President Michael D Higgins To Attend Launch Of EIRE 6 Sign On East Mountain This Saturday
The newly restored ‘Eire 6’ sign in Howth, designed to alert pilots to Ireland’s neutrality during the Second World War, will be officially launched by President Michael D Higgins this Saturday, April 9th @ 2pm.
Last year, the sign was carefully restored when a community-led project secured Ministerial Consent from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to restore the sign, one of 83 dotted around our coastline.
The original quartz stones used for Eire 6, located on Howth’s East Mountain, were found to be in remarkably good condition by local volunteers.
The large letters were placed in the ground in the summer of 1943 by a unit of the Irish Defence Forces known as the Coastwatchers, with the numbers later added to each one to serve as a navigational aid for aircraft.
The work has been carefully carried out on the East Mountain in an environmentally sensitive manner, in keeping with its status under a Special Area Amenity Order (SAAO), as well as its UNESCO Natura 2000 protection.
Boat owners are invited to sail-past on the day, and it is expected that the Irish Air Corps will also host a fly-over, in conjunction with the ceremony.
The official launch of the Howth Eire 6 sign this Saturday, April 9, which will be attended by President Higgins is likely to generate more traffic than normal on the peninsula and along all entry routes so please be warned.
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