An evening in Howth at the Abbey Tavern

The highlight of our second day in Dublin was an evening at the Abbey Tavern in Howth (rhymes with “both”). Howth is an old Norse seaport on a rocky promontory nine miles northeast of Dublin on the Irish Sea. Its name is the Norse word for “head”. The Irish name is Beann Eadair.

Even at night, it’s hard not to note the affluent homes in the hills above the port as you drive into Howth. Since it was dark, we couldn’t appreciate the sea views, which are supposed to be quite lovely. Howth has an interesting history --- here’s a synopsis from Wikipedia:

The Norwegians colonised the eastern shores of Ireland and built the city of Dublin as strategic base between Scandinavia and the Mediterranean. The Norse first invaded Howth in 819 and the surnames of some of the oldest families on the peninsula, such as Hartford, Thunder, Rickard and Waldron, are decedents of these early invaders.

After King Brian Boru's defeat of the Norse in 1014, many Norse fled to Howth to regroup and remain a force until their final defeat in Fingal in the middle of the 11th century. Howth still remained under the control of Irish and localized Norsemen until the invasion of Ireland by the Anglo-Normans in 1169.

Without the support of either the Irish or Scandinavians, Howth was isolated and fell to the Normans in 1177 and one of the winning Normans, Armoricus Tristam, was granted much of the land between the village and Sutton. Tristam took on the name of the saint on whose feast day the battle was won, and built his first castle near the harbour - and the St. Lawrence link remains even today, see Earl of Howth.

Howth was a trading port from at least the 14th century, with both health and duty collection officials supervising from Dublin, although the harbour was not built until the early 1800s.

A popular tale concerns the pirate Grace O'Malley, who was rebuffed in 1576 while attempting a courtesy visit to Howth Castle, home of the Earl of Howth. In retaliation, she abducted the Earl's grandson and heir, and as ransom she exacted a promise that unanticipated guests would never be turned away again. She also made the Earl promise that the gates of Deer Park (the Earl's demesne) would never be closed to the public again, and the gates are still open to this day, and a place set at table for unexpected guests.

In the early 18th century, Howth was chosen as the location for the harbour for the mail packet (postal service ship). One of the arguments used against Howth by the advocates of Dún Laoghaire was that coaches might be raided in the badlands of Sutton (at the time Sutton was open countryside.)[2] However, due to silting, the harbour needed to be frequently dredged to accommodate the packet and eventually the service was relocated to Dún Laoghaire. George IV visited the harbour in 1821.

In 1914, thousands of rifles were landed at Howth by Robert Erskine Childers for the Irish Volunteers. Many were used against the British in the Easter Rising and the subsequent Anglo-Irish War.

The Abbey Tavern is nestled against the ancient ruins of Howth Abbey which dates back to the 11th century. The Tavern has been in business since the 16th century, and prides itself on treating its visitors to an evening of Old Ireland.

Before going into the tavern, our guide, Matt, admonished us not to "dilly dally" after the show was over, since the locals complain about the noise of exiting revelers. This provided a motif for the week's trip, as we cheerfully reminded each other not to "dilly dally" at our various stops.

Initially, I feared that the Abbey Tavern evening would be a hokey evening's entertainment geared toward geezer tour groups, but it was anything but. We were ushered through the bar area into a banquet room with a small stage. It was an intimate venue awash in greens and reds.

My dinner itself was forgettable (Mom's salmon was a better choice.) The entertainment on the other hand was anything but forgettable. The warm-up act was a Riverdance-style trio of dancers who were amazing. I'm sorry they didn't return later in the evening. The main event was a traditional music group who were engaging, talented, funny, and just phenomenally entertaining. It was like having your best friends entertain you. They opened with a rousing rendition of "Whiskey in the Jar," that set the stage for a toe-tapping evening of fun and craic. The female vocalist, Liz, closed the evening with a version of Danny Boy that gave everyone goosebumps.

I was thrilled to be able to buy an Irish tin whistle (one of two gifts on my two-item gift list) at the small souvenir concession, along with a CD. Knowing better than to dilly-dally and incur the wrath of Matt Nolan, we swiftly exited at the conclusion of the performance. On the ride back to the hotel, Matt played a CD of Irish music which included a rooster song that had the whole bus laughing. Here are the lyrics:

THE ROOSTER SONG

I was out at the hen house
And on me knees
I thought I heard the chicken sneeze
It was only the rooster saying his prayers
Thanking the Lord for the Hens upstairs

We had some chickens no eggs would they lay
We had some chickens no eggs would they lay
The wife said honey we're loosing money
Because those chickens no eggs would they lay

But then a rooster came into our yard
And he caught them chickens right off their guard
They're laying eggs now like they never used to
Since that rooster came into our yard

We had a moo cow no milk would she give
We had a moo cow no milk would they give
O' the wife said honey we're loosing money (Oh yeah)
Because that moo cow no milk would she give

Then came a rooster came into our yard
He caught that moo cow right off her guard
She's giving yoghurt like she never used to
Since that rooster came into our yard

We had an elephant
And no tusks would he grow
We had a elephant
And no tusks would he grow
The wife said honey we're loosing money (Oh yeah)
Because that elephant no tusks would he grow

Then a rooster came into our yard
He caught that elephant right off their guard
He's laying eggs now out of solid ivory
Since that rooster came into our yard

We had a rooster he was awfully gay
We had a rooster he was funny that way
O' the wife said honey we're loosing money
Because this rooster he's funny that way

But then a chicken came into our yard
She caught that rooster right off his guard
He's laying hens now like he never used to
Since that chicken came into our yard

CLICK HERE for a performance of the Rooster song (by someone on youtube; it's not the version we heard).