Ye Olde Hurdy Gurdy Museum of Vintage Radio, History museum in Martello Tower, Howth, Ireland
Ye Olde Hurdy Gurdy Museum is a museum housed in a Martello tower in Howth near Dublin that displays historical telecommunications equipment. The collection includes Morse devices, gramophones, crystal sets, and valve radios from various eras.
The Martello tower was built in 1805 as part of coastal defense and in 1852 became the landing point for the first underwater cable between Ireland and Wales. This double significance makes it an important record of both military and technological history.
The collection was gathered by Pat Herbert, who began assembling radio equipment in the 1950s and dedicated himself to preserving telecommunications heritage. Visitors can see how people experienced and used communication across the decades.
The museum is located on Abbey Street opposite the Abbey Tavern and is open daily from May through October. From November to April it can be visited on weekends only.
The museum operates an amateur radio station called EI0MAR through which visitors can make direct connections with radio operators around the world. This active network brings history to life through living radio traffic.
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