Aghavannagh Achadh Mheánach | |
|---|---|
Village | |
| Irish transcription(s) | |
| • Derivation: | Aughavanna, Revells |
| • Meaning: | "Hilly field" |
 Former military barracks, youth hostel at Aghavannagh | |
  Aghavannagh Aghavannagh shown within Ireland | |
| Coordinates:52°54′55″N6°25′28″W / 52.915277°N 6.424550°W /52.915277; -6.424550 | |
| Country | Ireland |
| County | County Wicklow |
| Barony | Ballinacor South |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,119.72 ha (2,766.9 acres) |
| Irish grid ref | T 03468 89452 |
Aghavannagh (Irish:Achadh Mheánach, meaning 'hilly field')[2] is a small village and townland in southCounty Wicklow,Ireland. It is located in the barony ofBallinacor South on theMilitary Road originally constructed between 1804 and 1809, in the wake of the1798 rebellion. It is so remote that inhabitants say that "Aghavannagh is the last place God made".[3]
The village is situated near the base of theLugnaquilla massif, the highest mountain in eastern Ireland, and within a few miles ofAughrim,Glenmalure andTinahely to the east and south, andKiltegan,Hacketstown andBaltinglass to the west. The area is mainly surrounded by forests and is composed of mountains and mountain land. This fact may indicate an original name in Irish asachadh mbeannach whose meaning is "hilly field".[4] This mountainous terrain is where the Ow river rises on the southern slopes of Lugnaquilla, flows through aglacial valley and passes the outskirts of the village meeting the Aghavannagh river, which is much smaller and flows through the village, a short distance to the south.[5]
One of the earliest references to the place is in 1623 to "Aghavanny" in theCalendar ofPatent Rolls ofJames I, followed by five other 17th century references with three different spellings of "Aghamanagh", "Aghamannagh" "Aghavannagh", and lastly "Aghavanagh" on A.R. Neville'sMap of County Wicklow dated c 1810.[4]
There is no commercial centre to the village that only comprises residences and a school (on map— no longer in use). Between 1896 and 1899 a sub-post office was opened in Aghavannagh under the nearbypost town of Aughrim but this was already closed by 1909.[6]
Aghavannagh Barracks, along with similar structures inGlencree,Laragh andGlenmalure,[7] was one of a series ofbarracks built along the route of the military road, to house British forces and give them access to theWicklow Mountains where many 1798 rebels, such asMichael Dwyer,[8] sought refuge. The barracks each accommodated 100 men, while a larger 200-man barracks was built in theGlen of Imaal, that together cost of £26,500 with an additional £1,500 for a bridge at Aghavannagh.[9]
The property came into the ownership ofCharles Stewart Parnell's grandfather after the BritishWar Office vacated it in 1825 because he was the ground landlord and was used by him as a hunting lodge. The Parnell family shared the building with up to 50 men of theIrish Constabulary. Several of the outhouses were totally ruined at this time as were the tworedoubts.[10] Upon Parnell's death,John Redmond bought the barracks.[11]
Later,An Óige ran the building as ayouth hostel for several years before acquiring ownership in 1944. They closed it in 1998 when a tower of the structure was declared unstable by engineers.[12]Síle de Valera, thenMinister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, answered a question in theDáil whether the property would be acquired by the government as a heritage building saying thatDúchas, the heritage service of the department, did not have the resources to protect or preserve the building.[13]
After 20 years, in 2010, a restoration project extensively restored the building's interior and exterior. It is now privately owned and used as a family home and guesthouse.[14]
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