Water, Water

Today, we're on the outskirts of Roundwood, Co Wicklow, and standing on the dam which was constructed in the 1860's to form the Lower Vartry Reservoir, left, after a Dublin Water Works Committee was established to develop a new water supply to Dublin and it's suburbs.  This work was particularly important in the improvement of living conditions and public health in Dublin city. It improved sanitation and helped reduce outbreaks of cholera, typhus and other diseases associated with contaminated water.This new Varty water was piped to Stillorgan, Co Dublin,  and changed the city in the days of James Joyce. Joyce made several references to the Vartry in Ulysses.

Below is the Draw Off Tower, through which water is extracted from the reservoir and conveyed
by pipe under the dam to the water treatment plant, which is our main picture above.