Balbriggan Lighthouse and other local Photo's

 North County Dublin.

Balbriggan.

A Tidal Harbour Lighthouse.

A few scenes from around the Balbriggan area, quite a picturesque town.

Plaque where once was located the ;

Great Harwood Industrial and Co-Operative Provision Society Limited 1864.

This was in a time when employers such as Cadburys Chocolate and Guinness Beers built housing, model villages, towns, playgrounds and even baths and markets for the locals and their employees.

They felt a moral imperative to care for the less well off in their communities and actively contribute to the building and maintenance of functioning local society.

Today we have BEZOS and MUSK instead..... taking, taking, taking.

Co-ops and different types of communal " societies" were commonplace in Europe throughout the 19th Century.

The 21st Century has largely seen the disappearance of such enterprises which were solely concerned with a type of collectivisation and the common good.

Alas BEZOS and MUSK et al, would quickly put a stop to such "outrages against consumerism".

There was a long history of Hosiery and Clothing manufacturing in Balbriggan and indeed a type of Long Johns were known as "Balbriggans".

Claim to fame; Apparently in a movie at one time John Wayne, the famous Hollywood actor called or his "Balbriggans".

The small River Bracken enters the Sea at Balbriggan is alive with Grey wagtails and swooping Swifts along with the occasional Heron and snowy white little Egret.

Napoleonic 1800's Martello Tower at Balbriggan.

Balbriggan Harbour.

The Silent Valley - Up to Down

The Silent Valley

I recently visited the Silent Valley in County Down on a family trip.

It lies within the beautiful Mourne mountains range and is not very far from the Spelga Dam which lies across another reservoir in the Mournes.

I've walked the Mourne Mountains a few times and several decades ago I had the pleasure of competing in the Mourne Mountain Marathon, a 2 day event.

I would describe the area as just as beautiful a "hill country" as any in Ireland and in fact several of the geological features and small pathways seem quite unique especially the Devil's Coach way.

Northern Ireland Water manage the reservoirs in the Silent valley and were also responsible for the construction of the famous "Mourne wall" itself.

There is onsite parking and a Tea room at the Silent Valley but there's also a £5 Sterling entry fee.

The drystone walling in the area in quite stunning and chiefly composed of walls built with undressed and "raw" rounded Granite rocks sourced from the immediate environment.

Many of the rocks used in wall construction in this area are quite large, making almost cyclopean type structures. My pictures of them are of a poor quality so I beg your forgiveness.

At one time I thought a drystone wall was a drystone wall and it wasn't until I saw the unique building style in East Clare that I finally realised that there are many different local and regional styles of construction.

The large Circular feature in the reservoir at the Silent valley pictured in several photographs in the Post is an overflow, a "plug," if you will.

I've seen several  beautiful pictures of similar overflows releasing water and they produce a stunning "whirlpool" effect at those times of High water.

Spelga Dam at a different reservoir is pictured below.

Lying within a reasonable distance from the likes of Dublin and with easy Motorway access to Newry as a Gateway, the Mourne mountains are well worth taking the time to visit or putting on any itinerary.

Keep the wheels turning....

Pictured below are the spillway and different areas within the reservoirs catchment. It's quite nice to be able to get close up to the wonderful construction.