Carlingford

Just over an hours drive from Ireland's two major cities, Carlingford nestles between Slieve Foy, Carlingford Lough and the Mourne mountains. A unique blend of natural beauty, spectacular panoramas, myths & legends combine with a modern day cultural infrastructure;

11 reputable restaurants -10 cosy pubs - 30 special places to stay - craft & antique shops - adventure centres - yacht charter - equestrian centre - golf courses - Cookery School and much more.

Walk the medieval streets of Carlingford and you can still see most of the original ancient buildings. Guided tours of this unique outdoor museum are available.

A medieval town with an immense background, and an even bigger future, with it's breathtaking scenery, including Carlingford Lough, the Mourne Mountains,("sweeping down to the sea"), the Irish Sea, and the Isle of Man, viewable with the naked eye, from certain vantage points on the mountain walks, which tower above the town.

It is situated between, or about an hour's drive from either Dublin or Belfast Airports, taking you through some of the most invigorating greenery to be found anywhere on this earth. When country singer, Johnny Cash, sang about Ireland, he sang about it's 'Forty Shades of Green', and believe me, if you spare yourself the time, you can count them.

The area hosts an ever increasing array of recreational activity to suit from the very active to the very 'laid back' individual.

It has bistros, gourmet restaurants, and pubs, simply 'bursting' with 'craic',and the most recent addition to the town has been the opening of a new dining room and lounge facility at the marina, which takes full advantage of the magnificent scenery.

The marina itself has a capacity for about 80 boats at present, but there are plans on the drawing board to increase this to 250 and the plans also include shops, a hotel, and apartments.

In recent times many journalists and media people in general, whilst searching for adjectives to describe both the beauty and 'buzz' of the area, have called it the 'new Kinsale', and while not wishing to detract from what is obviously intended as lavish praise, nevertheless, Carlingford is much more unique,and more deeply stamped in the annals of time, than many of the much more established tourists areas.

Carlingford is at the centre of much more too;

Within an hour drive;

1 Newgrange - the famous 3,000BC prehistoric burial chambers

2 Proleek Dolmen standing stones

3 Ancient Hill of Tara - seat of the High Kings of Ireland. www.heritageireland.ie

4 Battle of the Boyne site

5 15 golf courses

6 The spectacular Mountains of Mourne

7 Slieve Gullion forest drive

8 Mellifont abbey - first Cistercian monastery in Ireland, 1142

9 Trim Castle - largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland, 1172

Within two hours drive:

10 Giant's Causeway - a World Heritage Site

11 Spectacular Antrim Coast drive

12 Strangford Lough