Lost Mines

Here are two links that might help you. Also, if you call into Lynham's Hotel in Laragh, or the Glendalough Hotel, they should be able to give you directions. I think you can only access the mines on foot though.

http://www.glendalough.ie/heritage_of_glendalough.php or here http://www.glendaloughmines.com/contact_us.html

The 'lost mines of Wicklow' are actually about 120km away in North Tipperary. These are the lead/zinc/bartyes workings at Silvermines, which worked up until the mid-1980's. Most of the extant remains are either from the mid-C19th (engine houses, mine manager's building) or from the 1950's (underground workings). The Mining Heritage Trust of Ireland in conjunction with the Geological Survey of Ireland and North Tipp. County Council have just spent over €300,000 on conservation works on some of the C19th buildings from the InterReg3B Green Mines Project. <<snip>>

Martin Critchley
Chairperson, Mining Heritage Trust of Ireland

Looks brilliant. i'd love to visit these. Wish there was a list of unusual places like this around ireland.

Silverfish wrote: »

Wait so, is the one in the link the one Preusse said was in Glendalough, or are they actually in Tipperary?

There are a few disused remains of lead mines in that area, the most well known ones are those at the far end of the Upper Lake in Glendalough in the Glenealo Valley. There's certainly nothing even remotely like the photos in the link for the Tipperary mines, though.

All I can say (as an ardent hillwalker who's walked past/through them dozens of time) is that as far as the mines at the end of the Upper Lake in Glendalough go there's virtually nothing left apart from a few spoil heaps and just the outer shell of a few stone buildings, nothing worth 'exploring' really. One or two small rusty pieces of machinery remain too.
If you're lucky you might come across the ancestors of the goats that the miners kept for meat and milk that were released into the wild when the mines closed and have gone feral, but that's about all that remains.

There are also some remains on the road that leads from Glendalough up to the Wicklow Gap (that's the Glendasan Valley). If you're heading for Glendalough, just take the right fork in the road just before you get to the visitor's centre car park, signposted Wicklow Gap, and it's about 3km up the road on the left. Again, not much to see really, just a few ruined buildings. Interestingly, if you're ever bored enough to watch the film Reign of Fire (a post-apocalyptic film about dragons taking over the Earth!) you'll recognise the site as it was used as the main site for the film. They actually built a complete set there, and had to completely remove everything and 'restore' it to it's former state afterwards. The spoil heaps and the remains of some smaller buildings actually extend quite a way up the slopes of Camaderry to the south west.

Alun wrote: »

All I can say (as an ardent hillwalker who's walked past/through them dozens of time) is that as far as the mines at the end of the Upper Lake in Glendalough go there's virtually nothing left apart from a few spoil heaps and just the outer shell of a few stone buildings, nothing worth 'exploring' really. One or two small rusty pieces of machinery remain too.
If you're lucky you might come across the ancestors of the goats that the miners kept for meat and milk that were released into the wild when the mines closed and have gone feral, but that's about all that remains.

If you go up the hill to your right as you approach the miners village via the purple route from the carpark there is a mine entrance about half way up the slope apparently. You can see the track from the top of the Spink, Just after the trees finish and slag heaps begin there is a zigzag track up the valley side.

A tad off topic here but on abandoned Ireland there is also the Spirit house. http://www.abandonedireland.com/Spirit_House_1.html

Anyone know where this is, looks like a creepy place but would love to find some history about it.

From what I've heard he doesn't want to advertise the exact locations of these places so as not attract any unwanted attention to them, ie. people might wreck them

Found this website online, http://www.abandonedireland.com/LostMines_3.html
and would love to go out and go on an adventure. So anyone know here it is??????

Can you Share It's location?
Im looking to do a photo shoot in the next month and cant seem to locate it online. i have no intentions to disturb the place but the backdrop is exactly what im looking for.