water pump

Freestanding cast-iron water pump, erected c.1885, comprising banded cylindrical shaft with fluted head having fluted spout, ‘cow tail’ curvilinear handle, and fluted ogee-dome cap with finial. Set on concrete base and surrounded by a low modern limestone wall. Located towards the northwest end of Ballinalack village.

A typical late nineteenth-century water pump, of a standard design than is usually encountered throughout rural Westmeath. This particular example is very well-maintained. Water pumps played an important social role in the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries by providing a communal water source before the development of mains water supply. his cast-iron pump now serves as an attractive piece of street furniture, aesthetically enhancing the streetscape of Ballinalack.