evidence: Carlingford is a town of charm and contrasts. Cosy medieval lanes and cobbled streets lined with smart boutiques and antique yards, adventure centres and Escape Rooms. There are modern Irish restaurants and traditional grocery pubs, pretty tea rooms and street-food trucks – all framed by architectural detail layered over the centuries and with the protective presence of the Slieve Foye mountain watching over. [...] Carlingford was defined first by the glacial lough into which 9th century Vikings and then 12th century Normans sailed, and later by its railway line, which saw it become a popular Victorian resort. The town has reinvented itself several times since: as a family-friendly outdoor adventure destination; a hub of fine local food and drink; and a showcase of key chapters and historic sites in Irish history. [...] Sheila Boyle from Carlingford Heritage Centre leads a lively town tour full of tales as tall as Fionn Mac Cumhaill himself. (Legend has it the giant lay along the shores of Carlingford Lough after an exhausting defeat of Ruscaire, the Giant of Snow and Ice, and slumbers there still, with Slieve Foye as his head.)