Howth

Howth (pronounced /ˈhoʊθ/; from Old Norse: Hovuð meaning "head" — called in Irish: Binn Éadair)^[1] is an area in the Fingal County Council administrative area of County Dublin, Ireland. Originally just a small fishing village and surrounding rural district, Howth is now a busy suburb of Dublin, with a mix of dense residential development and wild hillside, all on the peninsula of Howth Head. The only neighbouring district on land is Sutton, primarily on same peninsula. Howth is also home to one of the oldest occupied buildings in Ireland, Howth Castle. Howth is located on the peninsula of Howth Head, which begins around 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) east-north-east of Dublin city, on the north side of Dublin Bay. The village itself is located 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Dublin city centre (the ninth of a series of milestones from the Dublin General Post Office (GPO) is in the village itself), and spans most of the northern part of Howth Head, which is connected to the rest of Dublin via a narrow strip of land (or tombolo) at Sutton Cross. 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. It is served by Dublin Bus. Howth Head is one of the dominant features of Dublin Bay, with a number of peaks, the highest of which is Black Linn. In one area, near Shielmartin, there is a small peat bog, the Bog of the Frogs. The wilder parts of Howth can be accessed by a network of paths (many are rights of way) and much of the centre and east is protected as part of a Special Area of Conservation of 2.3 square kilometres (570 acres). The island of Ireland's Eye, part of the Howth Estate, and of the Special Area of Conservation, 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 8, 2001^[2]) 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. Source: Wikipedia