We pulled away from the dock at 3pm promptly, and glided out of Dun Laoghaire Harbour passing the twin lighthouses before picking up speed and heading south.
We passed the Forty Foot, I know taking pictures here is generally frowned upon but we were far enough away that I don't think anyone noticed! We were lucky that the water was more or less calm for the journey, no sea sickness!
The boat looped around at Dalkey Island giving all of us at the back spectacular views of the island with it's Martello Tower and old monastic ruins. Listening to the Abarta Audio Guide which was playing over the boats loud speakers we learned that St Begnet once lived on the island in the seventh century.
As we pulled away from Dalkey Island we were treated to fabulous views of the Wicklow Mountains shrouded in sea mist. I was also reminded that a visit to Dalkey Island is on my to-do-list. You can get a boat from Collimore Harbour which will take you to the island in five minutes.
Turning north we were greeted with the imposing view of Poolbeg Generating Station, known to most Dubliners as Pigeon House. These towers are, to the best of my knowledge, one of the tallest structures in Ireland. It's a view I absolutely adore, I even have a painting of the towers in my living room!
We passed Dublin City where we saw the Aviva in all its shiny glory, we also passed Clontarf and Bull Island as we made our way closer to Howth. The first we saw of Howth was the impressive Baily lighthouse perched out on it's rocky promontory. This was the last Irish lighthouse to be automated and there was a lighthouse keeper living here until as late as 1997.
We were closing in on our destination and while it was nearly 5pm the sun was still high in the sky. Looking out over the Irish Sea I was reminded of how wonderful Ireland, and Dublin, can be in the sunshine. To quote Van Morrison, "Wouldn't it be great if it could be like this all the time?"
Our last view before Howth Harbour was Ireland's Eye, another place I have on my to-do-list. You can get ferries from the East Pier in Howth. You can see Martello Number 1 out on the edge of the Island and if you look closely you can also see the ruins of a building. I never noticed this until the lovely folks in the Hurdy Gurdy Museum pointed it out to me! It's the remains of Cill Mac Nessan and it's rumoured that a manuscript copy of the gospels was created here called the Garland of Howth.
We pulled into Howth passing all the trawlers that were moored along the side of the quay. They bring in the fish that Howth is so famed for, in fact, if you ever visit Howth you really shouldn't leave without purchasing something fresh from either Nicky's Plaice, my favourite, or one of the other fishmongers along the pier.
Unfortunately our trip soon came to an end and we disembarked from the St Bridget. The crew began the task of readying the boat for more passengers who were making the return journey to Dun Laoighaire.
Dublin Bay Cruises are a sister company of the Doolin 2 Aran Ferries which have been running on the west coast of Ireland for many years. They sail between Dun Laoghaire and Howth a number of times a day between March and October. At weekends sailings leave the East Pier in Dun Laoghaire near the bandstand at 11am and 3pm. From Howth the boat leaves from the West Pier just across from Ivan's Restaurant at 1pm and 5pm. I would advise booking in advance on their website as our sailing was fully booked. There is ample outdoor and indoor seating as well as a bar with alcohol and soft drinks. If you get a good day like I did don't forget your camera and your sunscreen.
This wasn't the end of our perfect summers day in Dublin we had a fantastic dinner in Aqua Restaurant on the pier in Howth, read about it here.
