Harbour to Headwaters
Oldbridge
Unfortunately, Water quality in Lough Dan has deteriorated in recent years in what was once a pristine ‘High Status’ lake and catchment. There is a Waters of LIFE EU funded project to restore high status in the upper Avonmore catchment. Visit www.watersoflife.ie for more information.
Heritage Information
Built in 1823, the present bridge that spans the Avonmore River at this point is not really old enough to be called ‘Old Bridge’. That honour goes to a previous bridge located here of which little is known. This fairly new bridge simply inherited the name. Nearby are two fine examples of prehistoric creativity in the form of Rock Art from the Bronze Age (2,500 – 500 BC).
Feature Creature: Red Deer
The Red Deer is Ireland’s largest land mammal and is the only species of deer that is considered native to Ireland. Another type of deer, Sika Deer, were introduced to the Powerscourt Estate in Co. Wicklow in 1859. They soon escaped and started to breed with the closely related Red Deer. There are now very few pure Red Deer in Co. Wicklow.
