£650k Mourne Wall repair bill after storm

£650k Mourne Wall repair bill after storm

7 May 2025

NI WATER is facing a staggering £650,000 repair bill for major damage to parts of the iconic Mourne Wall during Storm Éowyn.

One of the worst storms in living memory left a trail of destruction in its wake, with 63 different collapses of the granite dry stone wall across six mountains.

Storm Éowyn brought winds of more than 90mph in January and as it barrelled across the district it caused widespread damage, bringing down trees which resulted in power cuts.

Countless roads were blocked, with no area escaping the wrath of hurricane-like winds which were preceded by an unprecedented red weather warning.

Damage in the high Mournes was particularly severe, with the Silent Valley reservoir closed to the public for over two months as many walking trails were impassable.

NI Water — which owns the 22-mile long wall —  says the full picture of the scale of the damage to became clear after a detailed survey carried out on foot in the last week of February.

A total of 700 metres of wall was damaged including a section at the province’s highest peak, Slieve Donard.

Twelve years ago, £2.5m was invested in the second phase of the Mourne Wall Restoration Project. 

Phase one was completed in 2018 and saw more than 600 repairs undertaken.

Only one section of wall repaired through the restoration project collapsed due to the January storm with NI Water officials currently putting together a business case.

It is being suggested the cost of the repairs may be included in the organisation’s current capital delivery programme, subject to funding approval.

NI Water says fortunately, the majority of the damage was to areas that have not been updated under the Mournes Restoration Project scheme.

Constructed between 1904 and 1922, the wall is known as ‘the handrail of the Mournes’ as it helps guide hikers, it is made of natural granite stone using only traditional dry stone walling techniques.

Building work was overseen by the Belfast City and District Water Commissioners and was designed to keep livestock from contaminating water supplies.

The Mourne Wall is synonymous with the Mourne Mountains and is Northern Ireland’s longest listed building.

In March 2024, NI Water completed the second phase of essential repairs on the 100 year old wall through the Mourne Wall Restoration Project.

More than 300 repairs were completed across 15 mountains during phase two of the project, bringing the total number of collapses fixed on the structure to over 900 since the project began in 2017.

Last month, there were a series of devastating wildfires across the Mournes, while in 2021 720 acres of land was torched in a catastrophic blaze which transformed the area into a lunar landscape.

The National Trust said it will take years for the Mournes to recover from the devastating fire that ravaged the landscape four years ago and the spate of wildfires last month.

The warning is at the heart of a new report which the conservation charity has launched.

The ‘Donard Nature Recovery Report’ highlights the fragility of the delicate habitats and outlines the condition of the land.

In 2021, an area once brimming with flora and fauna was scorched, vegetation destroyed and species diversity reduced.