AVOCA NEWS

Avoca's 300 Year Anniversary

Apr 03, 2023

Celebrating 300 years of Avoca!  

It all began in our little weaving mill in Avoca Village, Co. Wicklow, back in 1723. First established by local sheep farmers as a co-operative, locals would spin, dye and weave wool from their flocks here to create blankets and clothing for the community. In the 1900s, a dynamic trio of sisters called Emily, Veronica and Winifred Wynne took over the running of the mill, introducing colour to the yarns by using vegetable dyes from the walled garden of their neighbouring home.  

300 years later in 2023, colour and craft are still at the heart of what we do, and we are very proud of our history, heritage, and of our talented weavers. We are absolutely delighted and honoured to be celebrating the 300-year anniversary of our Wicklow mill this year. You can read the full 300-year history of our magical little mill here.  

Our in-house design team have created six beautiful throws to celebrate our 300-year anniversary. Their designs honour our mill’s humble beginnings back in 1723, when raw wool was brought here and was turned into cloth and blankets for the local community.  One special throw in the range is woven with yarn custom spun in Co. Donegal using wool from Wicklow Cheviot Sheep, sourced from wool farms local to our mill. We like to think of it as drawing on our rich heritage to design for a more sustainable future.  

Every thread in our famous throws whisper the tale of our little mill in Co. Wicklow, where we’ve been weaving since 1723 and today, you can still hear the clickety-clack of the looms at work. Join us in celebrating our 300-year anniversary by taking a guided tour of our weaving mill, or discover just some of the beautiful woven goods crafted in the mill here.