NI Water would like to acknowledge its partners in this project.

The Mourne Towers

Robert Skillen, Master Mason in charge of Meelmore Tower, with Johnny Cousins, Stone-Mason on his niece Eileen and his Aunt the Meelmore Tower Fanny Robinson The Stone-Men The Mournes provided a challenging environment for the Stone-Men. Many of the men had to walk to work and contend This project has been part-funded through with ice, snow and driving rain. Tourist Board’s Tourism Development Scheme. The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe Investing in Due to conditions on the mountains rural areas. The Rural Development Programme 2007 - 2013 is building work began in March and ceased part  nanced by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural in mid-October each year, when the light Development and the Department of Agriculture and Rural began to fail. Development. Robert Skillen was the master mason in Images courtesy of, W.H.Carson., The Dam Builders, charge of the building of the Meelmore Newcastle: Mourne Observer Press. Tower, and he was helped by Johnny Cousins, Willie Hamilton of Mourne and Northern Ireland Water Dave Martin. PO Box 1026, , BT1 9DJ Many of the stone-men were extremely proud of their craft and Eileen Taylor, niece Email: [email protected] of Robert Skillen remembers “When I was Waterline: 08457 440088 a child he often took me for a walk on a Sunday afternoon up Meelmore to look at Text Phone: 08457 023206 the Tower, and sit for a while in the quiet www.niwater.com coolness inside.” www.facebook.com/niwater The initials R.S (Robert Skillen) and J.C www.twitter.com/NI_Water (Johnny Cousins) can be seen on either side of the lintel on the Meelmore Tower, Northern Ireland Water is a trademark of Northern testament to the e ort and pride the Ireland Water Limited, incorporated in Northern Stone-Men had in their craft. Ireland, Registered Number NI054463. Registered O ce: Westland House, Old Westland Road, Belfast, BT14 6TE Tower

309801 NIW Watertown Leaflet 6PAGE ST3.indd 1-3 14/08/2014 15:10 The boundary Tower

The Mourne Wall The Towers The building of the Mourne Wall was Three distinctive stone Towers were part of the  rst stage of the Mourne also built as part of the Mourne Wall. scheme. This scheme aimed to bring These Towers sit on or near the summits water from the Mournes to Belfast, of Slieve Donard, Slieve Commedagh to meet the needs of this rapidly and Slieve Meelmore. expanding industrial city. The Towers are thought to have In 1904 work began on building the been built as shelter to protect the impressive wall designed to de ne the stone-men as they toiled against the boundary of the 9,000 acres (3,600 ha) elements to complete the wall. catchment area for the scheme. The Towers are still a welcome refuge for walkers today. The wall at 22 miles long (35km), stands up to 8 feet high (2.44m) and measures, The Meelmore and Commedagh Towers on average, 3 feet wide (0.9m). It was are both the same in shape and size but built mainly from granite rocks lying the Donard Tower is a di erent style. about the mountains, alongside blocks cut from adjoining quarries. In the 1950s the pyramidal roof of the Donard Tower was removed to make The wall crosses 15 mountains way for a concrete triangulation pillar. across the Mourne range, and took These pillars were used by Ordnance approximately 18 years to build, with Survey to map the country and the completion in 1922. information used to create the OS maps we still use today. The wall was referred to as “The Black Ditch” by the stone-men who built it Each of the Towers has an engraved but now it is commonly known as the date over the door commemorating the “Mourne Wall” by hillwalkers. completion date: 1910 Slieve Donard, 1913 Slieve Commedagh, 1921 Slieve Meelmore.

Slieve Meelmore Tower

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