Howth, Ireland

Howth (pronounced ho-th) is a small peninsula about nine miles NE of Dublin. We decided to take the DART (train) out when we heard you could buy fish and feed the seals. Who could pass that up?

And a fast and easy train ride? A no brainer. (The trains and buses are a wonderful way of getting around Dublin and the outskirts. The streets change names every block or so, so a good map is a necessity--even to the cabbies. We had to use a cab one afternoon since most of the bus routes were closed due to a rather large charity walk and even he had to whip out a map!).

We arrived to the wonderful smell and sounds of the sea.

And seals eagerly waiting to be fed. They looked quite fat and happy.

These two boys bought fish and were adorable. They counted "one, two tree" (accent) before tossing their fish together into the waters.

This little feller was my favorite. Love those sweet eyes.

The buildings walking out to the marina were wonderful.

A small boat leaving the harbor. You can see the weather is about to change.

I loved the colors of the fish nets.

And the Irish humor (?) on the stern of this boat. ("Kiss My Ass")

The walls in town were covered with beautiful miniature flowers and fern.

And moss, of course.

This is the old Howth Abbey ruins (c. 1042 and replaced 1235).

Low tide in the harbor.

As we walked along the jetty, the weather turned rather wet and cold. I loved it! So Irish!!!

A warm lunch in a local pub was welcomed.

An old discarded bench perfectly placed on the jetty to watch the "busy" town.

I loved all the seagulls, larger than what I'm used to on the Gulf.

Quaint, sweetly colored houses up a quiet street, as we walked back to the train depot. I wonder where Larry Mullen (U2's drummer) lives here?

And the quick train ride home to the city. Sigh.

Aw, Ireland now has stolen my heart. I knew it would.