Howth: Transport History, Cookery Courses and Ireland’s Eye

Howth combines culture, cookery courses and experiences on the water. The National Transport Museum and Howth Castle Cookery School offer different highlights; a ferry trip or boat tour takes you out onto Dublin Bay and towards Ireland’s Eye. You can shape your trip around the themes that interest you most.

Transport History at the National Transport Museum

The National Transport Museum is located at the Heritage Depot in Howth Demesne, Howth. It displays 60 of the 100 vehicles located in Howth. The oldest items in the collection date from 1883, and the newest from 1984.

The museum therefore offers a look at different periods in transport history. For your itinerary, you can combine a museum visit as a cultural experience with a stay in Howth. The collection spans from its oldest items from the late 19th century to its newest from 1984.

Cookery Courses and Local Cuisine

The Howth Castle Cookery School on the Howth Castle Estate offers a wide selection of cookery courses. These include Japanese, Spanish and Indian cuisine, as well as baking, barbecues, “Catch and Cook” and Sunday brunch. The range therefore spans specific national cuisines, individual cooking methods and food-related experiences. Course availability may change over time, so check the current offerings in advance.

If you would like to include a culinary theme in your travel plans alongside excursions, you will find a variety of course options here. Their different focuses make the cookery school a way to discover Howth in its own right, with courses that do not all follow the same approach.

On the Water by Ferry or Boat

The Ireland’s Eye Ferry offers a short return trip from Howth to Ireland’s Eye. Passengers can get off on the island and explore it. Whether the crossing operates depends on operating conditions; check availability for your preferred date with the operator.

Another option is a boat trip along Dublin Bay, which lets you explore Ireland’s Eye up close. Possible sightings include seabirds and seals, but sightings are not guaranteed. The ferry trip and boat tour offer different experiences: on the ferry, you can get off on the island, while the boat trip focuses on travelling along the bay and seeing the island up close. If you are particularly interested in wildlife, bear in mind that sightings cannot be predicted with certainty.

County Fingal: Coastline and Walking Trails in the Wider Area

In the wider destination of County Fingal, the coastline stretches for 88 kilometres from Sutton to Balbriggan. It includes three protected estuaries, salt marshes and 13 major beaches. This regional overview complements Howth’s own offerings with other coastal landscapes in County Fingal, without conflating them with Howth.

The beaches also vary in length and facilities. Velvet Strand in Portmarnock is a five-kilometre sandy beach. Balcarrick Beach stretches for 3.4 kilometres and includes dunes and rock pools. Skerries South Strand is two kilometres long and has a promenade and a coastal path. These examples show the variety of coastal areas in County Fingal; they are destinations in their own right, separate from Howth.

For walks in Howth, the Howth Cliff Path has four loop routes ranging from six to ten kilometres. The cliff paths offer views of Ireland’s Eye and Lambay Island. The Howth Cliff Path Loop starts at Howth DART station, follows the cliffs to “The Summit” and returns via a path running parallel to the outward route. Trail markers and trail conditions may change; check the latest information before your walk. This lets you choose from the four loop routes according to your preferred distance.

Discover more destinations: Gormanston, Rush, Santry, Portmarnock, Na Sceirí, Ward, Garristown, Kilsallaghan

For the wider travel overview: County Fingal.