A voluntary group committed to restoring old equipment used by coast guards of days gone by . Founded by Declan Mc Quillan (Howth Coast Guard) in Jan 2009
1865 Station opened at request of local residents. Boathouse constructed at a cost of £200.
1885 Slipway constructed at the north side of the harbour at a cost of £120.
1887 Slipway extended 21ft.
1905 When making for the harbour, the lifeboat was twice caught and carried over to the north pier and on the second occasion was dashed against the pier.
The history of the UK Coastguard is long and complex and began almost 200 years ago. In the early 1800's smuggling was rife all over the coast and there was a considerable loss of income to the UK treasury.
This is the website of the Howth voluntary unit. Howth is just one of 54 Coast Guard Coastal Units around the coast of the Republic of Ireland crewed by a total of 950 male and female volunteers. All Units are operated totally by local crews (including Howth) who give freely of their valuable time and effort to the Coast Guard, local community and ‘those in peril on the sea’, cliffs and coasts of Ireland.
The Irish Coast Guard (IRCG) makes up one arm of the Maritime Safety Services, the other being the Maritime Safety Directorate. Both arms are due to merge into a new "one stop shop" Agency for all maritime safety matters.
