Ireland '23 - Day 15 - Carlingford

return to Ireland 23 index

return to mdimage index

The octagonal breakfast room at the Mourneview B&B was surrounded by sheep grazing fields. On our first morning it was sunny and we could see green fields extending uphill until forest takes over and then there's a rugged outcropping and finally the peak called Sleive Foye, at 2,000 ft.    

But today it was raining, with sun, so rainbows kept forming, including two complete rainbows, so momentary & we didn't have our cameras. The two photos below were taken a few minutes later, accompanied by pelting rain from behind.       

from the B&B

After breakfast Roger drove us into town to locate the Carlingford to Omeath trailhead. Then Doris and Mary and I had a good sea level walk of five miles, with open vistas across the water, ever-changing with clouds & sunshine. 

note - you can enlarge any part of a picture by left-clicking in and then out again (with some exceptions). 

	the trailhead is at the town marina		taking the Green Way to Omeath		across the Loch to the Mourne Mountains
				Mary & Doris
	alongside the trail		coastal walk
		Cafe Rosa		web photo of Carlingford & Slieve Foye at 2,000 ft. and..	...King John's Castle is on the left, at the pier

Once we arrived at the miniscule town of Omeath, we went to Cafe Rosa, and called Roger so he could drive north to join us for a 2 pm lunch.  

The dining area was small and when three of us first walked in, we looked around and said "let's wait outside". But a woman a little older than us, by herself at a 4 person table, suddenly stood up and said "I'll move to this (double) table over here", so she moved and we thanked her and sat down, and I went to the loo. 

About 10 minutes later, the woman who moved to accommodate us had finished her meal and was saying..."I can't believe you've paid for my lunch !" Turns out (while I was occupied) Doris had gone to the counter to cover the cost of her lunch.  

Then she added, "I've been coming here for lunch almost every day for 25 years, and no one has ever paid for my lunch before !". 

I noticed that the women working there were really pleased by Doris' kind gesture, so of course the food & service were great. I enjoyed mushroom soup (with real mushrooms!) plus a scone & Americano, very suitable post-walk grub.

This IS why we travel, no ? 

We were back at Carlingford on time for a 3 pm tour of King John's Castle, starting with a five minute walk from the tourist information office.    

Castle Tour -

	King John's Castle, see note 1		old entry gate		he's the no. 1 tour guide here (the office told me in advance)
		older or newer stone				see note 2
	interesting add-ons

note 1 - King John only spent 2 or 3 nights here in his whole life, yet an extraordinary amount of improvement work was done in advance of his one visit, when an infusion of cash enabled much-needed work, and the fortification become even more formidable.

note 2 - It's always good to have a back door to (escape to) the open sea, especially if you were England's notorious King John, who had to be physically captured at Runnymede (in 1215) by his leading Barons before he would agree to sign the original Magna Carta, which document purposely limited his power. 

Post-signature, King John immediately asked the Pope to (1) nullify the Great Agreement, and (2) excommunicate the Barons, which the Pope did, but that's just the start of the Magna Carta saga.   

Carlingford Castle was one of the many Castles where appointed Barons or Lords had to collect the land tax to forward to the King of England's Exchequer. John kept imposing new taxes on his already over-burdened subjects, causing a widespread recession among farmers and all hand-laborers in England and Ireland.

The problem was that King John kept losing wars, and territories, and by the end of his reign, he had lost 80% of England's traditional land holdings in France. 

Near the end of a rainy but enjoyable Friday afternoon Castle tour, the Docent said this was the final guided tour of the season, but a self-guided walking tour here is open year round. The displays here were really informative.    

That night we had dinner at the pub we visited last night. It is a very popular food place, and Mary and I lucked out when we ordered the vegetable soup because it was the bottom of the pot & very filling. Once the music started at 9 pm, food service ended, while drinks continued to flow. 

The band was OK, mainly doing American covers, but the lead singer had a certain kind of screechy voice that didn't take long to become irritating, so we left.

At the pub, Roger & I agreed that Murphy's Stout might have an edge on Guinness, because of a slight coffee/chocolate flavor.  We were careful not to say that too loud, to prevent a Saturday night pub brawl.

It was a good night out & on the way back to the car, we walked under an original arched gate in the Medieval city wall. 

Go to next page - Malahide Castle

return to Ireland 23 index

return to mdimage index