WATER

Nowadays, we take a fresh water supply for granted. In every kitchen and bathroom in the countryside, water is available at the turn of a tap. Local councils provide mains water that is pumped through underground pipes along roads and into every house. In earlier times, however, mains water was not available. It was common knowledge that rivers and streams, that may contain human and animal waste, were unsafe to drink. People in the countryside and in towns and villages had to collect the water they needed in buckets from nearby wells or pumps.

A replica of the old pump in Markethill has been erected in the centre of town. It bears a plaque with the following information:

To mark the [Year 2000] millennium the Markethill Gardening Club decided to install a replica of the Old Pump which for many years was such an important feature of Markethill. Its main function was to provide cool clean drinking water, but it was also a meeting point where local gossip and stories were exchanged. The locals at the pump posted many a news bulletin before it reached the newspapers.

The pump was renowned for its inexhaustible supply of pure water, drawn from a deep well, its cold purity being unequalled anywhere, so that even on the hottest summer day the water from the old pump made your teeth chatter. One instance of note was that during the 1939-45 war when an army unit was residing in Gosford Forest Park they used their biggest pumps available and pumped for three days in an attempt to completely drain the well, but without success. The Army left and the Old Pump continued to provide water as clean and pure as when the Army began.

The Gardening Club convey their thanks to the Rural Development Council and the EU Peace Programme for grant assistance with the project.”