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Wooden it be lovely
Malcolm rogers spends a couple of days in the picturesque Vale of Avoca in Co. Wicklow.
Corkman Billy O’Brien is a happy man. Billy and his wife Esther have been owners of the Woodenbridge Hotel in Wicklow for the last 12 years, and business in this part of the Garden County has been very good.
But it’s not hard to see why things are going well. Because this comfortable three-star hotel is set in one of the loveliest valleys in Europe, and it’s a haven for hill-walkers, anglers, golfers — or merely those who want to relax in the luxurious surroundings of Billy’s hotel while they take a breather from sight-seeing.
I began my journey to the Vale of Avoca in Fitzgerald’s pub in the main street of Avoca village. This is the pub made famous by Ballykissangel, a television programme which transformed Avoca into a top telly-tourist destination overnight.
With the demise of the show the place has to some extent reverted to its former tranquility, although the tourists still flock in the summer. (The odd, almost whimsically BallyK aspect of the programme was that it was made by BBC Northern Ireland. How the Northern Ireland Tourist Board must have wished that their local telly company had set the programme in the likes of the Glens of Antrim.)
Minimally enlightening about Ireland though BallyK was, it still captivated thousands of British people, giving them, for the very first time, an interest in the island to the west. As it was still winter on my recent visit, the telly tourists hadn’t arrived, and Fitzgerald’s was perfect for a few quiet pints while I drew up my plans.
Actually, my plans weren’t that hard to draw up. After my refreshments, I was going to make my way down to Woodenbridge, visit the oldest hotel in Ireland, and have the craic with mein host Billy O’Brien.
“Yes, this really is the oldest hotel in the country,” explained Billy in his mellow Mallow tones, “licensed in 1608 as a coaching inn on the old Dublin-Wexford highway.”
Being halfway between the two places made this an ideal stopping off point, and even though I wasn’t halfway to anywhere — never have been really — I decided there and then to spend a few days.
I opted to stay down in the new lodge area of the hotel on the banks of the River Aughrim, which is fed by the River Avoca. “Some people say this is the real Meeting of the Waters as made famous by Thomas More, and not the other meeting of the waters further up the valley.”
Well, that was good enough for me, I told Billy, before reminding him that here was another meeting of the waters connected with Thomas More in Dublin. At Trinity College, where More studied, a statue now stands in his honour — halfway between the ladies’ and gents’ toilets.
However, I was more than happy with my particular watery view — the veranda doors opened onto the riverbank, and I was able to watch kingfishers fishing, and dippers doing what they’re supposed to — dipping away all day long.
Tiring of that after a while, I couldn’t decide whether to dine at the state-of-the-art Italian restaurant Il Rascello, which is actually in the riverside lodge, or stroll up the hundred yards to the main hotel area, dine in the Redmond Restaurant and soak in a bit more of the history of the place.
I decided on the latter course, stationed myself in the lounge, and went on a tour of the photographs and paintings on the wall. The first one to catch my eye was of Michael Collins in a secret meeting in 1922 with the British Army — in that very room!
“Oh yes, we’re steeped in history here at the Woodenbridge. Éamon de Valera actually spent his honeymoon here,” said Billy, and later he showed me where Éamon and Sinéad de Valera spent the first night of their married life.
And just across the road he pointed out where John Redmond addressed the monster meeting of the Wicklow Volunteers on a fateful Sunday in September 1914.
World War I had just broken out, and Redmond — the successor to that other great Wicklow man Parnell — was exhorting all Irishmen to fight the war in ‘defence of morality, freedom and religion.’
From the hotel’s log book: “A typical Tuesday in December 1829 saw the Dublin coach arriving at 1.00pm having completed its five hour journey with a complement of nine passengers — four inside and five on the roof.
“The guests then assembled before cosy coachhouse fires where their flagging spirits and frozen bodies were revived by potent Woodenbridge punch. Dinner then would be served: hare soup, oysters, chicken and mutton, followed by apple fritters and porter.
“Before all this was completed the Carlow coach would also have arrived and the Wexford coach would have been due in at 2.30pm.”
Hmmm. Five hours from Dublin to Wicklow. I suppose these days if you had a bit of a break on the M50 you still might just about manage it in five hours . . .
Only joking — Woodenbridge is about an hour an a half from Dublin Airport, so you could leave Manchester, Glasgow or London first thing in the morning and be out golfing on the Woodenbridge course or at Coolattin Golf Club just down the road by the early afternoon. And it won’t cost you a fortune.
Since we’d come to the tricky subject of money, I cleared my throat and broached Billy on the subject. But, of course, being a Corkman he had no problems talking about money.
“The thing is, there is a growing perception that Ireland is very expensive. And okay, there are a few places which are a rip off. But there is still great value deals to be had here. Now, take our golfing breaks. Last year we were doing two nights at the hotel — including breakfast and one evening meal — plus two rounds of golf for ›158 (£109) all in.
Our ‘ordinary’ breaks — two nights bed and breakfast plus one evening meal — begin at ›120 (£82). And we’re not talking about bar snacks for dinner — this is a full five-course meal.
“We always have special deals on throughout the year — the best thing for anybody to do is phone us up, tell us what they want, and we’ll come up with as good a deal as you’ll find anywhere in Europe.”
Not being a golfer I am unable to vouch for the Woodenbridge course — all I can say is it’s situated on the fertile valley floor, which in the springtime is chequered with meadows full of wild flowers.
The view from the bridge outside the hotel (which, since you ask, isn’t wooden, but your standard stone bridge) is simply breathtaking. No other word for it. Well maybe one or two — ‘magnificent’ and ‘spectacular’ both would suffice.
The sides of the valley, covered in deciduous and conifer trees, rise steeply up on either side, and hiking opportunities are plentiful. Just the thing, really, to get you in the mood to try the food at Il Rascello’s. Which, you won’t be surprised to hear, is exactly what I did.
Long story short: this is a first class guzzling experience. Il Rascello’s is genuinely atmospheric, the décor is comfortable, the view outstanding, and the staff friendly, with not a hint of attitude. The old joke about the epitaph an Italian head waiter had on his headstone: “God finally caught his eye” simply has no resonance here.
After coffee and tiramisu it was up to the hotel for a traditional session in the Cow House Bar. This is a small bar in the old Irish vein — plenty of brick, yellow pine and Liscannor slate floors. The craic was mighty — or as the Italians put it: La vita could hardly be more dolce!
Contact:
The Woodenbridge Hotel & Lodge. Vale of Avoca, Arklow.
Co. Wicklow.
00 353 402 35146. e-mail: Wbhotel@iol.ie.
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