Driving inland 13km from Arklow will bring you to the Meeting of the Waters, a scenic beauty-spot where the Avonmore and Avonbeg rivers come together to form the Avoca River. The ‘Meetings’ as the locals call it, is the place where the famous Irish Poet Thomas Moore penned his renowned song,
“The Meeting of the Waters”.
“There is not in this wide world a valley so sweet As that vale in whose bosom the bright waters meet! Oh the last rays of feeling and life must depart Ere the bloom of that valley shall fade from my heart” Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore is considered Ireland’s National Bard. He was born at in Dublin in May 1779 and educated at Trinity College. His time at Trinity coincided with the turmoil following the French Revolution and a number of his fellow students such as Robert Emmett were supporters of the United Irishmen movement, although Moore himself was not a member.
He is commemorated in several locations – there is a large bronze statue of Moore near Trinity College Dublin and busts at The Meeting of the Waters and at Central Park, New York. Many composers such as Spontini and Schumann have set his poems to music.
Read more about the area on the interpretive panels at the Park and enjoy the peace and tranquility by the waters’ edge where there are often horses drinking in the shallow waters. The Park is a lovely spot for a picnic on a nice day at one of the tables provided.
Open: 24 hour access
Address: Meetings of the Waters, Avoca, Co Wicklow
Access: Ramp and paved paths provided
Parking: in the adjacent parking zones (free)
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