Luke Livingston Macassey


Luke Livingstone Macassey was an Irish civil engineer and barrister, notable for his contributions to public health by improving the water supply in the north of Ireland. In 1874 he was appointed consultant hydraulic engineer by the Belfast City and District Water Commissioners in which capacity he was instrumental in finding new sources of water for the expanding city of Belfast. He proposed the Silent Valley Reservoir project in the Mourne Mountains, the first phase of which was completed in 1901, though he died before work began on the reservoir itself.
He also was the first to propose a direct rail link connecting Scotland with Ireland.
Macassey is the subject of an Ulster History Circle blue plaque in Belfast.

Selected publications