HOWTH MARITIME VILLAGE
Scenic Entertaining Day Out from Dublin
So, you’ve only a short time in Dublin or trying to fit in as
much as you can. Where can you go to get out of the city for a short
day trip? You could take the Dart train to Howth, Dublin pleasant little
secret. Actually a suburb of Dublin, the harbor at Howth served for a
time as the docking point for the packet ships to Holyhead in Wales across
the Irish Sea in the 1800s, but the bay too easily filled with silt so
that function was moved to Dún Laoghaire to the south of Dublin.
Flying in to Dublin's Airport, the first
sight you have of Ireland is
the Howth penninsula just to the northeast of the city. Pronounced as
if rhyming with both, but with heavy Irish inflection brogue more like
haut as in cuisine, Howth was once a quiet little fishing village where
the Vikings made a last stand after being defeated by King Brian Boru
at Clontarf (see Dublinia
Vikings). A viking leader King Sitric III married
a daughter of Brian Boru, converted to Catholicism and established a
colony on Howth Head near the where the ruins of Howth Abbey are today.
Howth
Castle, a stroll or bus stop from the train station was first built
between
1250 and
1350. The castle itself is still a private residence
in the hands of the same family since the first of the St Lawrence’s
were granted the land of Howth by Henry II. The gates of the castle grounds
have been open to the public since the “Pirate Queen” Grace
O’Malley was turned away in 1576 by the Earl of Howth. The prideful
woman pirate kidnappped the earl’s grandson and as a ransom, demanded
that unexpected guests would never be refused and the gates of the estate
would always be open. Although the castle isn't really open to visitors,
the lady of the
castle operates a cooking school (see Cooking
In Irish Castles) and on the grounds are the Deer
Park Hotel and Spa Golf Resort with three golf courses over
looking the bay (see Golfing
in Ireland). The
Rhododendron grove on the grounds (behind the hotel) are one of the largest
in Ireland, blooming in spring through summer - and nearby is a neolithic
and Celtic tomb site, Aideens Grave. Next door to the Howth Castle is
the Ireland Museum of Transport with a collection of historic public
transit vehicles.
The yacht harbor at
Howth Head is now filled with sail boats, with sails filling the Dublin
bay in summer. The Howth Yacht Club was founded in
1895. Fishing boats still head out from Howth every day to bring back
the fresh seafood you can find in the many restaurants around the harbor.
A daily tour boat in summer runs out to Ireland’s Eye island, a
conseration area of pristine natural state, from the marina pier, past
the lighthouse. Around the harbor, seals gather to feed on the scrapes
from the days’ commercial fish catch. Beyond the marina is a rocky
beach facing the Irish Sea, with wind surfing in sunny weather, atmospheric
gray windy walks when not quite so balmy.
The
Howth Coastal Path leads along the sharp escarpment sea cliffs for
hiking
around
the circumferance of peninsula, with other trails in the
wild middle area to the peak of Howth Head. The cliffs of Howth aren’t
quite as dramatic as the more famous crags of Moher (see Cliffs
of Moher)
but close, and have the advantage of not requiring a trip all the way
across Ireland to the western Atlantic shore. The poet William Butler
Yeats lived in Howth and his house overlooks the cliffs just up Balscadden
Road on
the way to the beginning of the cliff trail. Along the rocky cliffs are
12 medieval observation towers the Martello Towers, one of them housing
the curious Hurdy Gurdy Museum of Vintage Radio.
For indoor
entertainment, a number of interesting and fun restaurants occupy the
Howth Maritime
Village, actually 28 of them if you include
bars, cafes and restaurants. Right underneath the Dart station, actually
part of the old station building is the Bloody
Steam, a seafood pub restaurant
which gets its name from the small river which runs underneath. During
the 2nd Norman invasion of Ireland of 1177, a great battle was fought
with the Norse vikings on a bridge over the river which after the brutal
fight came to be called the Bloody Stream. The public house was constantly
being flooded by the stream so they decide to make peace with the past
and took the name. The stream waters can be viewed in the beer garden
patio.
At the far
end of the marina, King
Sitric’s Restaurant takes
its name from the 11th Century Norse king, located in the former Harbor
Master’s House and offers rooms as well as gourmet seafood and
a wine bar. Near the ruins of the ancient Howth Abbey, overlooking the
harbor, the 16th Century Abbey Tavern presents a traditional Irish pub
and upsacel restaurant. The Abbey Tavern also
has an entertainment show with a four course meal followed by Irish
dancing and music with the
Abbey Tavern Singers. Reservations are recommended for the show dinner.
The Oar House and Nicky's Place offer fresh caught sea food on the
pier right across from the fishing boats, or find Italian at the Portofino.
Stop at the little tourist office on the pier to get a map of the Howth
Village with all the shops, sites and restaurants.
Aside from the Dart train, the Dublin Bus 31 runs through the Howth Village up to Howth Summit where the Summit Inn pub overlooks the bay. The 31B bus departs from the summit and continues through the more remote area of penninsula with glimpses of the wild coast. By car, Howth Maritime Village is about 20-30 minutes (9 miles) from central Dublin with car parks at the marina and near the summit. © Bargain Travel Europe
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Howth
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SEE ALSO:
DUBLIN’S
TEMPLE BAR - PUBS & IRISH MUSIC
DRIVING
IRELAND'S SCENIC COUNTRYSIDE
25 FREE THINGS TO DO IN IRELAND
IRISH
EXPRESS FERRY - DUBLIN TO HOLYHEAD
