As you can see from HomeLand Art’s gallery there are three paintings of Howth. Two of these paintings depict the harbour and the third painting is of the Bailey Lighthouse, looking over Dublin Bay.
Howth is a wonderful place to visit and is a nice little escape for anyone spending time in Dublin City. Situated just 9 miles from the city centre, it takes about 25 minutes to get to by Dart (Dublin’s electric rail system). You can also get a bus to Howth Summit where the views across Dublin bay are breathtaking. On a clear day you can see as far south as Wexford and looking east you can make out the mountains of Wales. From here you can see the Bailey Lighthouse and it’s view across Dublin Bay to the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains. Our painting of the Bailey Lighthouse was painted not far from the summit where the cliff walk begins.
I would highly recommend, for anyone visiting Howth for the first time, to make their way to the summit on the 31C bus. From Howth Summit you can take the cliff walk and make your way down to Howth Harbour. The last time I took this route it took me around 45mins to an hour. It’s an ideal way to lead up to lunchtime because by the time you get down to the villiage you will have built up a hearty appetite and probably a fierce thirst!
There are no shortage of restaurants and bars. Here are my favourites, with a brief description:
The Bloody Stream. Situated just beneath Howth Dart Station. My favourite day to visit here is a sunday afternoon when they normally have a roaring fire (in the winter time usually!). My favourite is the chowder.
Findlaters. A good spot at night. The bar on the top floor has a nice patio with views over Howth Harbour and beyond to the Island of Ireland’s Eye.
The Waterside Pub. A good pint of Guinness and very nice bar food. If you want to eat something more substantial the Wheelhouse restaurant upstairs is a good choice.
Abbey Tavern. This is a favourite for a lot of tourists passing through. There is normally a traditional music session taking place.
The Cock Tavern. A real local and a favourite for the fishermen off the boats. The Guinness and the craic is great.
For anyone looking for non-pub related activities there is plenty to do in Howth. If you like golf, Deerpark Hotel has 2 18-hole public golf courses on it’s grounds, as well as a par 3 course. As far as public golf courses go, you can’t get better than this on a fine day. The views are incredible.
On the driveway up to the golf courses, you can stop off at the old castle and visit the Transport Museum. It’s small but very interesting.
A favourite for a lot of people on a sunny afternoon is to take an hour or two, get a 99 (ice cream) just wander around the harbour. There is plenty of activity to observe and the seals normally make an appearance. There are plenty of boats to admire. Our 2 paintings of the harbour and the lighthouse in the background are favourites of locals and visitors alike.
We hope you visit Howth and we hope you like our artwork.