Myself and Annraoi had a 430am start today to meet up with some photographer friends in Newry, and travel on then on a whistle-stop tour of the Mourne Mountains. After a sunrise at Murlough Bay, near Newcastle, we headed for the Silent Valley near Kilkeel. We climbed over the wall to get our shots here, but it was too risky to use tripods as we were on a concrete slope.
The Silent Valley is a Mountain Park situated in the high Mournes and features a dam ringed by dramatic Mountain panoramas. It is enclosed by the famous Mourne Wall and is located in the U-shaped valley of the Kilkeel river. The reservoir was built to gather water from the Mourne Mountains and is the main water supply source for most of County Down and a large part of Belfast. The 200 acre site below the reservoir is a combination of mountain, moorland and woodlands making it an ideal setting for flora and fauna. This site is known as The Mountain Park and is an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It’s surrounded with breathtaking countryside. To the east is Craggy Binnian, to the west are the Cliffs of Slievenag Lough, and to the north, Doon and Ben Crom. It attracts around 50,000 visitors per year, most of whom come to enjoy the peace and solitude of this mountain area with its unique landscapes and varied wildlife.
The History At the turn of the 19th century water supplies in Belfast were low. This was due to Belfast’s growing population and sudden industrialisation. The Mournes were chosen primarily for their natural supply of pure water, which was a result of high rainfall in the area. The area was also free from pollution and industry. When the water commissioners identified the high Mournes as a suitable source for providing clean water, their plans included a wall to surround the 9000 acre, catchment area. The wall is now known as the Mourne Wall and it is said to be, "a monument to the skill of the men who built it". The Mourne wall stands up to 8 feet high on average and it is 3 feet wide. The wall stretches for 22 miles and runs over the highest peaks in the Mournes. Work began in 1904 and finished in 1922 taking a total of 18 years to build.
