Rathdrum - Avondale PURE Mile

Rathdrum was a garrison town and had many industries including a mill a distillery and  flannel factories.

The mile starts at St. Saviour’s church, which is situated on Rathdrum Main Street and ends at the gates to the Avondale Estate.  The first 300m of the Mile is in the town and has an urban landscape St. Saviour’s church is in this part of the Mile and it dates to 1830. It has a four bay nave, pointed windows, a three-stage west tower with a pointed door case.

The Mile moves through the crossroads and on up towards the eastern part of the town along the Avonmore river towards Avondale House which was designed by James Wyatt the architect who also worked on other famous buildings including Carton House, Slane Castle, Frascati House and Leinster House.  Avondale House  once housed the famous Parnell family and its grounds and house are currently open to the public. Corballis House and Corballis Castle are other substantial buildings along this route.  This area between the Avonmore and Avonbeg rivers housed gentry and gentlemen farmers in the past.

Trees growing in the hedgerows include the mature ash, oak, beech and other native species.

 

Author
By Mary Hargaden
Page last updated:
18/03/2020

Comments about this page

  • You are absolutely correct Michael and thank you for that really interesting information about the families associated with each house. I suppose the confusion arises with Corballis Castle being a former barracks rather than a castle, and its use for so many years as a dwelling house

    By Deirdre Burns (28/03/2023)

  • Corballis House is located close to the main crossroads at Rathdrum (Saville’s Cross), about 200 yards up the road towards Avondale on the right-hand side. It was built by Edward Ellison in the late 19th century after his family moved from Cronybyrne/Stump of the Castle area.
    Corballis Castle is further over that same road, maybe a quarter of a mile, on the left-hand side.
    Families called Manning, Speares and Lucas lived there in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

    By Michael Collins (28/03/2023)

  • Thanks for the comment Michael, I think that this building is commonly referred to both as a castle and a house.

    By Deirdre Burns (28/03/2023)

  • The photo of the house covered in ivy is Corballis Castle (not Corballis House).

    By Michael Collins (28/03/2023)

  • Was there a church on the St. Saviour’s church site previous to 1830 when the current church was built?

    By Carolyn (17/12/2022)

  • This is my nana’s old house

    By John (05/11/2013)

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