Dry summer reveals forgotten village beneath reservoir

Photos of a former village hidden beneath a reservoir have been taken and posted online after the dry summer of 2018 revealed parts of the forgotten community.

Pictures were taken from the air by Garda Air during a routine patrol around Blessington Lakes in Co Wicklow.

The reservoir was purposely built in the late 1930s to create a regular water source for the city of Dublin.

The small farming area was flooded and there are many generations who have only ever known the site as a lake.

However, the dry summer has seen water levels fall and reveal the forgotten village that lies at the bottom of the reservoir.

An Garda Síochána tweeted: “While patrolling the Wicklow division The Garda Air Support Unit noticed the ruins of a homestead and a piece of farm machinery (mowing bar) on a raised piece of land which had previously been submerged in the lakes.”

Tom Bowen runs the website Beneath The Poulaphuca Reservoir, which is about the lake’s history.

He said: “It’s just a reminder of what it is – that there’s a history below that lake. I do agree we needed to create it (the reservoir) but that it had consequences. As the generations roll on it’s accepted as a lake.

“I can see the lake and the beaches and islands that are beginning to appear. I’ve seen it lower than this but it’s not expected to (return) because of the lack of rainfall.”

Creating the reservoir was a controversial move by the government at the time, as many of the farmers and landowners were not fully reimbursed for their land.
The tweet from An Garda Síochána has proved very popular online, with hundreds of like and retweets so far.

While patrolling the Wicklow division The Garda Air Support Unit noticed the ruins of a homestead and a piece of farm machinery (mowing bar) on a raised piece of land which had previously been submerges in the lakes.

pic.twitter.com/JIco4vlgit

— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) September 14, 2018

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