THE
MILL AT AVOCA VILLAGE
Weaving Mill Tour in Fictional Ballykissangel
Avoca
means “the great river”, though the river of that
name which flows through Wicklow County, sometimes referred to as the “Garden
of Ireland” is perhaps a more modest stream. The village of Avoca
was once called Newbridge for its stone bridge across the river, though
it is decidedly no longer new. In fact, the quaint and quiet beauty of
the bridge and the tiny town made the village of Avoca such the ideal
image of a small Irish country town that it became the setting for the
BBC series “Ballykissangel” about a young English priest
becoming part of a rural Irish community, shown in the UK from 1996 to
2001, and rerun on PBS in America. A village store window still bears
a remnant of fictional name and a sign at the bridge near the post office
proclaims the village’s part in television film history. The river
valley which surrounds the town, the Vale of Avoca, inspiring a familiar
song by Thomas Moore, "The Meeting of the Waters", was once
the center of copper mining as well as zinc and gold, but it is wool
weaving which came to the valley in the 18th Century, which today has
turned
Avoca
into
a brand
name.
Avoca Weaving Mill
In
1723, a co-operative weaving mill where local sheep farmers could spin
and weave their wool
was set up along a small creek feeding into
the river. One of the world’s oldest wool weaving mills first produced
raw uncolored yarn which was turned into basic tweeds and blankets. In
the early 20th Century, color came to identify the wool of Avoca.
Bright and vivid green, red and yellow hues became the recognized signature
work
of the Avoca Handweavers.
The
mills at Avoca thrived in the 1920s and 30s, supervised by three sisters,
the Wynnes who experimented with colors in their wools. By the 1960s,
hand wool weaving was overtaken by large manufacturers and the mills
at
Avoca
fell by the wayside, until the mid 1970s when a young couple took a
chance
and revived the mill. Today, Avoca stores and cafes can be found throughout
Ireland, from Wicklow to Dublin, Belfast and Galway. The bright distinctive
colors of the products, are no longer entirely hand-woven, but produced
by wooden power assisted looms and some more modern techniques.
Visitors to the Avoca
Mill can tour the weaving house and watch the brightly colored yarn
threads woven at the machines, still operated by
the hands of artisans. Admission to the weaving mill is free, not really
an official tour, but more a free form observation, to wander among the
working weavers, still known as the Handweavers. The whitewashed original
18th Century mill buildings across the babbling creek now house the Avoca
Mill store and a café, featuring the Avoca idea of selling woolen
clothing and furnishings along with boutique food goods, jams and jellies,
cookies and even chili sauce, branded as the Avoca Pantry.
Avoca Village
The
Mill at Avoca is a short walk from the center of the village, consisting
of a few
houses and stores, but most identifiably Fitzgerald’s
Pub, with its façade from the 1700’s recognizable from the
Ballykissangel film series. Inside, Fitzgerald’s is a comfortable
and friendly updated Irish country pub and restaurant with good food
and convivial atmosphere. Bicycles can be hired at the pub for touring
the beautiful countryside, and a number of guided tours are offered through
Avoca Tours, from the mining heritage to cooking, fishing, hiking tours,
historic sites, golf and film locations (see Ireland
Famous Movie Locations).
The Avoca Village in Wicklow County is an hour from Dublin and from
Rosslare and
very near
the famed
monastic world heritage site of Glendalough (see St
Kevin's Ruins Glendalough). © Bargain
Travel Europe
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Avoca Mills
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SEE ALSO:
TANNERY COOKERY SCHOOL & TOWNHOUSE
MOBY DICK’S PUB - YOUGHAL - CORK
JERPOINT GLASS STUDIO - KILKENNY
