The Mourne Wall, which stretches for 22 miles across 15 peaks in isolated but stunningly beautiful surroundings, was an astonishing feat of engineering when it was built by skilled stonemasons almost a century ago.
Long sections of the listed monument, which marks the catchment boundary of the Ben Crom and Silent Valley reservoirs, had fallen into disrepair down the decades, until a huge restoration scheme costing £1.6m was commissioned by NI Water.
It proved spectacularly successful and has justifiably been named as project of the year at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Northern Ireland awards.
Members of the public, including the 100,000 hillwalkers who visit the Mournes annually, now need to play their part in ensuring that the wall is maintained in pristine condition for the benefit of generations to come.
