Howth Harbour

This guide to Howth Harbour in Dublin opens on the twelfth of August, 1821, when King George the Fourth's ship, blown off course from its planned landing at Kingstown, put in here instead, and the king came ashore in unusually high spirits after a crossing spent on goose pie and Irish whiskey. It traces the harbour's construction from 1807 under engineer John Rennie, meant as the grand gateway for mail boats from Holyhead, and the stonemason who carved the king's boot prints into the west pier. Look for those footprints in the granite beneath your feet.