Avondale Forest
| Avondale Forest | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | County Wicklow, Ireland |
| Coordinates | 52°54′59.09″N 6°13′22″W / 52.9164139°N 6.22278°W |
Avondale Forest is a wooded estate in County Wicklow, Ireland, on the west bank of the River Avonmore. It contains the home of Charles Stewart Parnell which was built in 1777 by Samuel Hayes who planted thousands of trees on the estate.[1] The house is now the Parnell Museum. Other attractions include an exotic tree trail, canopy walkways and a well-developed arboretum.
Habitats and ecology
[edit]Avondale is reflective of the wider practices and history of Irish forests. Little native woodland remains, foreign species were planted for their high return and little thought was given to restoring Ireland's native woodlands. However, the park is rich in wildlife, including seven species of bat.[2]
Avondale Forest Park
[edit]Avondale was bought by the state in 1904. The house was used as a forestry school and the grounds planted with a great variety of trees. The forest park lies mainly on the west bank of the Avonmore River covering 214 hectares of land. The ruins of Parnell's old sawmill and Parnell's well are located in the park.[3]
Avondale Forest Park was redeveloped between late 2019 and 2020. In July 2022, President Michael D. Higgins officially opened "Beyond the Trees Avondale", described as a new world-class visitor destination at Avondale Forest Park. A new cafe restaurant was built along with a visitor centre on 'the great ride' (a long stretch of green space in the middle of Avondale along which horses were ridden in times past), and canopy walkways were also developed.[4]
Forest trails
[edit]Centenary Walk, River walk along the banks of the Avonmore River, Exotic Tree Trail, Slí na Sláinte (path to health walk), Cairn Walk,[4] and Pine Trail. There is a weekly parkrun on Saturday mornings.[5]
Avondale House
[edit]The mansion was the birthplace in 1846 of patriot Charles Stewart Parnell. It was opened as the Charles Stewart Parnell Museum in 1986.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ McCracken, Eileen (1 November 1968). "Samuel Hayes of Avondale". Irish Forestry. ISSN 0021-1192.
- ^ "Biodiversity". Retrieved 14 April 2025.
- ^ Avondale Forest Park, Map and description (archived 2007)
- ^ a b "Avondale Forest Park".
- ^ "Avondale forest parkrun". parkrun.ie. 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
- ^ "RTÉ Archives - Parnell Museum at Avondale Wicklow (1986)". RTÉ.
External links
[edit]- Coillte - Avondale Forest Park visitor details
- Avondale Forest Park, Travel Info (archived 2009)
- Heritageisland - Avondale House and Forest Park (archived 2005)
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