Howth, Leinster tide times

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived.

Model-derived from a global ocean grid. Useful indication; expect about ±45 minutes on average vs. a local harmonic gauge, individual stations vary widely. See /methodology for per-region detail. Not for navigation.

Conditions as of 23:00 local time. Refreshes daily.

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived. · Not for navigation.

The angler tradition for major/minor fishing windows: major ≈3-hour windows around moon transit and opposition; minor ≈2-hour windows around moonrise and moonset. Times are Europe/Dublin local. Folk tradition, not a scientific forecast.

Last spring tide on Tue 05 May (range 2.7m). Next spring tide on Mon 11 May (range 2.1m). Next neap on Sun 10 May.

Spring tides cluster around new and full moons (biggest swings). Neap tides land on quarter moons (smallest swings). See the spring tide and neap tide glossary entries for the why.

Howth sits on a peninsula about 15 kilometres north of Dublin city centre, jutting into the Irish Sea like a blunt thumb. It is the dominant headland on the north side of Dublin Bay and the landmark that ships approaching Dublin Harbour have used for orientation for centuries. The Baily Lighthouse at the southeastern tip of the peninsula, built in 1814, marks the bay entrance and remains an active aid to navigation. The tidal regime here is semidiurnal — two highs and two lows every 24 hours and 50 minutes. Mean spring range at Howth is 3.2 to 4.0 metres, driven by the Atlantic tidal pulse that funnels into the Irish Sea from the south, between Wales and Wexford. The Irish Sea is a relatively enclosed body of water, and its tidal behaviour is shaped by resonance effects: the amplitudes increase significantly toward the northern end (around Belfast Lough) and the southern end (around Carnsore Point). Howth sits in the middle range of this gradient. The outer harbour shoals substantially at low water. Howth has one of the larger trawler fleets on the east coast — the harbour is active most mornings, with vessels departing on the first hours of the flood and returning before the ebb makes the outer approaches tricky. Anyone planning to meet a returning boat at the quayside, or to launch a RIB from the slipway on the east pier, needs to check the tide tables first. The inner harbour retains water at all states but the outer approaches are where depth becomes critical. For walkers, the Howth Head cliff circuit is one of the better coastal walks accessible from Dublin. The full loop is approximately 10 kilometres, running above the tidal zone for most of its length, with cliff faces dropping to wave-cut platforms and rocky shelves below. The timing of the walk relative to the tide matters most at two points: the path near Balscadden Bay on the eastern side, and the sections south of the Baily Lighthouse where the path drops closest to the foreshore. At low water, the wave-cut platform is fully exposed — the geology of the quartzite and shale headland is best read from these lower angles. At high water, the same sections have sea washing to within a few metres of the path. A seal colony occupies the rocks near the Baily Lighthouse at the southeastern tip. Low water gives access from the cliff path to the upper rocks where the seals haul out, though approaching too closely disturbs them. The colony is resident year-round; pup season is late autumn. The lighthouse itself is not open to visitors but the walk along the cliff above it gives clear sightlines to the lighthouse tower and the seal rocks below. Ireland's Eye is a small uninhabited island 1.5 kilometres north of Howth Harbour. It holds a Martello tower, the ruins of an early Christian church, and a gannet colony on its northern cliffs. A seasonal ferry runs from the east pier — crossing times are short but the swell in the channel between Howth and the island can build quickly on northeasterly wind over tide. The ferry operators judge conditions continuously; the crossing is straightforward on calm days and genuinely rough on easterly blow-ins. Sea anglers fish from the pier arms and from the rocks around the headland. Bass, pollock, and mackerel are the main targets depending on season. The ebb tide along the south face of the headland creates a productive current edge; the reef off the eastern cliffs holds pollock and wrasse. Kayakers use Howth as a base for the headland circumnavigation — the full circuit requires reading the tidal current through the gap between Howth Head and Ireland's Eye, where spring currents reach 1.5 knots on the ebb. Photographers working the cliffs get the best light on the wave-cut platform in the two hours either side of low water on a clear morning. The southeast face catches the rising sun; the Baily Lighthouse and the stack rocks just south of it are framed cleanly from the cliff path above. Tide data for Howth, Leinster comes from the Open-Meteo Marine API, a gridded model product. Timing accuracy is ±45 minutes, height accuracy ±0.3 m — usable for trip planning, not for navigation.