avondale house

Avondale passed to the Parnell family in 1795, and it was at Avondale on 27th June 1846 that one of the greatest political leaders of modern Irish history, Charles Stewart Parnell, was born. Avondale House is now a museum to his memory, and a major refurbishment programme has restored much of the House to its decor of 1850. Parnell spent much of his time at Avondale until his death in October 1891. Avondale is also synonymous with the birth of Irish Forestry. The state purchased Avondale in 1904 and it was in Avondale that the first silvicultural experimental plots were laid out; along the lines of a continental forest garden. These plots generally one acre in extent can be seen today, flanking the magnificent Great Rivde, which provides possibly the most beautiful of Avondale's many walks.