One of Aran’s great natural assets is water, which since ancient times has been used by the Aran people as a source of energy.
The water came through a channel from the river to a small reservoir located across from the mill. The same water was also harnessed on its course by the public laundries and the saw mill, which were located near the mill.
Inside the mill, three handles allowed the gates to be lifted and the water to be channelled to the carcabà. This was the space under the mill, where there were three devices that drove the grinding stones. These devices were the bench, the cartridge, the shaft and the grinding stone. The cartridge was placed on the bench on the ground. With the shaft it was connected to the grinding stone. The water running through the channel pushed and turned the cartridge, along with the shaft and the grinding stone. This is what we know as the direct drive system.