Howth Castle
Encyclopedia
Howth Castle lies close to the village of Howth
, Fingal
County in Ireland
. It is the ancestral home of the line of the St Lawrence family (see: Earl of Howth
) that died out in 1909. From 1425 to 1767 the title had been Lord Howth, holding the area since the Norman invasion of 1180. It is now held by their heirs, the Gaisford St. Lawrence family.
restyled a 14th century castle built here, overlooking Dublin Bay.
“Back on the lower land you must visit the ancient demesne of the Earl of Howth, where a quaint old castle stands in a prim garden with swan-inhabited pond, and plashing fountain, encircled by dark beautiful woods full of lofty cathedral-like aisles, moss carpeted, and echoing with the cawing of rooks.”(Mulholland 1892: 35)
In recent years, the 17th classical landscape was totally obliterated to make for a golf course. The grounds are noted for the wild rhododendron gardens, which are open to the public in summer and some of the oldest, planted in 1710, beech hedges. The castle itself is not open to the public. The "Kitchen in the Castle Cookery School" is based in the restored Georgian kitchens of Howth Castle.
The National Transport Museum of Ireland
is located in the grounds of the castle. It features lorries, trucks, fire engines and tractors. Also exhibited is the restored Hill of Howth No.9 Tram
.
Also on the grounds are the Deer Park Hotel and its associated golf courses.
's 1939 novel Finnegans Wake
is "Howth Castle and Environs," which is taken to mean Dublin. The initials HCE appear in many contexts in the novel, not least in the name of its presumed main character, Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker.
Howth
Howth is an area in Fingal County near Dublin city in Ireland. Originally just a small fishing village, Howth with its surrounding rural district 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...
, Fingal
Fingal
Fingal is a county in Ireland. It is one of three smaller counties into which County Dublin was divided in 1994. With its county seat located in Swords, it has a population of 239,992 according to the 2006 census...
County in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It is the ancestral home of the line of the St Lawrence family (see: Earl of Howth
Earl of Howth
- History of title and notable holders :Earl of Howth was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1767 for Thomas St Lawrence, 15th Baron Howth. He was made Viscount St Lawrence at the same time, also in the Peerage of Ireland. The St Lawrence family descended from Christopher St...
) that died out in 1909. From 1425 to 1767 the title had been Lord Howth, holding the area since the Norman invasion of 1180. It is now held by their heirs, the Gaisford St. Lawrence family.
History
Since 1180 the St. Lawrence family have been the Lords of Howth. Howth Castle has stood on its present site for over seven hundred years, the original one, a timber structure, having been sited on Tower Hill, overlooking Balscadden Bay. The current building is not the original castle, which was on the high slopes by the village and the sea. The great English architect Sir Edwin LutyensEdwin Lutyens
Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, OM, KCIE, PRA, FRIBA was a British architect who is known for imaginatively adapting traditional architectural styles to the requirements of his era...
restyled a 14th century castle built here, overlooking Dublin Bay.
Legend
A popular legend about the Castle concerns an incident that apparently occurred in 1576. During a trip from Dublin, the pirate Gráinne O'Malley attempted to pay a courtesy visit to the 8th Baron Howth. However, she was informed that the family was at dinner and the castle gates were closed against her. In retaliation, she abducted the grandson and heir, the 10th Baron. He was eventually released when a promise was given to keep the gates open to unexpected visitors, and to set an extra place at every meal. At Howth Castle today, this agreement is still honoured by the descendants of the Baron.Grounds
In 1892 Rosa Mulholland referred to the grounds thus:“Back on the lower land you must visit the ancient demesne of the Earl of Howth, where a quaint old castle stands in a prim garden with swan-inhabited pond, and plashing fountain, encircled by dark beautiful woods full of lofty cathedral-like aisles, moss carpeted, and echoing with the cawing of rooks.”(Mulholland 1892: 35)
In recent years, the 17th classical landscape was totally obliterated to make for a golf course. The grounds are noted for the wild rhododendron gardens, which are open to the public in summer and some of the oldest, planted in 1710, beech hedges. The castle itself is not open to the public. The "Kitchen in the Castle Cookery School" is based in the restored Georgian kitchens of Howth Castle.
The National Transport Museum of Ireland
National Transport Museum of Ireland
The National Transport Museum of Ireland is based in the grounds of the Howth Castle in the Republic of Ireland.The museum is located in the Heritage Depot, Howth Demesne, Howth, Ireland. On 1 September 2001, the collection, increasing at an annual average rate of five, totalled 170...
is located in the grounds of the castle. It features lorries, trucks, fire engines and tractors. Also exhibited is the restored Hill of Howth No.9 Tram
Hill of Howth Tramway
Colloquially known as the Howth Tram, this tramway operated from June 1901 to June 1959 and served Howth Head, near Dublin, Ireland. The service was run by the Great Northern Railway , which viewed it as a way to bring more customers to its railway stations at Sutton and Howth.-Route:Electric...
.
Also on the grounds are the Deer Park Hotel and its associated golf courses.
Literary references
The locale of James JoyceJames Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
's 1939 novel Finnegans Wake
Finnegans Wake
Finnegans Wake is a novel by Irish author James Joyce, significant for its experimental style and resulting reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the English language. Written in Paris over a period of seventeen years, and published in 1939, two years before the author's...
is "Howth Castle and Environs," which is taken to mean Dublin. The initials HCE appear in many contexts in the novel, not least in the name of its presumed main character, Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker.