Nicky McLoughlin has been selling fish fresh off the trawlers for over 40 years from his small shop on the harbour. A former fisherman, he swims most days at Balscaddan when he is not playing off nine at one of the local golf clubs.
"When we opened the fish shop it was a makeshift job, no water or electricity. People bought fish on Thursday and Friday for the Friday fast and it was taboo the rest of the week. You couldn't get rid of the fish. Now people eat it for breakfast, dinner and tea.
Then it got so scarce. We used to shoot a herring net and haul it in full of fish. The sea is barren out there now. The French, Dutch, English, Spanish are all dredging the place - the Irish Sea is overfished.
Up to five years ago all the fish came off the trawlers. Now there's a quay market. People come up from Longford and Roscommon for fish to stock the freezer. They're more sophisticated now. They ask for squid and turbot and different kinds of fish they've had on their holidays. I was born in Howth 66 years ago. All my family for generations back were fishing people and my children Martin and Kevin, and Nicola are in the business. I grew up in St Peter's Terrace. They used to call it "the Puzzle" and we were "the puzzlers" because people coming to look for us couldn't find it. When I married, we moved three doors up from my mother's house.
Now we look down on the Terrace. About 30 of us founded a co-op about 26 years ago. We bought land from the Corporation and built our own houses up on Balkill Park. They cost us £3,500 each and now they're worth up to £300,000.
We were all fishing families. The Dorans, Doyles, Connors, Harfords, Reids, Redmonds, McLoughlins and O'Rourkes lived around the village. Cod fishing was from October to April and then there was herring fishing at night. Watching the 40 and 50 ft boats going out of the harbour with their sails up, throwing their drift nets, was a wonderful sight. When a tragedy hit, it hit everyone. Liam Moore was lost coming in after us 40 years ago. My cousin Brendan McLoughlin was lost off Lambay. We were a very close-knit community. Nobody had money but everybody had love for one another."
Plus - Sea, green areas
- Community Spirit
- the DART
Minus - Expensive, nothing for first-time buyers
- Howth Road Traffic
