Silvermines
Encyclopedia
Silvermines, historically known as Bellagowan , is a village
in North Tipperary
in Ireland
. It lies immediately north of the Silvermine
mountain range and takes its name from the extensive mines of lead, zinc, copper, baryte and silver nearby. Towards the very south of the Silvermine Mountains is the highest peak in the mountains, Keeper Hill
or in Irish
Sliabh Cimeálta, which rises to 695m, dominating the area. Silvermines is located near the town
of Nenagh
on the R499
regional road
. It is a parish
in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe
and is also in the historical barony
of Ormond Upper
.
The earliest record of mining in the district is from 1289, but was short lived. Mining resumed in the 17th century and continued intermittently until 1874. It restarted in 1949, and shortly after a world-class deposit of baryte was found and opencast mining of this began in 1963 by Magcobar (Ireland) Ltd. Soon after a multi-million tonne orebody grading about 11% combined lead and zinc was also discovered. This was worked underground from 1968 to 1982 by Mogul of Ireland Ltd. The Magcobar mine closed in 1995, and its extensive spoil heaps are a prominent local landmark, visible for miles. The Mogul mine became famous for the many fine mineral specimens it produced, particularly of the ore minerals galena
and sphalerite
.
Recently, the area has come to media attention as the integrity of the village's water supply was threatened by pollution from the tailings
left behind at the mine.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in North Tipperary
North Tipperary
North Tipperary is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-West Region and is also located in the province of Munster. It is named after the town of Tipperary and consists of 48% of the land area of the traditional county of Tipperary. The county was established in 1898 and has had a county...
in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It lies immediately north of the Silvermine
Silvermine Mountains
The Silvermine Mountains are a mountain range situated in North Tipperary in Ireland...
mountain range and takes its name from the extensive mines of lead, zinc, copper, baryte and silver nearby. Towards the very south of the Silvermine Mountains is the highest peak in the mountains, Keeper Hill
Keeper Hill
Keeper Hill or Slievekimalta is a 694 m mountain in North Tipperary, Ireland.Keeper Hill is situated in the Slieve Felim mountain range in North Tipperary and is just 15km east of Limerick City. Keeper Hill is the highest mountain in the Shannon area and the 117th highest in Ireland. The ‘hill’...
or in Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
Sliabh Cimeálta, which rises to 695m, dominating the area. Silvermines is located near the town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
of Nenagh
Nenagh
Nenagh is the county town of North Tipperary in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of North Tipperary and in 2011 it had a recorded population of 7,995. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Ormond Lower...
on the R499
R499 road
The R499 road is a regional road in Ireland which runs southwest-northeast from the N7 7 km east of Birdhill, County Tipperary to the N7 in Toomevara, County TipperaryThe route is long.-References:* – Department of Transport...
regional road
Regional road
A regional road in Ireland is a class of road not forming a major route , but nevertheless forming a link in the national route network. There are over 11,600 kilometres of regional roads. Regional roads are numbered with three digit route numbers, prefixed by "R" A regional road in Ireland is a...
. It is a parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe
Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe
The Diocese of Killaloe is a Roman Catholic diocese in mid-western Ireland. It is one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel and is subject to the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. The diocese is in the secular province of the same name - Munster...
and is also in the historical barony
Barony (Ireland)
In Ireland, a barony is a historical subdivision of a county. They were created, like the counties, in the centuries after the Norman invasion, and were analogous to the hundreds into which the counties of England were divided. In early use they were also called cantreds...
of Ormond Upper
Ormond Upper
Ormond Upper is one of the baronies of Ireland, an historical geographical unit of land. Its chief town is Toomevara...
.
The earliest record of mining in the district is from 1289, but was short lived. Mining resumed in the 17th century and continued intermittently until 1874. It restarted in 1949, and shortly after a world-class deposit of baryte was found and opencast mining of this began in 1963 by Magcobar (Ireland) Ltd. Soon after a multi-million tonne orebody grading about 11% combined lead and zinc was also discovered. This was worked underground from 1968 to 1982 by Mogul of Ireland Ltd. The Magcobar mine closed in 1995, and its extensive spoil heaps are a prominent local landmark, visible for miles. The Mogul mine became famous for the many fine mineral specimens it produced, particularly of the ore minerals galena
Galena
Galena is the natural mineral form of lead sulfide. It is the most important lead ore mineral.Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system often showing octahedral forms...
and sphalerite
Sphalerite
Sphalerite is a mineral that is the chief ore of zinc. It consists largely of zinc sulfide in crystalline form but almost always contains variable iron. When iron content is high it is an opaque black variety, marmatite. It is usually found in association with galena, pyrite, and other sulfides...
.
Recently, the area has come to media attention as the integrity of the village's water supply was threatened by pollution from the tailings
Tailings
Tailings, also called mine dumps, slimes, tails, leach residue, or slickens, are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction of an ore...
left behind at the mine.
See also
- List of mountains in Ireland
- List of towns and villages in Ireland