Fernweh, An Ache for Distant Places

HOWTH
Howth, which rhymes with “oath,” is a village on a peninsula called Howth Head just six miles outside of Dublin. It serves as Dublin Bay’s northern boundary.

Since the 1300s, at least, Howth has been a modest fishing village and trading port, but now it has become one of the most affluent villages of Ireland. It is known for prestigious golf courses, walking trails across its cliffs and coastlines, sailing, and commercial fishing.

James Joyce sang the praises of Howth Head in his novel Ulysses and the films Sing Street, Boy Eats Girl, Love Rosie, and the Last of the High Kings all chose Howth as the filming location, which is as a testament to its unique beauty. 

VIKING TIES
Howth has an incredibly interesting past with ties to both Irish and Norse mythology.

In Irish, Howth’s name Binn Éadair means Éadar’s Peak or Hill, and was first recorded by the name Etar after a Viking invader’s wife. Howth is also thought to come from the Old Norse word Hǫfuð, which means head.

When Norse Vikings invaded Ireland’s coast, they created the settlement of Dyflinn (one of two which later became Dublin) as a base between Norway and the Mediterranean coast.

The invasion is thought to have taken place in the year 795. In this invasion, the Norsemen attacked Howth, Ireland’s Eye, and Lambay Island, which the Vikings named “lamb oy” or Lamb Island. In the 11th century, the High King of Ireland was Brian Ború, and he led his army to defeat the Norsemen, so many of them fled to their base in Howth.

This held for a century or so until the Anglo-Normans invaded Ireland, and everyone was too busy to take care of Howth so it was sort of taken in by the Anglo-Normans as a casualty of war. 

There is SO much more to this story, but I will direct you here and here for all the deep details.

ICONIC SITES & EXPERIENCES
Howth is home to several incredible sites that have become popular tourist attractions including Howth Castle, Howth Pier, Ireland’s Eye, historic lighthouses, and more.

Golfing is also wildly popular there, and guests can choose between the Howth Golf Club or the Deer Park Golf Course. You can take fishing classes at the Howth School of Fish, and check out the National Transport Museum. 

HOWTH CASTLE is one of Ireland’s oldest occupied buildings and guests enjoy walking its formal gardens and 427-acre estate just as much as viewing castle itself. Aideen’s Grave is a 3,ooo-year old dolmen tomb outside the castle, serving as the final resting place of the woman Samuel Ferguson wrote about in his poem by the same name.

Howth Castle also conducts a cooking school that is open to the public.

IRELAND’S EYE
Local lore is that at some point after the Norse Viking invasion, a woman named Eria took power of this island which was then called “Eria’s Oy” in her honour.

In comedic error, a mapmaker later misread the title of the location and thought “Erin’s Eye” was written instead. As we all know, Erin is another name for Ireland, so Ireland’s Eye it is.

Ireland’s Eye falls under protection of a conservation called the Special Amenity Area Order and it has a series of 19th century towers.

The most prominent one is the Martello Tower, which holds a visitors center and the Ye Olde Hurdy Gurdy Museum of Vintage Radio.

You can only reach to the island by boat, so consider hiring a company like Ireland’s Eye Ferries to get you there.

Speaking of conservation, more than 1,500 acres, which is over half of Howth Head, is covered by the SAAO.

The goal is to protect areas of natural beauty and diversity in Ireland and it has been in effect since 2000.

COASTAL TRAILS
Howth is a hill walker’s paradise, and is part of the Dublin Coastal Trail that starts with Skerries, Malahide, Howth and Raheny at the northern end leads all the way south to Killiney. 

The Cliff Path Loop is a trail that stays within Howth and winds a little over 3.7 miles over the cliffs and hills. 

The path begins at the DART station and is categorized as an easy to moderately difficult, two-hour journey. 

HOWTH PIER & LIGHTHOUSES
Howth’s Pier is lively and vibrant with lots of locals and tourists walking around sipping coffees, eating gelato, and other treats. It is alternately known as Howth Harbour.

You can see the Howth Lighthouse pretty close by, and the Baily Lighthouse in the distance, on the southern end of the peninsula. 

Baily Lighthouse, aka the Green Bayley, is an automated lighthouse that has been in operation since the 1600s.

The Howth Yacht Club has been in existence since at least 1895 and currently has around 2000 members, making it the largest yacht club in Ireland. 

SEALS
I say the best part of Howth is the seals in its harbour. These seals are so intelligent and so stinkin’ cute. 

A fish shop right on the harbor sells small packages of seal-safe fish bits that you can buy and toss to the seals, which I believe is as good for them as it is the tidiness of the harbour. 

The seals swim back and forth, or stop to wait patiently, sometimes slapping the water and barking to get the attention of humans that might cast a bit of food their way.

I squealed with delight as we watched them whirl and spin around in the water. 

BIRD WATCHING, FISHING, ETC.
Many people visit Howth to watch for birds and go fishing. Commonly sighted birds in Howth include skylark, martin, peregrine, kestrel, buzzard, swallow, stonechat, razorbills, and others. Cod and ray fish are easily and often caught each day on the pier or out in boats. 

If you do not own a boat or wish to rent one for a fun-filled day on the water, consider booking an event with Howth Adventures. They provide professionally guided hiking, biking, walking, and boating tours all over Howth.

We met the owner’s son at a pub in Raheny one evening and he told me about all that they have to offer.

HOWTH MARKET
The Howth Market is a small food hall and shopping mall in one that hosts businesses like Bodega Coffee, Amore Gelato, Unique Oak, and Gift From Howth. Seasonal, holiday, and weekend markets provide an additional 25-booth space for new and rotating vendors to sell their goods. 

Howth has several “Trad Pubs” like the Bloody Stream, Abbey Tavern, Harbour Bar, McNeills, O’Connells, and the Summit Inn to keep you in pints. 

Restaurants like the Pier House, Oar House, and the notorious Wrights of Howth offer the freshest seafood and Irish specialties. 

NOTABLE PEOPLE
Irish poet William Butler Yeats once lived in Howth, and he was in good company. Other celebrities who have made Howth their home include Dolores O’Riordan, late singer of The Cranberries, who owned a house in Howth with her husband until her death. Actor Stuart Townsend (that juicy vampire guy in Queen of the Damned that we never heard from again) was born and raised in Howth.

Actor Brendan Gleeson and actress Saoirse Ronan have both moved to Howth with their respective families. 

Larry Mullen (the drummer for U2), a few members of The Dubliners band, Riverdance founders John McColgan and Moya Doherty, and long-time broadcasting star Gay Byrne are (or were until their deaths) Howth residents.

Byrne is buried in St Fintan’s Cemetery in the Sutton district/community of Howth, just a few spaces over from one of my friend’s relatives. 

However, the REAL reason we went to St. Fintan’s was to visit the grave of Phil Lynott. For those not familiar with Lynott, he was the late singer of Thin Lizzy until his death in 1986.

Lynott was born in Birmingham, the son of an Irish Catholic mother and Brazilian father, but buried in Howth. You can thank him for making the old Irish tune “Whiskey in the Jar” a worldwide hit that was eventually covered by other bands like U2, Simple Minds, Metallica, and Bryan Adams. 

You can learn more about him on the official website. 

In the area for a while? Follow me to Dublin, the Wicklow Mountains, County Tipperary, County Clare, County Galway, or the Ring of Kerry!

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