Homeland Art

The town of Howth on the north-side of Dublin is a small fishing villiage, located at the Northern end of the electric rail system (DART).  It is a penninsula but a long time ago Howth was an island but over time became part of the mainland as a result of a sandbar making the connection.

The main places of interest are the harbour and marina, the cliff walk, the martello tower, and the boat trips around Ireland’s Eye Island. There are also some fine restaurants, fish and chip shops, high quality fish mongers, and a beach, but the beach is nothing to write home about. The beaches in Malahide and Portmarnock are better because you don’t have to wade out a couple of hundred yards to reach water deep enough to swim in.

 The Harbour is home to a working fishing fleet aswell as countless yachts that are evidence of Ireland’s Celtic Tiger economy. The fishmongers are located on the shorter inner harbour wall and you will always see people fishing off the extreme end of this wall. The other pier is much longer and quite a walk. It is facing the sea and can be a very fresh experience especially if there is a stiff breeze coming off the sea. At the end is an automatic lighthouse and from here you will have a great view of Ireland’s Eye and it’s impressive colony of sea birds. It is also the best place to get a glimpse of one of the many grey seals which have made Howth Harbour theit home.

The Martello Tower was built to defend against the possibility of French invasion in the time of Napolean and sits on a steep cliff which looks very difficult to access. It is a short steep climf but is totally worth it for the view.

The cliff walk around Howth is a fantastic experience and it’s hard to believe that you are only 10 miles or so from the city centre. The sea views are spectacular and on a clear day you can see the mountains of Wales.

The history of Howth: the name of “Howth” is belived to be derived from the Norse word “hoved” which means “headland”. It was an early Viking settlement at the same time as the same time the Vikings were building the greater settlement in Dublin around the time of the first millenium A.D.

The first building you might notice as you leave the DART station is a pub called the Bloody Stream which actually right underneath the DART station. The name is a reference to the story of Brian Boru whose death was foretold by a woman who was washing his clothes and the stream ran thick with blood.

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