Around Dublin

Avondale House 

Lying just south of Rathdrum, Avondale House was the birthplace of 19th century politician Charles Stewart Parnell.  It was built in 1779 and is a modest, box shaped building.  It passed into the hands of the Parnell family in 1795 and Charles Stewart Parnell was born here on 27 June 1846.  The Georgian mansion now houses a museum dedicated to Parnell and the fight for Home Rule. 

Avondale is surrounded by a large forest including an impressive arboretum which was first planted in the 18th century.

Powerscourt

The gardens at Powerscourt are probably the finest in Ireland, both for their design and their dramatic setting at the foot of the great Sugar Loaf Mountain.  The house and grounds were commissioned in the 1730s by Richard Wingfield, the first Viscount Powerscourt.  The gardens fell into decline but, in 1840, the original scheme was revived.  New ornamental gardens were completed in 1858-75 by the seventh Viscount, who added gates, urns and statues collected during his travels on the continent. 

Unfortunately the house was gutted by an accidental fire in 1974.  The ground floor and the ballroom on the first floor have been renovated.  The ground floor now houses a gallery of shops and the famous Avoca Terrace Cafe.

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