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I found this delightful contribution while following up an article in London Review of Books by Prof Barrell on places named for Meetings of waters, inspired by this celebrated verse.
The contraction from Abhainn Mor to Avoca is unconvincing, as 'c' is a strong element to introduce.
I welcome the suggestion of a contraction from 'ath' = ford, as in Athlone and many others.
I am not persuaded by an ocean ford, inland !!
To speculate, 'bocaidh' is a sprite or goblin, anglicised to 'bogie' and many river bridges and crossings are associated with trolls waylaying travellers at these points of difficulty. Since 'b' goes to 'bh' in the genitive, ford of the goblin is ath-bhocaidh 'vokie' .
If you slip and lose the valuables you are carrying home from market, blame it on the troll not the drink.