Avoca offers several distinct reasons to visit: in Avoca Village, you can stroll through the village and see filming locations from “Ballykissangel”. The Avoca Studio Gallery is devoted to art, while the Avoca Valley Walk runs alongside the river and along the roadside. When looking for a holiday rental, you can consider whether film history, art or a walk should shape your stay.
Avoca Village: Filming Locations and Café
Avoca Village was a filming location for the BBC series “Ballykissangel”. On a stroll, you can see Fitzgerald’s Pub, the church and local shops, among other places. This gives a walk through the village a clear connection to film history, without limiting you to a single attraction.
The village’s self-service café serves homemade quiches, freshly made sandwiches, hearty soups and freshly baked sweet treats. The menu may change. The café and filming locations offer different highlights for a visit to the village: food to choose from in one place, and the series’ settings in another.
Art at the Avoca Studio Gallery
The Avoca Studio Gallery in Knockanode, Avoca, is an exhibition space and artist’s studio, as well as the home of the Avoca Painting School. Visitors can meet the artist there and see the creative process or unfinished works. Alongside the filming locations, the artistic work itself is also a focus. Check current visiting arrangements before your visit.
The Avoca Valley Walk
The Avoca Valley Walk follows a footpath alongside the Avoca and runs along the roadside. There is an opportunity to take a break along the way in Avoca Village. At the same time, the route follows a busy public road, so children should be supervised particularly closely. Road and path conditions may change, so it is advisable to check them before setting out.
Rivers, Literature and Mottee Stone
The Meetings is located near Avoca. It was here that the Irish poet Thomas Moore wrote the melody “The Meeting of the Waters”. The Avonmore and Avonbeg rivers meet about two miles from Avoca village. These two details offer different ways to understand the landscape around the village: a place with a literary connection and the confluence of two rivers.
Mottee Stone also draws visitors for its scenic views. The glacial erratic was dislodged from its granite bed by a glacier more than 10,000 years ago and carried to this area of County Wicklow, which is predominantly made up of shale. Iron rungs on the stone serve as a ladder, covering the 2.4 metres to the summit. Check local conditions before visiting.
County Wicklow: Further Regional Perspectives
The wider destination of County Wicklow offers further nature and history themes. In Glendalough, Saint Kevin founded a monastery in the 6th century. The remains of the Monastic City include a round tower, numerous medieval stone churches and decorated crosses. Wicklow Mountains National Park covers 20,000 hectares and is an important recreational area for locals and tourists.
For those interested in walking, County Wicklow has more than 50 trails to choose from by length, location, type, theme and difficulty; the range of trails may change. The Wicklow Way was Ireland’s first waymarked long-distance trail. These details distinguish the region’s broad selection from the specific description of the Avoca Valley Walk.
Another attraction in County Wicklow is Beyond the Trees Avondale. The 1.4 km treetop walk ends at a 38 m-high viewing tower with panoramic views across the Wicklow Mountains, the Avonmore River and the Vale of Avoca. There is also a 90 m-long spiral slide from the viewing tower. Check current operating details before your visit.
Discover more destinations: Rathnew, Tulfarris Holiday Village, Donard, Dunlavin, Arklow, Tinahely, Ashford, An Láithreach
To the main travel overview: County Wicklow.
