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Glendalough
Glendalough
was made famous by Saint Kevin who came to the area in the sixth century.
He was looking for a place of solitude and having found it, remained and
lived a rather hermitic life. In AD 498, he founded his monastery in Glendalough
which attracted thousands of people who were intrigued by St. Kevin's
simple and scholarly ways. Over time, a school developed, attracting thousands
of students from Europe. St. Kevin died in the year AD 618 at 120 years
of age but the remains of his monastery can still be seen.
The
most famous of all the landmarks in Glendlough is the Round Tower which
stands 33 meters above the ground. It was built almost 1000 years ago
by the monks of St. Kevin's monastery. The roof had to be replaced in
1876 when it was struck by lightning. The Glendalough round tower was
originally built as a bell tower and a place of refuge when the monastery
was attacked. There are many stone crosses and churches to see. As well
as these magnificent remains, there is the awe-inspiring scenery of the
valley and upper and lower lakes to enjoy.
Wicklow Mountains National Park
The
National Park which covers much of upland Wicklow, contains an area of
approximately 20,000 hectares. In centuries past the natural coverage
for these mountains would have been oak. Now the landscape is dominated
by large expanses of mountain blanket bog based on a bedrock of granite.
The Park includes the Lugnaquilla and Liffey Head Bog complexes as well
as the Glendalough Wood Nature Reserve. The National Park provides protection
for the landscape and the wildlife, from rare orchids to the wild and
beautiful Peregrine Falcon.
Powerscourt House, Gardens and Waterfall
Powerscourt
House today reflects centuries of history as the site dates back to
the castle of c.1300. It contains some of the finest 18th century interiors
in Ireland. The self service restaurant provides are very tasty and healthy
food. 
Powerscourt Garden is a 45 acres blend of formal gardens, sweeping terraces, statuary and ornamental lakes together with secret hollows, rambling walks, walled gardens and over 200 variations of trees and shrubs.
5
km from the Gardens is Ireland's highest waterfall tumbling 120 meters
into the Dargle Valley. Powerscourt Waterfall has been a major attraction
since the 1760's and has been a favourite family picnic spot for years.
The Waterfall is fed by waters from blanket bog on top of the mountains
above the valley. Peat often gives the water a brown colour, and the volume
of water coming down changes dramatically a couple of hours after rain.
A nature trail has been laid out around the base of the waterfall.
The Meeting of the Waters
Down
the beautiful Vale of Avoca you will find the 'Meeting of the Waters'
where the rivers Avonmore and Avonbeg flow together. Despite the fact
that this spot is well known and usually on the tourist trail, I would
rank it as somewhat of a disappointment. For those of you who have visited
the Mannequin Pis in Brussels, you will know the sort of disappointment
that I am talking about. The pub doesn't look much better.
Avondale House And Forest Park
Avondale house is a beautiful Georgian house set in 512 acres of forest park just down the road from Glenmalure. Avondale in the birthplace and home of Charles Steward Parnell (1846-1891), one of Irelands greatest political leaders. A visit of Avondale includes an audio and visual presentation, expert guides, a restaurant with a wine licence, great food and home baking, tree trails, picnic areas, river walks and children’s play area.
Avondale is open 11:00 – 18:00 (last admission to house 17:00) from 17th March - 31st October. For the rest of the year by appointment only.
Contact details: Telephone 0404 46111, E-mail: Costelloe_j@coillte.ie.