Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The TI is located on Harbour Road, across from Howth's old courthouse (May-Oct daily
9:00-17:00, shorter hours off-season, tel. 01/839-6955,
www.howthismagic.com
). If the
TI is closed, another good info source is your innkeeper.
Other than coastal walks, sightseeing here pales in comparison to Dublin. Nearby Howth
Castle is privately owned and cannot be toured.
Museum of Vintage Radio
The three-story martello tower on the bluff overlooking the East Pier is the only sight in
Howth worth a glance. Curator Pat Herbert has spent decades acquiring his collection of
lovingly preserved radios, phonographs, and even a hurdy-gurdy (a crank-action music-
al oddity)—all of which still work. Check out the WWII-era radio disguised as a picture
frame, which was used by the resistance in occupied France during World War II.
Before leaving the compact bluff, catch the views of the harbor and the nearby island of
Ireland's Eye. Spot the distant martello tower on the island's west end and the white guano
coating its eastern side, courtesy of a colony of gannets.
Cost and Hours:
€5, May-Oct daily 11:00-16:00, Nov-April Sat-Sun 11:00-16:00,
entry up driveway off Abbey Street, mobile 086-815-4189.
National Transport Museum
Housed in a large shed on the castle grounds, this is a dusty waste of time unless you find
rapture in old trams and buses.
Cost and Hours:
€3.50, June-Aug Sat-Sun 14:00-17:00, otherwise by appointment
only, tel. 01/848-0831,
www.nationaltransportmuseum.org
.
St. Mary's Abbey
Looming above Abbey Street, the current ruins date from the early 1400s. Before that, a
church built by Norse King Sitric in 1042 stood at this site. The entrance to the ruins is on
Church Street, above the abbey grounds.
East and West Piers
The piers make for mellow strolls after a meal. Poke your head into the various fishmon-
ger shops along the West Pier to see the day's catch. At the end of the pier (on the lee-
ward side), you'll find the footsteps of King George IV carved into the stone after his
