Exhibition to tell the story of the ‘Flooding of the Valley’

THE story behind the creation of the Poulaphouca Reservoir will be laid bare at a special exhibition taking place this weekend in west Wicklow.

‘Flooding of the Valley’, an exhibition about the fascinating story of the creation of the Blessington Lakes through the construction of the Poulaphouca Reservoir in the 1940s, will take place at Valleymount Community Centre this Saturday and Sunday, June 24 and 25.

The building of the reservoir was one of the largest infrastructural projects ever undertaken by the Irish State and necessitated huge upheaval in the area. Hundreds of people were forced to relocate as 80 homesteads, 300 farms, over 6,000 acres of land and the village of Ballinahown were submerged by water.

Fortunately, much documentary evidence survives, including the ‘Poulaphouca Survey’ and the National Folklore Commissions school collection from 1938. Using these sources, along with family photographs, oral histories and living memories, the exhibition aims to commemorate the events which gave rise to the Blessington Lakes.

The exhibition is being held as part of the annual Hillbilly Tractor Run and will complement the Lakeside Heritage Trail project co-ordinated by the Heritage Office of Wicklow County Council in association with local people and with support from the Heritage Council.

The exhibition will be launched at 8 p.m. on Saturday while families (including many direct relatives) are expected to come from far and wide to take part in the parade on Sunday which will pass through Valleymount at 1.30 p.m. in memory of all the people forced to relocate for the flooding.

Further information on the exhibition is available from 087 6410685. For more information on the Lakeside Heritage Project, visit www.ourwicklowheritage.org or contact Deirdre Burns, the Heritage Officer at Wicklow County Council.