Partying in the Park for the 100th Anniversary of the Mourne Wall
To celebrate 100 years of the Mourne Wall, NI Water is holding a range of events.
The ‘Party in the Park’ at the Silent Valley reservoir in the Mournes on Sunday (14/08/22), kickstarted the activities, providing live music, entertainment, food and games, alongside celebrating the history of the wall.
(All photos by Brian Morrison).
This year, 2022, marks the one-hundredth anniversary of the completion of the Mourne Wall construction; a remarkable feat of craftmanship that has stood the test of time and harsh conditions over the century.
Work on the wall began in 1904 and took 18-years to complete, providing a boundary for the 9,000-acre water catchment area that supplies the Silent Valley and Ben Crom reservoirs.
There have been major repairs over the last two years, with a new phase of upgrades continuing this Autumn.
This involves flying repair stones from local quarries by helicopter and rolling them into place using age-old methods.
NI Water’s Education & Learning Officer, Anna Killen, said: “Sunday’s Party in the Park was a great day to reflect on the importance of the Silent Valley and celebrate the history of the wall.
“The activities and live entertainment were popular with all visitors enjoying the celebrations. Silent Valley is not only as a beautiful visitor attraction, but also a working site, providing a source of drinking water to thousands of homes and businesses daily.
“We are now using even more water than ever, and it is amazing to think that on an average day, each person uses around 170 litres.
“NI Water clean over 570 million litres of water a day, but with climate change and increasing usage, now is the time to really think about how we can respect and conserve the water we use every day and how we will leave our planet for those coming after us in the next 100-years.”
“Simple things such a turning the tap off when brushing your teeth, having shorter showers, and using a waterbutt to water the garden can all help to protect our water supply and the environment for many years to come.
To continue the celebrations and educate our young people on the Mourne Wall and water supply in the Mournes, NI Water are inviting schools to our Silent Valley Education Centre to discover the fascinating history behind this unique site. All visits are free of charge and available on a first come first served basis.
It is also planned to place time capsules in the wall during upgrades taking place this autumn. Any group interested in placing a memory in the capsule or visiting Silent Valley for an education trip should contact the NI Water Education Team at: education@niwater.com
