Ancient millwheel discovery near Creeslough
One of the old mill wheels laying in the bog.
A link to our local heritage was unearthed recently with the discovery of a number of partially completed millwheels.
The hand carved stone wheels were found in a bog land area near Creeslough by local hill walkers. This area was where the wheels would have been manufactured many years ago.
The important local history site is where skilled masons travelled to this area of flat faced granite rock slabs where they marked out the circle and painstakingly chiselled the rugged face until it revealed the wheel outline.
Some of the slabs discovered are still in this uncompleted state.
It shows the lengthy process it would have taken before the completed disc was separated from its parent rock and had a hole bore or chiselled in the middle.
The site also contains some examples where the carefully crafted rocks broke in half as the finishing touches were being applied to them, a source of frustration for the weary mason no doubt.
The historic wheels are set to feature in a new film on the Creeslough area outlining the role Muckish played in the production of optical glass over the last number of centuries.
‘Glass Mountain: The Story of Muckish Sand’ is currently in production and is due to have its official premier screening at the Creeslough August Fair weekend on August 11.
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Weather for Donegal
Wednesday 19 June 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 10 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 12 C to 18 C
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