Howth has a long and proud seafaring tradition. From the earliest times its shores and harbour have witnessed the arrival here of the celts, the vikings, the normans and the british.

Thankfully visitors today are a little less brutal and find safe berth at Howth harbour or Howth marina. Howth Yacht Club oversees the marina so contact them of you need a berth while visiting Howth.

Fishing is a vital part of Howth's economy and gives the village its unique character. The harbour is full of trawlers and smaller craft used for gathering shellfish, crab and lobster.

West Pier is lined with the warehouses of the world renowned seafood suppliers Beshoffs, Dorans, Nicky's Plaice and Wrights.

If you are interested in learning to sail or hiring a boat or yacht you can contact Sutton Dinghy Club or Howth Yacht Club. Both run sailing courses for all ages and can offer advice on all things maritime in the area.

Howth Yacht Club traces its origins back to 1895, and today it combines the modern with the traditional. The Howth 17ft One Designs are if anything more energetic than ever, yet they date from 1898 and still set jackyard tops'ls as originally designed. But the local class of the modern 1720 Sportsboats sails with the same enthusiasm, as do many other One Designs and dinghies, and there's an extensive cruiser-racer fleet with a busy programme of club racing, local regattas, offshore racing, and voyaging to distant places.

HYC's well-established Autumn Series is the most popular in Ireland, attracting more than 200 boats every year. For this is a busy port which welcomes visiting sailors, and during the cruising season the marina provides berths for dozens of visiting boats each night.