Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Avondale House
Located in south County Wicklow (known as the Garden County), this mansion is the
birthplace and lifelong home of Charles Stewart Parnell, the Nationalist politician and dy-
namo often called the “uncrowned King of Ireland” (see here ) .
Upon entering the opulent Georgian “big house” (built in 1777), you'll first view an
informative 20-minute video on Parnell's life. Then you're set free to roam with a handout
outliningeachroom'shighlights.AfineportraitofParnellgracesthegrand,high-ceilinged
entry hall, and a painting of his American grandfather, who manned the USS Constitution
in the War of 1812, hangs in one room. The dining room is all class, with fine plasterwork
and hardwood floors. Original furniture such as Parnell's sturdy canopied bed graces the
remaining rooms, and many come with cozy fireplaces and views. The lush surrounding
estate of over 500 acres, laced with pleasant walking trails, was used by the Irish Forestry
Service (Coillte) to try out forestry methods.
Cost and Hours: €7; June-Aug daily 11:00-17:00; Sept-Oct Tue-Sun 11:00-16:00,
closed Mon; shorter hours off-season; café, tel. 0404/46111, www.coillte.ie .
Getting There: It's best to visit by car, as Avondale House is too far for the Dublin
day-tour buses (45 miles south of Dublin). Trains depart Dublin's Connolly station (4/day,
1.5 hours) to Rathdrum; Avondale is a short taxi ride away (1.5 miles south of town).
Irish National Stud
Ireland's famed County Kildare—just west of Dublin—has long been known to offer the
perfect conditions for breeding horses. Its reputation dates all the way back to the 1300s,
when Norman war horses were bred here. Kildare's grasslands lie on a bedrock table of
limestone, infusing the soil with just the right mix of nutrients for grazing horses. And the
nearby River Tully sparkles with high levels of calcium carbonate, essential for building
strong bones in the expensive thoroughbreds (some owned by Arab sheikhs) raised and
raced here.
In 1900, Colonel William Hall-Walker (Scottish heir to the Johnny Walker distilling
fortune) bought a farm on the River Tully and began breeding a line of champion thor-
oughbreds. His amazing successes and bizarre methods were the talk of the sport. In 1916,
the colonel donated his land and horse farm to the British government, which continued
breeding horses here. The farm was eventually handed over to the Irish government, which
in 1945 created the Irish National Stud Company to promote the thoroughbred industry.
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