A Future for Irish Historic Houses - Irish Heritage Trust

Avondale, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow
Avondale is located near Rathdrum in County Wicklow. Originally built by Samuel
Hayes, it later became the home of the Parnell family. It is now maintained by Coillte.
Avondale was built in 1777 by Wicklow MP, Samuel Hayes, who, as an amateur
architect, possibly designed it himself. It is a rather plain two-storey house over a
basement, fairly typical of those built by the middling landed gentry:
- Historically, the most significant thing about Avondale is that it was the
home of Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-91), Home Rule MP, chairman of
the Irish parliamentary party, president of the Land League. The house is
now a museum to his memory.
- About 75 per cent of the furniture of the house is original to it, much of
which has come back from the National Museum.
- An aspect of Avondale that is sometimes overlooked is the fact that it is
also synonymous with the birth of Irish forestry. Its first owner, Samuel
Hayes, was a forestry enthusiast and noted expert and writer on the
planting and management of woods. When the state bought Avondale in
1904, it was somewhat appropriate then that it established its first forestry
school there with the result that Avondale is of central importance to
silvicultural practice in this country ever since. For example, it grew the
first Christmas trees planted in Ireland. Today the forest park is over 500
acres in extent and is a major tourist attraction in Wicklow.
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