Howth

Howth is located on the peninsula of Howth Head, which begins around 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) east-north-east of Dublin, on the north side of Dublin Bay. The village itself is located 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Dublin city centre (the ninth of a series of eighteenth century milestones from the Dublin General Post Office (GPO) is in the village itself), and spans most of the northern part of Howth Head, which was once an island but now is connected to the rest of Dublin via a narrow strip of land (tombolo) at Sutton. Howth is located in the administrative county of Fingal.

Howth is at the end of a regional road (R105) from Dublin and is one of the two northern termini of the DART suburban rail system. Dublin Bus also serves Howth with route 31 and its variants the 31a and 31b. Previously the 88 bus operated around Howth Head operating as a replacement for the Hill of Howth Tramway.

Howth, in addition to its fishery harbour, hosts a substantial marina, and a seasonal boat service to the uninhabited island of Ireland's Eye.

The Irish name for Howth is Binn Éadair, meaning Éadar's Peak or Hill. In Old Irish, the name is recorded as Etar, which was first plundered by the Vikings around 819.[4]

The name Howth is thought to be of Norse origin, perhaps being derived from the Old Norse Hǫfuð ("head" in English). Norse vikings colonised the eastern shores of Ireland and built the settlement of Dyflinn (one of two settlements which became Dublin) as a strategic base between Scandinavia and the Mediterranean.

Nineteenth century postcard of Howth

In ancient history Ptolemy's second century map of Ireland shows Howth as an island named Edri Deserta (sometimes rendered as Edros).[9]

19th century

Imprint of George IV's footsteps on the West Pier

In the early 19th century, Howth was chosen as the location for the harbour for the mail packet (postal service) ship. One of the arguments used against Howth by the advocates of Dún Laoghaire was that coaches might be raided in the badlands of Sutton (at the time Sutton was open countryside). However, due to silting, the harbour needed frequent dredging to accommodate the packet and eventually the service was relocated to Dún Laoghaire. George IV visited the harbour in August 1821.[11]

Howth Head is one of the dominant features of Dublin Bay, with a number of peaks, the highest of which is Black Linn. In one area, near Shielmartin, there is a small peat bog, the "Bog of the Frogs". The wilder parts of Howth can be accessed by a network of paths (many are rights of way) and much of the centre and east is protected as part of a Special Area of Conservation of 2.3 square kilometres (570 acres), as well as by a Special Amenity Area Order.

The peninsula has a number of small, fast-running streams, three of which run through the village, with more, including the Bloody Stream, in the adjacent Howth Demesne. The streams passing through the village are, from east to west, Coulcour Brook (falling to Balscadden Bay), Gray's Brook or the Boggeen Stream (falling to the eastern end of the harbour), and Offington Stream (passing under Findlater's to the western side of the harbour). Other streams are met along the cliff walks, including the Whitewater Brook, with a tributary in a sunken area of plants and ponds, and then the Balsaggart Stream.[14]

Howth Lighthouse and Ireland's Eye

The island of Ireland's Eye, part of the Special Area of Conservation, lies about a kilometre north of Howth harbour, with Lambay Island some 5 km further to the north. A Martello tower exists on each of these islands with another tower overlooking Howth harbour (opened as a visitor centre and Ye Olde Hurdy Gurdy Museum of Vintage Radio on 8 June 2001[15]) and another tower at Red Rock, Sutton. These are part of a series of towers built around the coast of Ireland during the 19th century.

Fisher's Cross

Special amenity area order (SAAO)

More than half of Howth Head, and of the Howth area, totalling around 1,500 acres, is subject to a Special Amenity Area Order, a provision of Irish law designed to protect areas of natural beauty or biodiversity. Prepared by the local authority, after a consultative process under a community environmental process known as SEMPA,[16] and formally proposed by Brendan Howlin as a minister, the order was developed in cooperation with a unit of Trinity College Dublin. It was made in 1999, and confirmed in 2000, and is subject to 5-yearly reviews, the most recent having been conducted in 2015.[17] At the time of its making the majority of the lands covered formed part of the Howth Estate, with the other significant landowners being developers Treasury Holdings (85 hectares) and Gerry Gannon (33 hectares), and Howth Golf Club (48 hectares). The Council stated that the order was needed to protect the environment of the designated area by restricting development there, while recognising the need "to encourage tourism-related developments in the remainder of Howth."[18]

The SAAO area runs from the vicinity of Bottle Quay northeast to Muck Rock, east to the reservoir at Balkill, east and south around the Loughoreen Hills and Black Linn, then to the Summit, turning north along the line of the Coulcour Brook, then taking in a narrow part of Howth village, including the Martello Tower and East Pier, and Ireland's Eye.[19] It also covers a network of over 20km of designated footpaths and rights of way, and it was stated that "all existing scenic views and prospects from the entire length of public footpaths and roads in the area are to be protected."[18]

Fingal County Council explained the need for the order, noting that between the 1940s and the present day "Howth has been transformed from a rural area to a suburban extension of Dublin city" and that its natural or "semi-natural" areas had shrunk from over 70% to around 40% of land area, while highly developed areas had risen from 14% to 30%.[18]

Panoramic view of Howth harbour, 2011

Howth Castle, and its estate, at least part of which is known as Deer Park, are key features of the area. On the grounds of Howth Castle lies a collapsed dolmen (portal tomb), known locally as Aideen's Grave. Corr Castle also previously formed part of the estate.

At the south-east corner of Howth Head, in the area known as Bail(e)y (historically, the Green Bayley) is the automated Baily Lighthouse, successor to previous aids to navigation, at least as far back as the late 17th century. At the end of the East Pier of Howth Harbour are the Howth Harbour Lighthouse, built in the 19th century and no longer in service, and the pole-mounted light which replaced it.[20]

In Howth village are St. Mary's Church and its graveyard, overlooking the harbour. The earliest church on this site was built by Sitric, King of Dublin, in 1042. It was replaced around 1235 by a parish church, when that function was moved from the church on Ireland's Eye, and then, in the second, half of the 14th century, the present church was built. The building was modified in the 15th and 16th centuries, when the gables were raised, a bell-cote was built and a new porch and south door were added. The St. Lawrence family, of nearby Howth Castle, also modified the east end to act as a private chapel; inside is the tomb of Christopher St Lawrence, 2nd Baron Howth, who died in 1462, and his wife, Anna Plunkett of Ratoath.

Also of historic interest is a building known as The College or The Old College, on Abbey Street which was primarily constructed in the late 15th of early 16th century but also with earlier medieval elements.[21][22]

Drumleck Castle on a promontory in the Censure area of Howth was formerly on the Record of Protected Structures but removed as there were no structural elements remaining above ground to warrant retention. Alternative protection remains under the National Monuments Acts 1930-2004, as a Record Monument RMP Ref No. DU019-007.

Fishing nets and fishermen in Howth

Howth remains an active centre of the fishing industry, with some processing performed in the fishing harbour area, and some boat maintenance. There is a State Fisheries Centre, including an ice-making plant, and a dry dock.

The village is also home to the Olympic Council of Ireland.

The area is active commercially, with a range of retail and leisure outlets, including multiple restaurants and a post office, although the nearest supermarket is at Sutton Cross and the nearest filling station in Bayside.

Howth, having once held at least five hotels, saw the last, the Deer Park Hotel, on the Howth Estate, close in April 2014, although the premises continues to trade as a bar and base for the Deer Park golf courses and a 'FootGolf' course. The area has multiple bed-and-breakfast establishments, and Airbnb hosts. The nearest operational hotel, The Marine Hotel (formerly the Golfers Hotel and the Strand Hotel), is located at Sutton Cross, approximately 2.5km from Howth harbour.

Other hotels that have closed include The Howth Lodge Hotel (formerly the Claremont Hotel), The Baily Court Hotel (formerly The Royal Hotel), The Saint Lawrence Hotel, Sutton Castle Hotel (part of its grounds were located in a remote part of Howth), the Waverley Hotel on Kitestown Road (burned down in the 1960s) and the Asgard Hotel (formerly The Dalriada Hotel) on Balscadden Bay. The Asgard hotel was famously owned by Phil Lynott and operated by his mother Philomena Lynott when it burned down in 1982 before being replaced by apartments.[23]

Howth forms part of the area of the Howth Sutton Baldoyle Chamber of Commerce.

A photo from the first few kilometres of the Howth Cliff Path Loop near Dublin, Ireland

Large numbers of tourists visit Howth annually in order to avail of the views from the summit, to walk the piers, and to taste locally sourced seafood.[24]

Howth is a common area for birdwatching and sailing, and is also popular with anglers. Fish like cod and ray can be caught from Howth's rocky shore marks. Sea mammals, such as seals, are common sights in and near the harbour. It used to be popular to feed the seals but authorities banned the practice for a variety of reasons.[25] Birds seen regularly include razorbill, guillemot, fulmar, kittiwake, stonechat, linnet, whitethroat, yellowhammer, skylark, wheatear, peregrine, buzzard and kestrel.

Howth is also a destination for cyclists, joggers and hill-walkers alike, particularly on weekends. One attraction is the six-kilometre long Cliff Path Loop.[26] The loop walk takes about two hours to complete, is rated with an easy to moderate difficulty, and begins and ends at the Howth DART [Railway] Station. Another common walk is the original Cliff Walk to Red Rock in Sutton.

Howth was within County Dublin from the introduction of the shire structure by the Normans, and within North Dublin rural district from its creation under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898. In 1918 Howth became a separate urban district with the consent of the Local Government Board for Ireland and despite the opposition of North Dublin rural district council.[27][28] In 1942, it was transferred to Dublin county borough, with Dublin Corporation superseding the urban district council.[28][29][30] In 1993, it was removed from the city and assigned to Fingal County Council, the successor north of the River Liffey to Dublin County Council.[28][31]

Howth sits within the Dublin Bay North electoral constituency for Dáil elections, and the Dublin constituency for European elections.

Howth has been a filming location for movies such as The Last of the High Kings, Boy Eats Girl, Love, Rosie and Sing Street.[32]

The Baily Lighthouse, on the eastern side of Howth Head viewed from the south-west

The Baily Lighthouse on the eastern side of Howth Head viewed from the north-west

Howth View by plane

Among Howth's better-known residents are or have been:

• Peter Aiken of Aiken Promotions and son of Jim Aiken
• Booker Prize-winning novelist John Banville
• James Bayley Butler - Botanist and Biologist and father of Katherine Butler built a house called Glenlion in the Baily area of Howth
• Composer Brian Boydell, born in Howth in 1917
• Broadcaster Gay Byrne and his wife, musician and author Kathleen Watkins, who lived in the Baily region of Howth for decades, and later passed their home to one of their daughters
• Writer Michael Feeney Callan
• Actor writer and comedian Gary Cooke, who lived on the Claremont Road Howth in the 1970s and 1980s
• High Court Judge Feargus Flood of the eponymous tribunal
• Eminent judge Gerald FitzGibbon who lived here for many years until his death in 1909: his house, Kilrock, was one of the centres of Dublin social life from the 1870s onwards.[33]
• Gerry Gannon, builder and property developer
• Actor and producer Brendan Gleeson, who moved to the Baily region of Howth
• Bill Graham, journalist and author, who lived in Howth until his death in 1996
• Kevin Grogan former Manchester United and Ireland professional soccer player
• Patrick Hillery former TD and President of Ireland
• Johnny Logan (singer) winner of the Eurovision multiple times, lived here for many years, along with his father, tenor Patrick O'Hagan
• Sir John Lumsden - physician
• Phil Lynott, leader of internationally successful rock band Thin Lizzy, lived in Howth for a short time during the early 1980s.[34]
• John McColgan and wife Moya Doherty, founders of Riverdance, resident in Howth for many years
• Barney McKenna of The Dubliners (died 5 April 2012)
• Brian McKiernan, CEO and majority shareholder in Davy Stockbrokers
• Broadcaster Seán Moncrieff, resident
• U2 drummer Larry Mullen, who lives overlooking Burrow Beach
• The late politician and writer Conor Cruise O'Brien and his wife, the Irish poet Máire Mhac an tSaoi, who lived here for many years
• Ruairi O'Connor, known for his role as Prince Harry (later Henry VIII) in The Spanish Princess (2019-present) and Michael in the TV series Delicious.
• Sir Edward Richard Borough, 2nd Baronet and later John O'Hagan lived at Glenaveena House. The property was later turned into the Stella Maris convent
• European Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly Ryan
• Dolores O'Riordan (1971-2018) of The Cranberries
• John Pentland Mahaffy
• Senator and retail pioneer Feargal Quinn (died 2019) and members of his family
• Lobsang Rampa, English author, lived at Ben Eadair, Balscadden Road, in the late 1950s, as described in his book The Rampa Story (1960).
• Lynn Redgrave and husband John Clark raised their family there in the early 1970s
• David Robinson - horticulturalist
• Saoirse Ronan, actress, moved from Carlow to Howth with her family, and later bought a house in the Thormanby part of Howth[35]
• John Sheahan of The Dubliners
• Actor Stuart Townsend, born and raised in Howth
• The Stokes family including Margeret, Whitley (junior), William (junior) and father Dr. William Stokes lived at The Tansey on Ceanchor Road and at Carrrickbrack House
• Ella Webb MBE
• Vogue Williams former Ceannchor Road, Baily, resident. Currently owns an apartment in St. Lawrences with her husband Spencer Matthews
• William Butler Yeats, who spent some of his childhood in a small house above the cliffs on Balscadden Road
• Scott Young who was a Canadian journalist, sportswriter, novelist, and the father of musicians Neil Young and Astrid Young, lived in Howth in the late 1980s

DART – Howth Station

Howth Harbour and the islands of Ireland's Eye (nearest) and Lambay Island in the distance

• Howth railway station opened on 30 May 1847,[36] is a two-platform terminal station served by the Dublin Area Rapid Transit.
• The Hill of Howth Tramway ran around the peninsula between Howth station, the summit and Sutton station until 1959.
• Small boats run to Ireland's Eye in the summer months. The boats are located at the end of the West Pier Ireland's Eye is used and has a reputation as a spot for birdwatching.
• Dublin Bus runs the 31 service to Howth Summit via Howth village and the 31B services the more remote side of the peninsula. The 31B also terminates in Howth Summit, however it does not pass Howth village. The new 31A bus route, which started taking effect in 2013, takes an almost identical route to the 31, however does not stop at Howth Summit, but continues on to Shielmartin Road.
• Howth is also home to the National Transport Museum of Ireland which houses public service and road transport vehicles.[37]

• List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Dublin)
• List of towns and villages in Ireland
• List of RNLI stations
• Howth Head
• Ben of Howth
• Hill of Howth Tramway

Notes

Sources

• Dublin, 1920: Joyce, Weston St. The Neighbourhood of Dublin
• Road to Independence: Howth, Sutton and Baldoyle Play Their Part, by Philip O’Connor, Howth Free Press, 312 pp, ISBN 978-0955316333. For a review of this book see http://www.drb.ie/essays/the-view-from-the-hill
• Dublin: Howth, a Guide and Map; Dublin County Council, nd (1980's?)
• ^ By Swerve of Shore, Michael Fewer, (2002), ISBN 0-7171-3353-2, an account of the author's walk along the coast of County Dublin

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Howth.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Howth.

• Classic Photos of Howth
• "A Modern Depiction of Ireland, One of the British Isles" 1598 by Abraham Ortelius