Howe was brought up in Dromore, attended Banbridge Academy, and graduated from the University of St Andrews.
[1] He joined Dungannon RFC in 1992 at the age of 21, and was first selected for Ulster eight weeks later,[2] replacing the retiring Keith Crossan.
[4] In 1996, Howe was diagnosed with Gilmore's Groin, an injury that resulted in a three-year absence from rugby.
He retired from professional rugby at the end of the 2005-06 season,[6] having made 100 appearances for Ulster,[7] scoring ten tries in the Heineken Cup,[8] seventeen in the Celtic League.
He taught at Uppingham School in Rutland for nine years and in September 2019 became headmaster of Shiplake College.