For thousands of years, the ocean has been a key part of human life on Earth. From providing us with food, to presenting us with an obstacle to overcome, the ocean is an inescapable part of our existence.
Given that the world’s oceans cover 71% of our planet’s surface and contain 99% of its living space, it at times feels as though we as a species don’t pay enough attention to the deep blue.
However, on the Cooley Peninsula in Co. Louth, the ocean is a crucial part of people’s lives. This may be partly because Carlingford Lough is one of two fjords in the Republic of Ireland, but in this part of the world, the people who live here use the sea as a resource in every way imaginable.
The following images are a showcase of the various ways that the sea impacts everyday life in this part of rural Ireland.
A farmer working to harvest oysters for the internationally renowned Carlingford Oyster Company, which has been operating since 1974. The Carlingford ferry (which actually sails out of Greenore) provides people with a means of transportation between Greencastle and Carlingford. The ferry has been sailing since 2017 and offers an easily accessible route to two different areas of outstanding natural beauty in the shape of the Mourne mountains in Co. Down and Slieve Foye, which overlooks Carlingford. The Carlingford Adventure Centre offers customers a wide range of water sport activities. The adventure centre was founded in 1990 as a windsurfing school and is now recognised as one of the most successful outdoor activity centres in the country.One of the local sailing club members preparing to take a boat out on to the lough as part of the weekend’s activities. The sailing club has many vessels at its disposal and when they’re not out on the water, they’re stored on site at the sailing club. The Carlingford Sailing Club along with the Carlingford Marina provides sailors with a way to connect with their local community via a shared joy of spending time on the sea. The sailing club hosts weekly races from April to October as well as social sailing every Wednesday evening during the summer months of June, July and August. A mountain of salt ready for transportation at Greenore Port which lies at the entrance to Carlingford Lough. HGVs are a common sight on local roads with the Cooley Peninsula being a large transit corridor for goods. The port at Greenore is a bustling hub of imports and exports. The port is Ireland’s only privately owned port, having been bought in 2014 by the Doyle Shipping Group. It has been in operation since 1863 and is the only deep-water port outside of Dublin Port on the east coast of the Republic of Ireland.
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