water tower

Freestanding reinforced concrete water tower on cylindrical-plan, erected c. 1950, consisting of four-storey tower on cylindrical-plan supporting water holding tank over. Reinforced concrete walls with concrete string courses and flat cornice. Square-headed window openings with small pane glass blocks. Remains of multiple-bay single-storey building to south. Set back from road in own grounds, with rendered boundary walls with concrete coping to site. Located to the southeast end of Ballymahon.

The distinctive profile of this water tower makes it a distinctive landmark on the approach road to Ballymahon. Its candid use of unadorned unrendered reinforced concrete and its clear geometric silhouette are typical of mid-twentieth-century functional structures in Ireland. The seams where the curved precast concrete slabs have been joined provide textural and visual interest to the structure, as do the small windows with their textured glass blocks. This is a reminder of the technical developments in mid twentieth-century Ireland, which brought piped water to many communities. Of civil engineering interest on account of its intended function.