Rathdrum

Introducing Rathdrum

The quiet village of Rathdrum at the foot of the Vale of Clara comprises little more than a few old houses and shops, but in the late 19th century it had a healthy flannel industry and a poorhouse. It’s not what’s in the town that’s of interest to visitors, however, but what’s just 1 mile down the road, Avondale House.

Woe be to the man by whom the scandal cometh…It would be better for him that a millstone were tied about his neck and that he were cast into the depth of the sea rather than he should scandalise one of these, my least little ones.

James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Joyce’s fictional dinner-table argument wasn’t about a murderer or any such criminal, but about Charles Stewart Parnell (1846–91), the ‘uncrowned king of Ireland’ and unquestionably one of the key figures in the Irish independence movement. Avondale House, a marvellous 209-hectare estate, dominated by a fine Palladian mansion (46111; adult/student & child €5/4.50; 11am-6pm May-Aug, Tue-Sun only Mar, Apr, Sep & Oct, by appointment only rest of year), designed by James Wyatt in 1779, was his birthplace and Irish headquarters. Of the house’s many highlights, the most impressive are the stunning vermilion-coloured library (Parnell’s favourite room) and beautiful dining room.

From 1880 to 1890, Avondale was synonymous with the fight for Home Rule, which was brilliantly led by Parnell until 1890 when a member of his own Irish Parliamentary Party, Captain William O’Shea, sued his wife Kitty for divorce and named Parnell as co-respondent. Parnell’s affair with Kitty scandalised this ‘priest-ridden’ nation, and the ultraconservative clergy declared that Parnell was ‘unfit to lead’ – despite the fact that as soon as the divorce was granted the two lovers were quickly married. Parnell resigned as leader of the party, withdrew in despair to Avondale and died the following year in Brighton.

Surrounding the house are 200 hectares of forest and parkland, where the first silvicultural experiments by the Irish Forestry Service (Coillte) were conceived, after the purchase of the house by the state in 1904. These plots, about half a hectare in size, are still visible today, flanking what many consider to be the best of Avondale’s many walking trails, the Great Ride. You can visit the park during daylight hours year-round.

The small tourist office (46262; 29 Main St; 9am-5.30pm Mon-Fri) has leaflets and information on the town and surrounding area, including the Wicklow Way.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009