Have you spotted the “The Mourne Hand” sculpture in Silent Valley Mountain Park?
The inspiration for this piece of art came from many sources.
The Mourne granite bowl and wedge (hand crafted by S McConnell & Sons Stone) represent the reservoir and the dam. The Binnian Tunnel is the 7 ft arch — the same size as the actual tunnel. The other ‘trumpet like’ forms announce the diversity of nature to be found around the Silent Valley, while the stalks are tributaries within the water catchment area. The Hand at the base is a reference to the men of Mourne that built the wall, dams and tunnel – whose children remember them having “broad shoulders and hands like shovels” – men of the land.
