30th May 2017. A wet day. Another car trip with the family. Carlingford, the main town on the Cooley Peninsula is on the southern shore of Carlingford Lough, about 8 kilometres from Omeath. The population is about 1,500.
It was a settlement founded by the Vikings in the 9th century. And was later a Norman market town.
King Johns Castle.
Fun for my grandchildren to climb King Johns Castle.
The old Mint.
The Gate.
The town has some Norman buildings including the Mint, Town Gate and Taaffes House.
Some artwork on a pub.
The village square.
Some antique shops around the village.
Visitor Centre.
The monument to Thomas D’Arcy McGee. McGee was born in Carlingford in 1825 and was a member of the Fenian Brotherhood. He emigrated to Canada where he repudiated the Fenians and was assassinated by a Fenian, Patrick Whelan in 1868. He is one of the founding fathers of Canada.
The town is also a centre for mountaineering, rambling and sea kayaking.
The Cooley Mountains feature in Irish myths and legends as the birthplace of the warrior Setanta/Cú Chulainn.
Ireland: The Final Frontier 