County Louth



Sunday 15 April

Narrow Water Castle (J127193) was viewed from across the water. It is a fine intact tower-house inside a good bawn which has a small square corner tower. The twin- pillared gateway is a 19th century construction in the same style as the gateway across the road. This leads to the large house, also known as Narrow Water Castle, The tower-house has a machicolation over the doorway and a crenellated top. A small turret rises in one corner.
Omeath Railway Station (J141168) is now gone but the crossing-keeper's house is still intact. It is a single storey building with a small southern porch. It appears to be built of regular stone blocks but is now painted white. Part of one platform can be seen.

Poor weather at Carlingford severely restricted viewing of monuments. King John's Castle (J188120), the Tholsel (J189118), the Mint (J189116) and Taafe’s Castle (J189117) were noted in passing. King John’s Castle can be reached across a railway overbridge which is a stone-built, brick-lined structure. Carlingford Railway Station (J189117) is still intact but without traces of platforms or other railway structures. It is a single storey building with a twin projecting gabled front each of two bays and a three bay middle section. It is built of regular dark stone blocks with sandstone quoins and window surrounds. There are very fine tall chimney pots with a variety of raised decoration including spirals, hexagons etc. The railway crossed the road twice just south of Carlingford and the small single storeyed crossing-keepers' houses are still intact and inhabited. Just south of Carlingford is a windmill stump (J195113). Bush Railway Station is a single-storey, red-brick building, intact and inhabited. Beyond it is an overbridge.
At Hackett's Cross (O151845) the church has a very fine beamed roof, possibly dating from the 1981 restoration, and a pre-1920 stained glass chancel window. Across the road are two fine enamel signs (Players & Gold Flake). There is also a very fine pump which is now jacketed.

Termonfeckin Castle (O143803) has two small vaulted rooms on the ground floor. The spiral stairway in the corner leads to above the vault where there is a large room with a small arched annex with some wicker marks. The floor above is missing and above that is a magnificent corbelled ceiling. There is a fireplace in the corner of the first floor room and another fireplace above this. Also at first floor, in the corner opposite the stairway, is a small garderobe with corbelled ceiling. The stairs rise to roof level.


TOURS