Avoca handweavers, established in 1723, is Ireland’s oldest business. It’s a family owned craft design company which now has half a dozen branches throughout Ireland (most of which feature in this Guide) and the business originated here, at Avoca village, where you can watch the hand weavers who produce the lovely woven woollen rugs and fabrics which became the hallmark of the company in its early days.
Today, the appeal of Avoca shops is much broader, as they are known not only for the high standard of crafts sold (and their beautiful locations) but also for their own ranges of clothing, restaurants with a well-earned reputation for imaginative, wholesome home-cooked food - and delicious deli products and speciality foods to take home.