Morne Wall
The Morne Wall ( Irish Balla an Mhúrn ) is a dry stone wall made of unprocessed granite stones . It is about 35 km long and covers an area of 36 km² in the Morne Mountains . It crosses 15 peaks, including Slieve Donard, the highest mountain in Northern Ireland . The wall is up to 2.4 m high and 0.9 m thick.
history
The rapid growth of Belfast forced the city council from 1891 to look for new areas for additional drinking water. The suitable area was quickly found in the rainy Morne Mountains. Between 1893 and 1899 Parliament approved the purchase of 9,000 acres (36 km²) of land in the Mournes. The first water flowed to Belfast as early as 1901. The Morne Wall was built around the purchased land between 1904 and 1922 by the Belfast Water Commissioners. It should keep sheep and cattle out of the source area to ensure the quality of drinking water. Subsequently, the Silent Valley Reservoir was built as another drinking water reservoir for Belfast . Both buildings created urgently needed jobs at that time.
today
The wall is owned by the DRD Water Service. It no longer fulfills its original purpose as it has fallen into disrepair in some places and the sheep have found a way to the headwaters. Since the possibilities of water treatment are very advanced nowadays , there is no longer any danger from the animals. The wall serves as a trail marker for hikers as it leads to most of the peaks of the Morne Mountains. Brave hikers try to hike them in one day.
