General Description: This is a short walk around
the village of Carlingford and environs. It is suitable for families with
younger children, although, if you are pushing a buggy, keep to the tarmac
road and avoid the grassy paths at the end.
Start: from the large car park opposite the harbour. This
area was once the site of the railway station that served the line between
Newry
and Greenore. Indeed the Tourist Office in the car park now occupies one
of the old station buildings. The use of railways in rural Ireland only
declined from the 1950's onwards as road transport became popular for both
everyday travel and the transport of cattle as in this case. Sadly, in today's
traffic choked towns, we now realise what we have lost and the seemingly
impossible cost of replacing same. Pictured opposite are fishing boats tied
up for the day. Fishing for herrings was once a big industry along the north
east coast with factories to smoke and preserve the herrings at Kilkeel
on the opposite shore.
Take time to explore the harbour and environs before
walking back past the car park and up to The Heritage Centre located in
Holy Trinity Church. When ready to leave here, pass over to the imposing
ruin of The Dominican Friary. At the back of this can be found an
old mill and the original millstone (pictured here) has been built into
the pavement outside the Friary. Such mills were used to grind cereals such
as wheat, oats and barley in the past, producing flour for the making of
bread and cakes etc.