In the 1700s and even at other times throughout history, when families decided to build houses, much effort went into fitting it for the personality of the owner.
Today, houses are built by masses and use cookie-cutter floor plans. Most homes in certain neighbourhoods look exactly the same.
If you happen to have a home that is built for your tastes and predilections, consider yourself lucky. It costs more money and takes much more time to build homes around a person. So suffice it to say, they are rarer to see in modern times. Many people have just learned to accept what is given to them and few go to lengths to make a home really expressive of themselves.
Avondale is a home in Dublin that is distinct in the fact that the owner and those that would come to call this place home helped to design and signify what it meant to the outside world. Perhaps, this is why older homes that are historical have such an appeal.
Samuel Hayes bought the land and built the home in the 1700s. He was a barrister who had a penchant for forestry. This is a dying interest by many since we lose much of our forest lands to industry. Not as many people are going into this field which is more important than many realize.
Without the care and concern for forestry, our planet will fail to produce continuous plant and tree life. It is not only important to care about plant life, but also to use them wisely. I have personally done conservation work which involved building trails and moving rocks or tree branches so that they would blend into nature and not corrupt the atmosphere. In a period of half of a day, I and a team may be conserved a span of only 100 feet. It is a backbreaking job.
Mr Hayes spent his time at Avondale cultivating the land around his beautiful, Georgian- designed manor. He planted thousands of trees on his estate. Most people have never planted one tree in their entire lifetime. He also wrote a book on forestry and made one of his passions to re-forest Ireland. He probably realized that it took more than one person though.
I am impressed by his dedication to what truly mattered to him. Eventually, he sold the home to Sir John Parnell who had a grandson, Charles Stewart, who became a fundamental leader in Irish politics. I’d like to think the influence of Hayes may have impacted Charles since he saw and valued the meaning of hard work and following what drives you. Maybe Avondale helped to shape him or maybe it didn’t.
In the end, it is all in what you believe and I tend to believe that the good karma and influence of this home was impossible to ignore by those who would eventually live there.
