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Poulaphouca (Irish: Poll an Phúca, meaning The Devil's Hole) is a tiny village located in County Wicklow, Ireland, on the border with County Kildare. It is primarily known for its hydroelectric generating station and artificial lake, known as Poulaphouca Reservoir, Poulaphouca Lake, or Blessington Lake. The once famous Poulaphouca Waterfall has little water running over it any longer due to the hydroelectric project.
[edit] Reservoir
The reservoir at Poulaphouca has been designated as a Special Protection Area by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and is of international importance for its Greylag Goose population. The reservoir was created in the late 1930s and early 1940s by damming the River Liffey as part of a collaboration between the ESB and Dublin City Council to build a second hydroelectric station in Ireland while the reservoir could be used to supply water to the Dublin region.
[edit] Railroad
A four and a half mile extension to the Dublin and Blessington Steam Tramway was built by the Blessington and Poulaphouca Steam Tramway, with its end-of-line terminus at Poulaphouca, and opened on May 1, 1895.[1][2] The line was closed in 1927. The ticket office still exists and is a private residence located on the eastern side of the N81 road, that formerly overlooked the Poulaphouca Waterfall on the River Liffey before the construction of the dam.
[edit] Trivia
- Poulaphouca appeared in the Christy Moore song, "Encore".
- The word Poulaphouca appears in the novel Ulysses as the sound of a waterfall.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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Electricity generation in Ireland |
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| Electricity generating stations |
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| (NI) indicates Northern Ireland |
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