On 22 May 2006, the Water Service of Northern Ireland unveiled a plaque to commemorate nine men who lost their lives during the building of the dams in the Mourne mountains.

The plaque is set into a huge piece of Mourne granite and bears the names of those who were killed working on the construction of the Silent Valley and Ben Crom dams.

It was unveiled at a special ceremony attended by members of the men's families and others who who had been involved in building the two dams, and the Binnian Tunnel, between the 1920s and the 1950s.

Katherine Bryan, CEO of Water Service unveils the new plaque at a ceremony in the Silent Valley - 22 May 2006     Listen to opening address by CEO, Katherine Bryan   The plaque, sculpted with beautifully etched artwork by Declan Grant, bears the names of the nine men who lost their lives in the valley sites     At the Silent Valley: Hugh Quinn   William Forsythe   Michael (Mick) Synnott   George Phillips   John Cousins   John Murphy   Jimmy Baines   Sam Cooke   At Ben Crom: Jim Moore     Nine trees were also planted on the site, one for each man. Seen here above left, with Katherine Bryan of the Water Service, is Mary Boyd and her son Peader planting a tree in memory of Mary's uncle, John Murphy (above right), who was killed in August 1929, in a tunnel collapse. He had been working in a mine in Scotland but, after a fatality there, his mother persuaded him to give the job up because it was too dangerous. He got a job in the Silent Valley and was killed there shortly afterwards. He was only 18 years old. When she was growing up as a young girl, Mary's father never allowed her to go to the Silent Valley because of what had happened to her uncle. "None of our family ever went there. It was just somewhere they didn't want to go" she says. The day of the ceremony for those who lost their lives working on the water projects was the first time Mary had ever been to the Silent Valley.        Listen to Mary Boyd talking about her uncle's death     Mementos Many family members who came to the ceremony brought personal mementos with them. John Cousins (above left) brought a photograph of his grandfather - also John Cousins (above right), who died in a railway accident at the valley. He was walking between two stationary wagons when a locomotive began to shunt them. John (junior) brought a shovel which was used on the railway engines and two original electric vacuum-lamps from the early days of the dam-works. He explained that these lamps, now 80 years old, are particularly historic. Watertown, as the valley was known, had the very first electric 'street-lighting' in Northern Ireland.

A family gathers to remember. 95-year-old May King, pictured seated right, holds a photograph of her brother-in-law Mick Synnott, who was killed at the Silent Valley works in 1925 when the steam-crane he was driving overturned. Mick managed to push his workmate out the side of the crane, saving his life, but he himself was crushed to death. May's son Terry is standing behind the portrait and Mick's grandson, Michael Rice, is holding it. Michael told Radio Ulster reporter, Laura Haydon, how his mother was left without a father when she was only five months old and his grandmother left a widow at the age of 22.        Listen to Michael Rice talking about his grandfather's death

During the ceremony, a local poet, Art McCartan recited special poetry for the occasion. One of these is "Here's to the Mourne men who built the valley dam"

Read the poem and listen to Art McCartan reciting it here.

Article & Pictures - Marty Johnston   

Some relevant links:

BBC Radio Ulster documentary "The Dam Builders" by Laura Haydon - (30 minutes)

As water supply becomes a politically charged issue, Laura Haydon tells the story of the Dam Builders of the Silent Valley. She talks to surviving workers, their relatives and associates. And she also assesses the significance of the reservoirs for Northern Ireland’s industrial history.

Listen to "The Dam Builders" here ...

100 Years of History
The hundred year history of the Mournes Water Scheme and the importance of its effect upon the greater part of our industry and society cannot be overemphasised. To read a concise history of water from the Mournes click here...

100 Years celebrated
Exactly two years before the unveiling of the memorial plaque to those who died working on the water project, the Water Service celebrated one hundred years of water in the very same place and a gate was unveiled click here to read about it...

The Binnian Tunnel
There is a large section of this website devoted to the story of the Binnian Tunnel, where you can read about the task and listen to those who carried it out. Click Here to see it.

Water Service of Northern Ireland - http://www.waterni.gov.uk/

Keeping Mum in the Mournes For a place called the Silent Valley, there is certainly a lot of noise made about one of Northern Ireland’s most beautiful visitor attractions...

Your Responses

Trevor Dick - Sep '06
My Uncle. James Dick was Superintendent of the reservoir in the Forties and during WW II. My sister and I spent great vacations there in his house and grounds on the Silent Valley property.
I remember the dam and reservoir were patrolled 24/7 by the Army to guard against the possibility of German parachutists poisoning or destroying the dam.
I would love to hear if anyone remembers him. I now live in New York City & my sister in Connecticut.

Bookworm - May '06
Congratulations! Another piece of Northern Ireland history brought to life on your excellent web site.
We all take the water that flows from our taps very much for granted. Your article reminds us of the men who worked so hard to provide us with this privilege and of those who died in the process.