Howth and Malahide

Today we decided to spend some time on the eastern coastline of Ireland at the fishing village of Howth and the coastal town of Malahide. We took DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) which is like the subway in New York but not underground. We walked to the station, bought daily passes which allowed us to take the train to whatever stations we wished, and return when we were through.




Howth:

This was a quaint little village with some truly picturesque scenery. There were fishing and lobster boats in the harbor as well as many sail boats. As we walked along the dock we saw markets selling seafood directly off the boats and we got a bowl of seafood chowder (with salmon and cod instead of clams). I thought the last picture was interesting as it showed the remnants of an old building with modern architecture on all sides of it.





Malahide:

This coastal village is the home of Malahide Castle. As we walked through the grounds it seemed like we were in an enchanted forest. The path through the trees was heavily shaded with ivy growing on the ground and up into the trees. Where there were not trees large expanses of grass covered rolling hills. The castle was built around 1190 and was used by descendants of the original family until 1975, almost 800 continuous years! We also walked down the main street to a white sand beach on the Irish Sea.




We arrived back to our hotel just in time to get ready for the Edward Jones Farewell Dinner with Irish dancing for entertainment. It was "good fun"!