Howth Castle

Dublin · Ireland · Castle

The pirate queen Gráinne carried off the heir and demanded the gates never close at dinner. An extra place is still laid at table.

Around 1576 Gráinne Ní Mháille, the pirate queen of Clew Bay, put in at Howth and walked up to the castle to dine and take on supplies. The gates were shut for dinner, a breach of the Irish law of hospitality. She turned back, took Lord Howth's heir with her to her ship and carried him off to Mayo. The boy was returned on a single condition: that the gates never again be closed at the dinner hour and that a place always be laid for the unexpected guest. The condition is kept to this day. The family has an omen of its own as well — a white rat that shows itself when evil threatens the house, and an old oak that drops a limb when its master is to die. The St Lawrence family held Howth for over eight hundred years.

FAQ

Where is Howth Castle located?

Howth Castle is in Dublin, Ireland.

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