Howth

Howth Binn Éadair
Location
WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53°′″N 6°′″W / 53.3851, -6.0591
Irish Grid Reference O283393
Statistics
County:	Fingal
Elevation:	sea level
Population (2002)  - Town:  - Rural:	8706  n/a

Howth (pronounced to rhyme with both; known as Binn Éadair in Irish) is a generally affluent residential area in the Fingal County Council administrative area of County Dublin, Ireland. Originally just a small fishing village, Howth is now a busy suburb of Dublin. The only neighbouring district on land is Sutton.

Location and access

Howth is at the end of a regional road from Dublin City and is one of the northern termini of the DART suburban rail system. The village of Howth itself spans most of the northern part of Howth Head, a peninsula which is connected to the rest of Dublin via a narrow strip of land (or tombolo) at nearby Sutton. In the past, Howth could become isolated from the mainland during stormy weather and high tides.

Features

Howth Head is one of the dominant features of Dublin Bay, with a number of peaks. In one area near Shielmartin, there is a small peat bog, the Bog of the Frogs. The wilder parts of Howth can be access by a network of paths (many are rights of way) and much of the centre and east is protected as a Special Area of Conservation.

The island of Ireland's Eye, part of the Howth Estate, 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 June 8th 2001 [1]) 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.

At the south-east corner of Howth Head is the automated Baily Lighthouse, successor to previous safety mechanisms, at least as far back as the late 1600s.

Howth is a popular area for birdwatching and sailing, and is also popular with anglers. Anything from cod to ray can be caught from Howth's rocky shore marks, and sea mammals, such as seals, are common sights in and near the harbour.

Historical notes

In ancient legend, Howth was home to a chieftain called Croimhthain whose fort (Irish: Dún Croimhthain) gives the name Dungriffan to a local road.

Viking raids began in 819. Later, a major battle between Anglo-Norman and local forces (Irish and settled Viking) occurred here, near the rivulet called the Bloody Stream, the leader of the winning party, Armoricus Tristram, being granted Howth (as far as Kilbarrack where the road from Baldoyle reached the sea, including the near waters) as his estate. Tristram took on the name of the saint on whose feast day the battle was won, and built his first castle near the harbour - and the St. Lawrence link remains even today, see Earl of Howth.

Howth was a trading port from at least the 14th century, with both health and duty collection officials supervising from Dublin, although the harbour was not built until the early 1800s.

A more recent legend concerns the pirate Grace O'Malley, who was rebuffed in 1576 while attempting a courtesy visit to Howth Castle, home of the Earl of Howth. In retaliation, she abducted the Earl's grandson and heir, and as ransom she exacted a promise that unanticipated guests would never be turned away again. She also made the Earl promise that the gates of Deer Park (the Earl's demesne) would never be closed to the public again, and the gates are still open to this day, and a place set at table for unexpected guests.

In the early 18th 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.)^[2] However, due to silting, the harbour needed to be frequently dredged to accommodate the packet and eventually the service was relocated to Dún Laoghaire. George IV visited the harbour in 1821.

In 1914, thousands of rifles were landed at Howth by Robert Erskine Childers for the Irish Volunteers. Many were used against the British in the Easter Rising and the subsequent Anglo-Irish War.

Notable residents

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

Among Howth's better known residents are legendary broadcaster Gay Byrne, Booker Prize winning novelist John Banville, U2 drummer Larry Mullen, and musician Barney McKenna of The Dubliners. Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy lived in Howth for a time ^[1]. Actor Stuart Townsend was born in Howth. Multiple Eurovision Song Contest winner Johnny Logan and his famous tenor father Patrick O'Hagan lived for many years in Howth, and Lynn Redgrave and husband John Clark raised their family there in the early 1970s. Dolores O'Riordan of The Cranberries is currently living with her husband and three children in Howth.

Transport

• Howth railway station opened on 30 May 1847^[2] ,is a two platform terminal station.
• The Hill of Howth Tramway ran between the station and Sutton railway station until 1959.

Sources

• ^  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
• Dublin: Howth, a Guide and Map; Dublin County Council, nd (1980's?)

References

1. ^ He is buried in St Fintan's Cemetery on the Sutton side of Howth Head, which is also the burial place of Charles Haughey, thrice Taoiseach of Ireland
2. ^ Howth station. Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Howth

• List of towns in the Republic of Ireland
• Howth Head
• Hill of Howth Tramway

Howth Harbour with a rusty boat in front and Ireland's Eye in the background.

External links

• East Pier Martello tower
• Google Maps — map of the Howth peninsula
• Pictures of Howth
• Ye Olde Hurdy-Gurdy Museum of Vintage Radio East pier Martello tower
• Howth Coast Guard Unit Voluntary Coastal & Cliff Rescue Unit
• Chapter XXXI from Weston St. John Joyces' 1920 work The Neighbourhood of Dublin
• Chapter XVII from Dillon Cosgroves' North Dublin, covering Howth
• MAW does it by feet, meet the seal, and walk along the coast with me

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