Remembering Howths lost hotels

I VISITED Howth recently and was struck by how much commercial life on the peninsula had changed. Having grown up in Baldoyle in the 1970s and ’80s, I’ve always had an affinity with Howth, which was the posher playground of our childhood and the hunting ground of our teenage years.

My first ever job was in the St Lawrence Hotel, where I worked every weekend as a hall porter and later as a (short-lived) trainee chef.

It was tough work at the best of times but provided me with enough pocket money to keep my parents happy. It also convinced me that I definitely didn’t want to be a chef! On Thursday nights, I would fill in for the regular car park attendant, Noddy, for the princely sum of £1.50 per hour. The tips were good, though, and it was well worth the 2am cycle home to Baldoyle.

The St Lawrence Hotel is sadly no more and gone with it are the memories of Saints nightclub, later Goodtime Charlie’s. This was the hotel where the all-you-can-eat carvery earned legendary status in an era when dining out was a somewhat exotic experience.

Gone too is the Baily Court Hotel in the centre of the village. I have a very vivid memory of queuing outside its function room for over an hour to see In Tua Nua in their heyday, only to be turned away by the gorilla on the door. Even the fake ID didn’t cut it. My luck had improved by the time I graduated from Pobalscoil Neasain in 1987 and the Baily Court was the venue for our school graduation night.

For some reason I recall that this hotel was originally called the Royal Hotel and was owned by the singer Joe Cuddy but I am open to correction on this. The closure of the Baily Court was another major blow to the life of Howth village when it ceased trading but I still cherish my memories of the good times I had there with friends and family over the years. It was also home to a great carvery, giving the Lawrence Hotel a run for its money.

At the beginning of the cliff walk at the opposite end of the peninsula, the red bricked Sutton Castle Hotel offered majestic views across Dublin Bay to the other side of the city. I attended some incredible functions here, ranging from fundraising nights to 21st birthday parties and weddings. It was one of the nicest places in Dublin to enjoy a quiet Sunday pint and is perhaps the most missed of all the great hotels of the Howth peninsula.

At the entrance to Howth Village, just across the railway level crossing, was the Howth Lodge Hotel. Overlooking Ireland’s Eye, this was another popular venue for weddings and functions. Strangely, though, my most vivid memory of of this hotel is having to attend a Fine Gael selection convention there in the early 1990s. Located close to U2 drummer Larry Mullen’s pad, the Howth Lodge Hotel was another great loss to the local landscape.

The Deer Park Hotel, located in the grounds of Howth Castle and home to a great pitch and putt course, offered spectacular views over the harbour and beyond. It wasn’t on my regular list of venues when it came to going for a pint, probably because of the long, uphill walk involved and, of course, the risk of not being served by the barman – far too long a trek only to be refused a drink!

Don’t get me wrong: Howth is still a great place to visit and remains a thriving jewel in Dublin’s crown. But for me and others of my generation, it can’t hold a candle to the glory days when Howth’s hotels offered ordinary people a rare taste of opulence

FOOTNOTE: we posted this photo of the St Lawrence Hotel on our Facebook page earlier this week and it received a phenomenal response. Take a look at some of the great comments.

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