Avoca Avoca
April 9, 2009
By Sheila Ring
Most househunters nowadays seek a quiet patch of their own in which they can serenely immerse themselves following a manic day at work. If circumstance and means permit, there are those who are fortunate enough to secure a modern house firmly embedded in nature’s bounty.
Avoca is one of those increasingly rare areas that offers a homeowner a picturesque backdrop coupled with the proximity to all essential amenities that are part-and-parcel of modern living nowadays.
Situated on the River Avoca, this small town – famous for its Avoca Handweavers’ handweaving – can be found a short distance from Arklow, Co. Wicklow. Another claim to fame for the town was its use for the filming of the BBC TV series ‘Ballykissangel’ in the 1990s, subsequently affording the town much exposure at home and in the UK. The TV show was a starting point for the likes of Keira Knightley, who made her on-screen debut in it at just seven-years-old, and it was also a useful launchpad for Colin Farrell.
The latest impressive addition to this jewel of a town is the attractive housing development, Avoca Court -- the work of local developers, Sean Porter Construction Developers Ltd (SPC Developers Ltd).
Beginning in June 2008, the vision for the houses evinced a unity of contemporary and spacious housing and reassuring affordability.
Avoca Court is an exclusive scheme of charming three-bed detached and semi-detached homes. The scheme is a residential epicentre in the heart of the quaint Avoca Village, with the much-lauded Avoca Handweavers Mill, the beguiling Avoca Church, and a national school all within walking distance.
The development offers four townhouse-style homes in a pivotal setting in the heart of Avoca Village. Acknowledged as a vibrant community dotted with a smorgasbord of local amenities within easy reach, these comprise shops, a pub, an IT centre, a Credit Union, and more.
Boasting electric gates, communal, fully landscaped gardens with cobble-locked patio area, and private granite patios, the Avoca Court houses overlook the scenic Avoca River. Conveniently, there is a management company in operation to maintain gardens and grounds.
The homes themselves range in size from 85 sq. m. to 100 sq. m. And the accommodation therein includes:
an entrance hall with guest W.C.
a lounge
a kitchen-cum-dining room
three bedrooms with master ensuite
a bathroom.
Avoca offers a pretty village setting while being just five minutes’ drive from the N11. It’s also a mere 10 minutes from Arklow, which holds in situ the new Bridgegwater Shopping Centre, as well as a large array of high street stores and leisure facilities.
However, the homes’ village setting binds them to local legislation, which decries that purchasers must have been resident in the county for at least one year, or that purchasers are engaged in full-time employment in Co. Wicklow.
Michael Brady, Regional Tourism Officer of the Wicklow Tourist Board, is very au fait with the attractions that prompt interest from visitors and potential homeowners alike.
He muses, “Avoca Weavers is a major draw for visitors. Avoca was also where Ballykissangel was filmed. With the show being televised in the UK, the town had the opportunity to become more well-known to people from further afield.”
Indeed, the garnered attention brought about by the TV show proved to be an imperative incitation to the local economy’s sustenance- most notably, in the area of hospitality.
Yet, surprisingly, Co. Wicklow was once very underdeveloped in respect of tourism. Perhaps for historical reasons, people along the west coast had been much quicker to get into the tourism business than those on the east coast.
Wicklow currently has approximately 5,000 Bord Fáilte registered bed-nights, whereas in Kerry the total is in the region of 17,000, with 12,000 in Killarney alone. Wicklow is on Dublin's doorstep as the first stop-off point for tourists, yet it has less bed-night capacity than Mayo, Donegal and Galway.
One can have all the beautiful scenery, including the Vale of Avoca and the Wicklow Mountains, but unless visitors have somewhere to sit down for a cup of coffee or a bed for the night, Wicklow may remain a mere stop-off point for them.
Nevertheless, much progress in this area has has been- and continues to be - effected by the Department of Arts, Sport, and Tourism. This has included:
the identification and review of a set of access parameters in the countryside, and agreement on the key features necessary for countryside code development by Comhairle na Tuaithe (a committee established in 2004).
the publication of a National Countryside Recreation Strategy in September 2006 by Comhairle na Tuaithe.
the development and launch of the Walks Scheme by the Government, a scheme which is currently being piloted on four routes. With eight walking routes already in place, it is anticipated that several more routes will have came on stream by the end of 2009.
With regard to the development of the national network of looped walks, over €1.3 million in capital funding was made available to Fáilte Ireland, encompassing a total of 50 trailheads and 75 Loops. From 2006-2008, €90,000 (€30,000 per annum) was allocated to Wicklow Uplands Council and Rural Partnership to provide a network of access routes over private lands in areas of high scenic and amenity value.
So, it seems the Government have not been remiss in nursing the needs of the panoramic county of late.
When queried if there is one central point of appeal for a soujourn in Avoca, or otherwise, Mr Brady offers, “It’s attractive for a wide variety of reasons- not least because of its history. A lot of mining used to go on there, and its traditional handweavers still brings visitors to the area. Its natural, unspoiled surrounds are its selling point”.
And pity betide the naysayer who disputes that.
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