Fine Gael TD for Wicklow/ East Carlow, Andrew Doyle, has said he welcomes the commitment of Coillte to the development and management of Avondale Forest Park, one of the county’s hidden and untapped resources, home of famous patriot Charles Stewart Parnell and a site of national importance with real potential to attract more tourists to the county.
“Coillte’s Avondale Forest Park are looking to encourage new visitors to the Park and wants to hear from interested parties on ways in which it can be improved and what businesses maybe interested in getting involved. Avondale is synonymous with the birth of Irish forestry in the early part of the 20th century. The Park is also the site of Avondale House which was built in 1779 and is the birthplace of Charles Stewart Parnell, famous for leading the Irish Home Rule party in the 1880s.
““With up to 80,000 visitors annually, Avondale could become one of Wicklow’s top tourist & recreation destinations. Combining its unique forest offering with its outdoor attractions, I believe it has a unique offering and is located in a beautiful part of the county.
“In order to encourage more people to come and enjoy Avondale, Coillte are removing the €5 charge for parking in Avondale . In addition Coillte are also looking for expressions of interest from the wider business community on service provision at Avondale and suggestions with the community and business people about potential opportunities to do new and interesting things in Avondale.”
“I welcome the forward thinking approach taken by Coillte and I am confident that a development plan for Avondale can soon be realised.”
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