgart. The site's bedrock geology is quite varied, with schists (at least two types), quartzites, and metadolerites present. Several rivers, notably the Lackagh River, the Duntally River, the Faymore River and the Carrownamaddy River flow through the SAC.

- Area (ha): 1,841,180

- Description of the area: Great importance for the conservation of the extensive surfaces of fixed dunes that it houses

- Nature 2000 code: IE0001190

- Other protection status according to national or regional legislation: Although the SAC coincides with SPA 4194 Horn Head to Fanad Head, there is no overlap between it and the area where the conservation actions will be carried out.

pNHA Sheephaven 1190. NHAs are the basic Irish designation for biodiversity conservation and are legally protected by the Wildlife Act (2000). The proposed NHAs were published on a non-statutory basis, but have not been designated by law and therefore have limited protection.

This is a large SAC that includes a large marine part (56%). Much of the land is managed for leisure and recreation purposes (15%). The marsh and the dunes occupy 18% of the SAC and the wooded formations occupy 7% of the surface of the SAC. There are some small wetlands without active management (1.1%) and built-up land (including roads) occupies less than 1% of the total SAC area. The rest is dedicated to agriculture (3% of the SAC).
An area of ​​153 ha within the SAC (8.3%) is owned by COILLTE (and is therefore public) and the rest is in private hands (91.7%).