Annamoe means ‘ford of the cows’ – Áth na mBó – after the river crossing the village grew up around. That crossing is now a single-arched stone humpback bridge over the Avonmore, built in 1746; Hurricane Charlie put it under water in August 1986 and it was repaired afterwards. The architectural inventory records the bridge’s stonework. For most of the traffic on the R755 between Roundwood and Laragh, the bridge is the whole reason to slow down.
The village sits a few minutes short of Glendalough beyond Laragh. It is a small place, so for shops, a pub or a coffee plan on the neighbouring villages of Roundwood and Laragh.
The trout fishery
Inland Fisheries Ireland lists the separately run Annamoe Trout Fishery. Contact the operator about current opening, prices and fishing arrangements before travelling. Use its visitor entrance and keep the bridge and neighbouring entrances clear.
Woodpeckers
The woods around Annamoe are a good place to look for the great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major), a newcomer among Ireland’s breeding birds. It crossed from Britain and colonised Wicklow within the last couple of decades. Come early. You are far more likely to hear the drumming carry through the bare oak and ash than to catch sight of the black-and-white bird itself. Keep to public roads and rights of way, as much of the land is private.
Castle Kevin
Close to the village lie the earthworks of Castle Kevin, an Anglo-Norman motte-and-bailey that once formed part of Dublin’s medieval defences against the O’Toole clan. On the ground it is grassed-over banks and ditches rather than standing walls, but a community conservation project has surveyed it with LiDAR and geophysical scanning, mapping a layout the eye cannot read for itself.
The boy who went through the waterwheel
In 1720 a seven-year-old fell into a millrace at Annamoe and was carried clean through the turning waterwheel, and climbed out unharmed. The boy was Laurence Sterne, who grew up to write Tristram Shandy and set the escape down in his memoirs as a wonder the neighbourhood talked about for years.
Notable residents
The village has long drawn writers and artists, among them the playwright J.M. Synge and the Chieftains’ piper Paddy Moloney. Erskine Childers is buried nearby at Derrylossery.
Getting there and around
Annamoe is on the R755 between Roundwood and Laragh, about 32 km south of Dublin. Public transport is thin: the nearest bus services run to Roundwood and Laragh rather than the village itself, so check current routes on the TFI journey planner. Do not park on the bridge or block neighbouring entrances.
Nearby
- Glendalough – south beyond Laragh, the monastic city with its round tower, cathedral ruins and two glacial lakes.
- Powerscourt – at Enniskerry to the north, for the terraced gardens and its waterfall.
- Avondale – south on the R755 towards Rathdrum, forest trails around the house that was Charles Stewart Parnell’s.
- Roundwood and Laragh – the neighbouring villages, for shops and refreshments.