howth castle

Howth Castle, an irregular battlemented structure founded in 1464, although the present fabric dates mainly from the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries.
The castle is not open to the public but you can visit the grounds, famous for their rhododendron gardens which boast over two thousand varieties.
Also in the castle grounds are the National Transport Museum, with its display of service vehicles including the Hill of Howth No 9 Tram; the ruined square tower of the sixteenth-century Corr Castle; a large neolithic dolmen known as Aideen's Grave; and nine-hole and eighteen-hole public golf courses.
It is dominated by a Martello Tower and the interesting ruins of Howth Abbey and the sixteenth-century Howth College. The harbour, built between 1807 and 1809, was superseded as a packet-station by Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire) in 1833 and is now a major fishing port and yachting centre. At the east end of the village, Balscadden Road leads to the spectacular Cliff Walk around the east and south side of the peninsula.