A visit to the Stereo Pairs Collection today lets us stay in Howth, and gives a view of the area that perhaps neither you nor I has ever seen in reality. Today's fashionable suburb of Dublin is seen in its rustic splendour as a little fishing community. And is almost unrecognisable! When the stereo pairs were first uploaded here they were beautiful, but now,with the facility of "mega zoomability", they are exquisite! It is a pleasure to be able share them with the world.

Apart from a search for dogs, and a discussion on how much Howth changed even in the decades after this image, today's investigations focused on date. And, with help inparticular from [/photos/beachcomberaustralia/ BeachcomberAustralia] and [/photos/gnmcauley/ Niall McAuley], the date has been refined to c.1880s - based not least on the visible Harbour Master's House on the West Pier, which dates to that circa that decade. Otherwise we have confirmation that we're looking down from the hill at Balglass Road, along Main Street/Abbey Street towards the harbour, and out to Ireland's Eye.....

Photographers: Frederick Holland Mares, James Simonton

Contributor: John Fortune Lawrence

Collection: Stereo Pairs Photograph Collection

Date: Catalogue gives c.1860-1883. Likely c.1880s

NLI Ref: STP_0858