- • Coillte, Fáilte Ireland and EAK Ireland collaborate to create a spectacular new visitor attraction in the heart of Ireland’s garden county
- • This €19 million project transformed Avondale with the creation of an elevated Treetop Walk,12 storey high Viewing Tower made from locally sourced Douglas fir and larch wood alongside a 90m spiral slide – the highest slide in Ireland
- • Visitors will experience the beauty of Avondale’s tree canopy and enjoy incredible views of the surrounding estate and Wicklow countryside from the 38m high Viewing Tower – the first of its kind in Ireland
- • Beyond the Trees Avondale expects to attract 200,000 to 250,000 visitors in its first full year of opening
- • Beyond the Trees Avondale has been created with sustainability and accessibility at its core
Issued Wednesday, 6th July 2022: President Michael D. Higgins today performed the official opening of ‘Beyond the Trees Avondale’, a spectacular new visitor experience developed in partnership between Coillte, Fáilte Ireland and EAK Ireland in Avondale Forest Park in Co. Wicklow, combining a stunning 700 metre Treetop Walk with a 12 storey high Viewing Tower. Visitors to Beyond the Trees Avondale will experience the beauty of Avondale’s tree canopy on the Treetop Walk and enjoy incredible views of the beautiful Wicklow countryside from the spectacular Viewing Tower created for the project by EAK Ireland. The Beyond the Trees Avondale experience will be further enhanced in the Autumn when restoration work on Avondale House, the home of Charles Stewart Parnell, will be completed and the house will open to visitors.
President Michael D. Higgins Opens ‘Beyond the Trees Avondale’, a Unique New Visitor Destination in Coillte’s Avondale Forest Park, Co. Wicklow
President Michael D. Higgins today performed the official opening of ‘Beyond the Trees Avondale’, a spectacular new visitor experience developed in partnership between Coillte, Fáilte Ireland and EAK Ireland in Avondale Forest Park in Co. Wicklow, combining a stunning 700 metre Treetop Walk with a 12 storey high Viewing Tower. Visitors to Beyond the Trees Avondale will experience the beauty of Avondale’s tree canopy on the Treetop Walk and enjoy incredible views of the beautiful Wicklow countryside from the spectacular Viewing Tower created for the project by EAK Ireland. The Beyond the Trees Avondale experience will be further enhanced in the Autumn when restoration work on Avondale House, the home of Charles Stewart Parnell, will be completed and the house will open to visitors.
Photo shows: President Michael D. Higgins with his wife Sabina and Imelda Hurley, CEO, Coillte.
Photo: Naoise Culhane, No Fee. 6th July 2022
Ireland’s newest visitor experience is a collaboration between Coillte, Fáilte Ireland and EAK Ireland, bringing a truly unique visitor experience to Ireland’s Ancient East which will delight young and old alike. This €19m project at Avondale is part of Coillte’s strategy to create more world class visitor destinations and increase recreation spaces nationally, and will encourage international and domestic visitors to stay longer and spend more in Wicklow and the wider Ireland’s Ancient East region, driving economic and employment opportunities for local communities. 60 new full and part-time jobs have been created to staff the site, the majority of whom are from the locality. Beyond the Trees Avondale expects to attract 200,000 to 250,000 visitors within a full year of opening.
Avondale occupies a significant place in Irish history both as the birthplace and home of Sir Charles Stewart Parnell, and also because of the work of Samuel Hayes who inherited the estate in 1770. In addition to Samuel Hayes being the author of Ireland’s first book about trees, he also played a very important role in Irish forestry – it was he who realised that the ancient forests of Ireland were disappearing and who set about creating a forest park at Avondale, which is often thought of as the birthplace of Irish forestry. Following his death,
