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John McFadzean ’ s
CARLINGFORD Lough SUP trip
WORDS & PHOTOS : JOHN MCFADZEAN INTREPID SUP ADVENTURER AND TRAVELLER JOHN MCFADZEAN CHECKS IN WITH SUPM TO RECOUNT ONE OF HIS RECENT PADDLE BOARDING ADVENTURES . OVER TO JOHN FOR HIS CARLINGFORD LOUGH SUP TRIP STORY .
Sitting on the beach at the picturesque town of Warrenpoint , gazing out over the tranquil beauty of Carlingford Lough , perfectly framed by the Mourne Mountains to the left and Cooleys to the right , it ’ s hard to believe that a British Army gunboat was once permanently stationed on these waters . Carlingford Lough lies on the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland , a dangerous and sometimes violent place during the Troubles of the latter part of the twentieth century . The border here was heavily guarded .
Fortunately , peaceful times have returned to this beautiful corner of the Emerald Isle following the signing of the Good Friday peace agreement in 1998 . Nowadays , the border between north and south is fully open . In fact , it ’ s invisible . You can walk or drive over unhindered without realising you are leaving one country and entering another . Or , if you are a stand-up paddleboarder like me , you can paddle freely from one side to the other across the open waters of the lough .