Avoca (Irish: Abhóca, former Abhainn Mhor , meaning “the great river”) is a small town near Arklow in Wicklow, Ireland. It is located on the River Avoca.
Avoca area has been associated with its famous copper mines for many years, the valley has been celebrated by Thomas Moore in the famous song “Meeting of the Waters”. The name of the song emanating from the meeting with the Avonmore and Avonbeg rivers, about two miles from the village of Avoca. The song is said to have been written under a tree, stump remains that the meetings.
Avoca is also known for its hand weaving, with Avoca Hand Weavers based there.
Avoca was once known as Newbridge. It later became known as Ovoca, and then in Victorian times as Avoca. Ptolemy mentions the river Obhoca on his early map of Ireland. The official name of the village is now Avoca in English and Abhóca in Irish. None of the other names used today.
Avoca has been used as a filming location for several films and television series. The BBC series Ballykissangel was filmed there. 1967 Avoca was one of the locations used in the film Jules Verne’s Rocket to the Moon , and it was the setting for the comedy Zonad who had a general release in Ireland in 2010.
The Red Dragon, recently reintroduced to Ireland, is now widely seen in and around Avoca.
Mining
Copper mining is said to have begun in Avoca valley around 1720 and continued intermittently until 1982. Previously, mining, perhaps dating back to the Bronze Age, may have occurred. East Avoca website today, consists mainly of a number of rock waste piles lots, abandoned quarries (Crone Brisbane and East Avoca open pits) and discarded roads. The biggest change high, Mount Flat, built from the waste rock excavated from Crone Bane pits.There was a mineral tramway built from the mines West Avoca, through the village (on the opposite side of the river) and on to Arklow port. The route for most of this was contained in Dublin Ross railway, but a bow and a tunnel under the road from Rathdrum to Avoca remains.
Avoca River at Avoca village; note copper-colored stones on the riverbed
Transport
Avoca is located on the R752 regional road connecting Rathnew with Wooden. The village is served by Bus Éireann route 133 from Dublin (66 km) and Wicklow (21 km) Arklow (10 km), with two departures in each direction Monday to Saturday and a single trip on Sundays.
There are some local political pressure [2] to secure the resumption of Avoca railway station, from where passenger services were withdrawn March 3, 1964 nearly 101 years after its opening, the Dublin-Ross railway on 18 July 1863. [3]
International relations
See also: List of twin town in Ireland
Avoca has twinning agreements with:
- Bromham, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
References
- Jump up ^ “Legal Avoca Town results”. Central Bureau of Statistics .2011.
- Jump up ^ “Dick asks the Council to” Get along with the CIE to open Avoca Station ”. Retrieved 2007-11-01. [ Dead link ]
- Jump up ^ “Avoca station” (PDF). Railscot – Irish Railways. Archive (PDF) from the original September 26, 2007 is taken. 2007-09-09.