|
CARLINGFORD , a former fishing village five miles or so down the lough from Omeath, makes a considerable contrast to its neighbour, both for its neatly ordered network of narrow, whitewashed, terraced streets, often with naive murals, at the foot of the Sliabh Foye Mountain, and in its development as an upmarket resort. Although the development may take a trained eye to detect - it's discernible perhaps mainly as a sprinkling of craft shops - the place retains real charm as well as some excellent places to eat and drink. Carlingford is also an historic place. St Patrick is said to have landed here briefly on his way to introduce Christianity to Ireland (he finally ended his journey further north, in County Down), and the settlement is ancient enough to have been raided by the Vikings. But the oldest visible remain is the D-shaped ruin of King John's Castle , down by the main road on the water's edge. King John is said to have visited in 1210, and the Anglo-Norman castle, guarding the entrance to the lough, may be even older than that. It has its counterpart across the water at Greencastle. The village in general retains a distinctly medieval feel, and there are a couple of solid fifteenth-century buildings: the Mint , in a narrow street off the square, is a fortified town house with an impressive gate tower; Taafe's Castle , which stood on the shore when it was built but is now some way from it, is impressively crenellated and fortified but sadly not open to the public. The best and safest beaches in the area are at Gyles Quay and Shelling Hill.
Your Tip for Carlingford
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Carlingford - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Carlingford - visit the main Carlingford forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Carlingford webguide section below! Thanks.
|
