"The road downhill was the easy road and that was the road we took", from Sláinte Éire, favourite song of Denis O'Flynn.

Inishleena recreational area is an important part of life in Dripsey. Locals use the spot for walks as well as those who are not so local. I have passed the site on regular occasions on route to Dripsey over the past years and have found myself sitting on one of the picnic benches enjoying the sunshine or even the sunsets over the reservoir.

I have also stopped to see the freezing fog settle over the water and I have marvelled at how the whole feel of the place can change from one visit to the next. I'm also conscious of the history of the area, the hydro electric scheme, which we will exploring in detail in the next number of weeks. It's difficult to imagine a river lapping at the falt lawn of Inishleena House. It is difficult to imagine the reaction to the rising floodwater associated with the dam gates closing at Inniscarra Dam. The year 2008 is a very a different time, socially culturally and economically to 1956, the year which the flooding began. However, Inishleena abbey and the Fitzbibbon's House now lie beneath a great depth of water. The tree stumps and rubble now act as breakwater obstacles for the rise and fall of the lake levels.

However, there are positives and negatives to everything. The reservoir created by Inniscarra Dam brought new opportunities for recreational activities such as boating and ski-ing, the latter of which we have looked at already in the series. The Cork Boating Centre on Inniscarra Reservoir was established in 1966 by Corkman Denis O'Flynn. Denis lived at Ballyvolane House now the site of The Glen Club in Cork City. By trade he was a cattle exporter but had a large interest in boating. He was inspired by the boating in the lakes of Switzerland and applied to the ESB at Ardnacrusha for a boating licence for Inniscarra Reservoir. He proposed three sites. The first site was opposite Farran Woods, which he did not choose. He settled at Ballytrasna for a few weeks at a site adjoining John Lehane's Farm. He settled eventually at the third proposed site at Inishleena Abbey.

Seven clinker built boats (overlapping timbers design) were bought from Hickeys of Galway and one from Johnny Geary in Carrigtwohill. In the early days, ex army tents were used as accommodation, which were bought at Nortons on Lavitt's Quay. A club house was built as well as a timber jetty which extended out into the reservoir. In 1966, one could hire a boat at two shillings and six pence an hour. A boat and outboard engine cost five shillings an hour with petrol.