Howth Urban Centre Strategy Fingal County Council

2.0 Howth in Context
2.2 Historical Context
The name Howth is of Norse origin, being derived from the word
Hoved (“head” in english). Aft er King Brian Boru’s defeat of the Norse
in 1014, many Norse fl ed to Howth to regroup and remain a force unti l
their fi nal defeat in Fingal in the middle of the 11th century. Howth sti ll
remained under the control of Irish and localized Norsemen unti l the
invasion of Ireland by the Anglo-Normans in 1169. In the early 18th
century, Howth was chosen as the locati on for the harbour for the
mail packet (postal service ship). However, due to silti ng, the harbour
needed to be frequently dredged to accommodate the packet and
eventually the service was relocated to Dún Laoghaire. Today Howth is
a busy suburb of Dublin, with a mix of dense residenti al development
and open areas of countryside.
The historic map of Howth from 1841 shows that the West Pier and
East Pier were constructed at this ti me.
The early street patt ern of the village developed in a linear fashion
south of the harbour from a primary route from Dublin city. The
Martello Tower, St Mary’s Abbey, as well as Church Street, Abbey Street
and Main Street are also evident from the 1841 historic map. This
area today forms the basis for the Howth Historic Core Architectural
Conservati on Area.
Map 2.1: 6 inch Historic Map (1841) of Howth Map 2.2: 6 inch Historic Map (1841) of Howth’s historic core
Howth Urban Centre Strategy
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