Ireland 2023 – Happy to be back in Dublin, and a visit to seaside Howth

May 29 – June 1, 2023

Hello everyone! I am so happy to be back in fun and fabulous Dublin at the start of a six-week journey across the Emerald Isle. After a mostly sleepless overnight flight, I made my way from the airport directly to my accommodation located in the Camden area of central Dublin. I met my kind hosts, dropped off my bags, and then set out to reacquaint myself with this historic and vibrant city. Close to my accommodation I passed by an inviting little park that seemed to encapsulate the personality of Dublin – that is, to me, a youthful vitality grafted onto strong historical roots. In the park, a fine old ash tree greets visitors near the entrance, and ivy grows wildly over the stone ruins of St. Kevin’s Church which was built in the 18th century on a site where churches have stood since at least the 1200s. Adjacent to the park a quintet of tall blue cranes are evidence of the construction boom that is happening all over the city to meet the demands for new office space and housing. The lawns and benches were filled with hip twenty- and thirty-somethings soaking up the sun and enjoying a mid-afternoon break from work, phones in hand, earbuds in,

while heritage roses were in full and glorious bloom all along the walls and in the garden beds, even though it was not yet June. The overall feeling was both peaceful and invigorating, contemplative and exciting – an interesting mix!

I continued on to St. Patrick’s Cathedral and here too many people were relaxing in the park and enjoying the warm afternoon sunshine, tourists and locals alike.

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral is a large Gothic cathedral that was built between 1220 and 1259 near the site of a well that was reputedly used by Saint Patrick in the 5th century to baptize pagans into the Christian faith. I joined a guided tour and then listened to the excellent audio tour, both of which provided a wealth of information about the history of this 800 year old cathedral. Here is a photo of the altar,

and from here I took a photo looking back past the choir and down the long nave to the western door, as well as a photo looking up at the heraldic flags and ornamental knights’ helmets arranged above the choir seats.

The Cathedral is filled with hundreds of historic items including statues, plaques, books, war memorials, banners, flags, and even a cannonball that hangs from a chain to mark the burial place of a military commander, Lord Lisburn, who was killed by that same cannonball in 1691 during the siege of Limerick. In the gallery of photos below, the stone slab is one of six 8th century Celtic grave slabs that were found during excavations in the Cathedral park, while the bottom photo is of the original Queen Anne Patent, dated May 6, 1713, appointing Johathan Swift to the Deanery of the Cathedral. Swift, the author of Gulliver’s Travels and other works, was Dean of the Saint Patrick’s Cathedral from 1713 until his death in 1745, and he is buried beneath its floor.

So many stories in every corner and crevice! And of course the soaring architecture and the stained glass windows were beautiful, but one of the design elements that I most enjoyed in the cathedral was the gorgeous floor tiles, based on early medieval designs, that were laid down when the cathedral received a much-needed and massive interior renovation in the 1860s. Those renovations were overseen and funded by Benjamin Lee Guinness, the grandson of Arthur Guinness, at a cost of about 15 million Euros in today’s dollars!

I enjoyed my time in the Cathedral, and I learned a lot, but I was beginning to feel very tired! I carried on to the nearby Dubhlinn Gardens at Dublin Castle where, once more, people were enjoying the beautiful sunshine.

My plan had been to revisit the Chester Beatty museum which was one of my favourite museums on my first visit to Dublin, but I was definitely feeling whoozy with fatigue so instead I just strolled slowly around the gardens and appreciated the combined beauty of the flowers, fountains, sculptures, historic buildings and a blue sky. It felt wonderful to be back in Dublin.

The following day was, again, bright and sunny and I headed off early to visit the seaside fishing village of Howth, about 30 minutes northeast of Dublin on the Dart train. I enjoyed the half hour walk from my accommodation to the Dart station, walking along with Dubliners young and older as they strode purposefully to their job sites for a nine a.m. start. A goodly proportion of Dubliners are champion jay walkers and I happily followed suit! I cut through St. Stephen’s Green Park and later along the edge of Merrion Park where I stopped to visit a statue of Oscar Wilde who once lived nearby. Central Dublin has many green spaces and they are very very green!

The Dart ride was fun, and it was exciting to arrive in Howth right beside this lovely beach where I spoke for a while with a very elderly gentleman who had just finished his daily morning swim.

I walked to the west arm of the harbour pier and out to its end, past seafood shops, marine supply stores, and restaurants on one side and moored fishing vessels on the other. The morning was perfect, with a bright sky, invigorating ocean breeze, and that wide-open, happy and optimistic feeling that you get from being by the sea.

At the end of the pier there was an excellent view of the lighthouse and of a beacon at the end of the eastern harbour arm,

as well as a great view out to Ireland’s Eye, a small uninhabited island with the ruins of an early church and a Martello tower, built by the British during the time of the French Revolutionary Wars.

I chatted for quite some time with a group of gentlemen who ferry tourists out to the island and also around the base of the Howth Cliffs, but the sea was “too rough today” for any morning journeys. They were very cheery fellows who liked to tease and who definitely had the gift of the gab! From the pier I walked back to the main road, headed up a steep hill behind a row of houses, and found a trail through a wood that was thick with ivy.

Then I walked across a large meadow and through more woods (after consulting twice with local dog walkers) to arrive at Howth Castle. The castle buildings here date from the 1450s onward and are part of a 470 acre estate that covers much of the Howth peninsula. This estate was first founded in 1177 when Almeric came to Ireland with John de Courcy and was granted the land. From that date, the estate remained in the hands of the same family for 840 years until its recent sale in 2018 to an Irish development company.

I walked around the castle’s estate for a while, looking for its rhododendron gardens, but without any luck until I was aided (and escorted) by another helpful local. The gardens were wild and unkept but very beautiful with mature rhodos in every colour sweeping up and onto a high rocky outcropping. I climbed a steep trail through a tunnel of rhodendrons, gorse and other vegetation to arrive on top of the outcropping with great views in all directions.

From there I explored a confusing maze of trails and got a bit turned around. Dog walkers again came to my aid, several times, and I was encouraged to visit a small and pretty lake and also an ancient dolmen, the Howth Portal Tomb known locally as Aideen’s Grave. The large capstone, which has fallen off of its original eight supporting stones, is estimated to weigh 75 tons!

Then, I got lost again (with a map this time, and I am usually great with navigation!) trying to find a trail that crossed a large golf course and would connect me to a coastal path. Long story short, after much walking in circles and a good deal of exasperation, I gave up and took a very rare taxi ride to a trailhead where I was finally able to connect with one of the clifftop paths that circle much of the Howth peninsula. It was a wonderful trail, with views down to a lighthouse,

and so many of my favourite coastal plants to admire and to remind me of previous happy coastal walks – bracken, gorse just coming into its bright yellow bloom, purple heather, white sea campion, and honeysuckle.

The air was warm, the wind was invigorating, and the views were spectacular with raucous gulls wheeling over the sea and around their cliffside nesting sites. And then there were even more of my favourite coastal plants – tiny white wild roses, pink sea thrift, cranesbill geranium, and a very tiny and pretty flowering sedum clinging in small patches in rock crevices.

After several kilometres of very happy walking, the trail circled west towards the town of Howth, with views overlooking the large harbour with its long piers.

The path descended to a seafront road which passed a beach and a house that was once the home of W.B. Yeats. Then, feeling quite tired, and with sore feet after a full day of walking, I debated whether to walk the long distance of the harbour’s west pier.

The answer, of course, was “yes”, and thankfully there were many benches along the way for taking short rests.

Then there was yet another jetty that cut into the centre of the large harbour so I walked that one too, drawn forward by the waving mallows, moored sailboats, and sparkling water.

I returned to the harbour-front road and was passing a row of pubs with outdoor seating when I heard a cheerful “Christine!” It was Evan, who had escorted me to the rhododendron gardens, having a pint with several of his friends so I sat with them for a while, happy to chat and rest my feet. All day long friendly locals had helped me out and each one had asked where I was from and where I was travelling and they told me whether or not they had ever visited Canada. One old gentlemen had said, “You’re very welcome to Ireland,” which such genuine sincerity that I felt truly honoured to be welcomed by him. My last stop in Howth was at the remains of St. Mary’s abbey, built in 1235 and rebuilt in the late 14th century on a stunning site overlooking the sea. The earliest church here was founded in 1042 by Sitric, the Viking King of Dublin!

The Dart ride back was quiet, and then I had a 30 minute walk back along Dublin’s exciting streets. I cut through St. Stephen’s Green Park which was filled with people yet still somehow restful and then I had a simple sandwich and apple dinner on a bench in St. Kevin’s Park near home. I was definitely happy to be back in Dublin. 🙂