Cooragurteen Mine, Ballydehob, Mizen Peninsula, Cork County, Munster, Irelandi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Cooragurteen Mine | Mine (Inactive) |
| Ballydehob | - not defined - |
| Mizen Peninsula | Peninsula |
| Cork County | County |
| Munster | Province |
| Ireland | Country |
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Ballydehob | 271 (2017) | 0.7km |
| Schull | 658 (2013) | 7.2km |
| Durrus | 334 (2017) | 7.5km |
| Baltimore | 347 (2015) | 11.4km |
| Bantry | 3,348 (2013) | 13.1km |
Cooragurteen Mine is a copper trial in the townland of Cooragurteen, a short distance north-west of Ballydehob village, Mizen Peninsula, West Cork, on 6-inch sheet Cork 140; Griffith listed it in 1861 with Rossbrin, Ballydehob and Boleagh as one of the "Ballydehob Mines", and Cole in 1922 named it as the adjacent mine north-west of the Ballydehob mine.[1] The sett formed part of Lord Audley's estate and was valued for him in 1833 by Adam Murray, who saw "strong impregnations of green stone in every part of these lands" and supposed a small vein of copper in the higher ground; the estate sale particulars of the 1850s describe the sett as 291 acres immediately adjoining the Ballydehob mine, with lodes "not opened" but expected to continue from that mine.[2]
The Geological Survey's mine index carries it as "Cooragurteen Trial"; no output is recorded, and the only surface evidence is an "old copper mine" marked on the six-inch Ordnance Survey map with a single shaft on the bank of a stream, at ITM 498220 535826; the site is green field today with no obvious sign of mining beyond a very small mound of rock that is unlikely to be mine-related.[3]
Location and access
Murray placed the lands of Cooragurteen "distant half a mile from Ballydehob", adjoining Derryconnell, with "about twenty-four acres of tolerably good land (arable) to the north-west of the houses, the rest extending to the road leading to Scull ... rough, rugged, and rocky land, covered with short heath and furze"; the neighbouring lands of Cooraghteen, also in the parish of Skull, lay "down to the brook below the road to Ballydehob, and within a quarter of a mile of the village".[4] The Audley sale particulars give the Cooragurteen sett as 291 acres "immediately adjoining the Ballydehob mine, a short distance from the village of that name", with Derryconnell (535 acres) to the west and south and Gurteenroe (463 acres) between them, "although it is possible the lode coming into the last-mentioned sett from the Ballydehob mine may pass through it".[5] The Geological Survey's Cork 140 field mapping of 1932 by Duffy and the 1855 Griffith map mark the locality; the ground is private farmland with no published access arrangement; the shaft site is a green field with, at most, a very small mound of rock.[6][7]
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Geology and mineralisation
The sett lies on the Old Red Sandstone grits and slates of the Ballydehob anticline, immediately north-west of the Ballydehob mine, whose old lode of grey copper ("silver grey ore") ran east–west and lay with the country; the sale particulars describe the rock of the Ballydehob ground as "a blue slate standing on edge" that "does not hold much promise for mineral", and expected the same lodes to pass into Cooragurteen.[8] Murray in 1833 found "very strong appearance of green ore on the lands of Cooraghteen, Cooragurteen, and Derryconnell; but more especially near the chapel at Ballydehob", and separately "strong impregnations of green stone in every part of these lands, and I think there is a vein of copper running through the higher parts, but it is supposed the veins are small"; a small copper vein running west by south through Cooraghteen "was formerly wrought below the chapel, close to the road leading to Ballydehob, but the workings have been for several years abandoned ... never worked with any spirit".[9] No mineral species have been recorded from the trial itself; the green staining described by Murray is malachite.[10]
History
The Mining Company of Ireland's leases of 1825 covered the whole 10,000 acres of the Audley estate, including this sett, but the company's work was concentrated at Cappagh, Horse Island, Ballycummisk, Kilbronoge and Ballydehob.[11] Murray's valuation of 1833 is the first notice of copper on the lands; Griffith's map of 1855 and list of 1861 record Cooragurteen as a copper locality; Kinahan's memoir of 1861 speaks only of the proving of two lodes at Ballydehob; and the 1850s sale particulars offered the sett as unopened ground on the strike of the Ballydehob lode.[12] The Geological Survey's twentieth-century index records the site as a trial; no company, captain, tonnage or date of working has been found in the held sources.[13]
The sale particulars' description was first printed in the Mining Journal in May 1852, in the fourth of a series of notes on the Audley district: "Cooragurteen immediately adjoins the Ballydehob Mine, a short distance from the village of that name. The lodes on this property have not been opened upon, but from its proximity to the Ballydehob Mine, which latter has been worked to a profit, but at present idle, owing to some dispute, there can be no doubt but that the same lodes pass into it"; the Ballydehob ore, "a distinct property from the Audley estate", had sold at £6 a ton and "would have realised 25 per cent. more if properly dressed", Derryconnell to the west and south had no veins but "stones of a substance resembling manganese" in its bogs, and Gurteenroe nothing.[14]
In August 1867 the lands late the Audley estate, "with the mines and minerals and slate quarries" upon them, were advertised for sale in the Landed Estates Court in three successive issues, Cooragurteen being listed at 291 acres 1 rood 32 perches with a gross rent of about £87 a year.[15] In May 1880 William Thomas reported an east-west barytes lode on the Mount Gabriel range from which several cargoes had been raised and sold, the minerals of Mount Gabriel belonging to Mr J. H. Swanton, J.P., and wrote that "these lodes run through the townland of Cooragurteen and Gurteenroe east to the Ballydehob old copper mine", first opened and worked at a profit by Colonel Hall, whose ore was "rich silver grey, carbonate of copper"; Mr Franklin, solicitor, of Cork acted for the property, and Thomas expected "this belt of lodes when developed will no doubt make a valuable run of mines".[16]
Mining Journal references
The issues below are the only Mining Journal notices of Cooragurteen located in the Internet Archive run of the paper (collection pub_mining-journal, OCR text searched for Cooragurteen and Coorgurteen).
Mining Journal issues noticing Cooragurteen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Collecting and specimens
No specimens attributed to Cooragurteen are known in collections; the ground is private, and the locality is recorded for completeness of the Ballydehob group.[17]
References
1. Griffith, R. (1861) List of localities in Ireland where mines and metalliferous indications have been discovered, as reprinted in Jukes, J.B., Du Noyer, G.V., Willson, W.L., Wyley, A. & Kinahan, G.H. (1861) Explanations to accompany Sheets 200, 203, 204 and 205, and part of 199, of the maps of the Geological Survey of Ireland. Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Ireland, Dublin, p. 27; Cole, G.A.J. (1922) Memoir and Map of Localities of Minerals of Economic Importance and Metalliferous Mines in Ireland. Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Ireland, Dublin, Ballydehob entry (typed extract in the Geological Survey of Ireland mine-record files, GSI Goldmine record 9554308, Mine Reports, p. 28).
2. Murray, A. (1833) General report on the valuation of Lord Audley's estate, as printed in the Landed Estates Court sale particulars of the Audley estate (Geological Survey of Ireland mine-record files, GSI Goldmine record 9554308, Mine Reports, pp. 29 and 33).
3. Geological Survey of Ireland mine index, West Cork (GSI Goldmine record 9554308, Mine Reports, p. 1); earlier description of this locality on Mindat (field observations, pre-2026).
4. Murray, A. (1833) General report on the valuation of Lord Audley's estate, as printed in the Landed Estates Court sale particulars of the Audley estate (Geological Survey of Ireland mine-record files, GSI Goldmine record 9554308, Mine Reports), pp. 28–29.
5. Landed Estates Court (1852–55) Sale particulars of the estate of Lord Audley in the county of Cork, with the report on the mines (Geological Survey of Ireland mine-record files, GSI Goldmine record 9554308, Mine Reports), p. 33.
6. Earlier description of this locality on Mindat (field observations, pre-2026).
7. Cole, G.A.J. (1922) Memoir and Map of Localities of Minerals of Economic Importance and Metalliferous Mines in Ireland. Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Ireland, Dublin, Ballydehob entry (typed extract in the Geological Survey of Ireland mine-record files, GSI Goldmine record 9554308, Mine Reports, p. 28); Duffy, J. (1932) Mapping of mineralization and mines on O.S. Sheet Cork 140 (Geological Survey of Ireland mine-record files, GSI Goldmine record 24780830, Mine Maps).
8. Landed Estates Court (1852–55) Sale particulars of the estate of Lord Audley in the county of Cork, with the report on the mines (Geological Survey of Ireland mine-record files, GSI Goldmine record 9554308, Mine Reports), p. 33; Weaver, T. (1838) as cited in Cole, G.A.J. (1922) Memoir and Map of Localities of Minerals of Economic Importance and Metalliferous Mines in Ireland. Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Ireland, Dublin, Ballydehob entry (typed extract in the Geological Survey of Ireland mine-record files, GSI Goldmine record 9554308, Mine Reports, p. 28), p. 28.
9. Murray, A. (1833) General report on the valuation of Lord Audley's estate, as printed in the Landed Estates Court sale particulars of the Audley estate (Geological Survey of Ireland mine-record files, GSI Goldmine record 9554308, Mine Reports), pp. 28–29 and 95 of the GSI compilation.
10. Murray, A. (1833) General report on the valuation of Lord Audley's estate, as printed in the Landed Estates Court sale particulars of the Audley estate (Geological Survey of Ireland mine-record files, GSI Goldmine record 9554308, Mine Reports).
11. Cowman, D. & Reilly, T.A. (1988) The Abandoned Mines of West Carbery: Promoters, Adventurers and Miners. Geological Survey of Ireland, Dublin, p. 27.
12. Murray, A. (1833) General report on the valuation of Lord Audley's estate, as printed in the Landed Estates Court sale particulars of the Audley estate (Geological Survey of Ireland mine-record files, GSI Goldmine record 9554308, Mine Reports); Griffith, R. (1861) List of localities in Ireland where mines and metalliferous indications have been discovered, as reprinted in Jukes, J.B., Du Noyer, G.V., Willson, W.L., Wyley, A. & Kinahan, G.H. (1861) Explanations to accompany Sheets 200, 203, 204 and 205, and part of 199, of the maps of the Geological Survey of Ireland. Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Ireland, Dublin, p. 27; Cole, G.A.J. (1922) Memoir and Map of Localities of Minerals of Economic Importance and Metalliferous Mines in Ireland. Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Ireland, Dublin, Ballydehob entry (typed extract in the Geological Survey of Ireland mine-record files, GSI Goldmine record 9554308, Mine Reports, p. 28), p. 28; Landed Estates Court (1852–55) Sale particulars of the estate of Lord Audley in the county of Cork, with the report on the mines (Geological Survey of Ireland mine-record files, GSI Goldmine record 9554308, Mine Reports), p. 33.
13. Geological Survey of Ireland mine index, West Cork (Geological Survey of Ireland mine-record files, GSI Goldmine record 9554308, Mine Reports, p. 1).
14. The Mining Journal (London), 22 May 1852, Vol. 22 No. 874, Mining in Ireland No. IV, notes on the mines of the Audley district (Internet Archive item sim_mining-journal_1852-05-22_22_874).
15. The Mining Journal (London), 17, 24 and 31 August 1867, Vol. 37 Nos. 1669 to 1671, Landed Estates Court advertisement of the sale of the lands late the Audley estate with their mines, minerals and slate quarries (Internet Archive items sim_mining-journal_1867-08-17_37_1669, sim_mining-journal_1867-08-24_37_1670 and sim_mining-journal_1867-08-31_37_1671).
16. The Mining Journal (London), 29 May 1880, Vol. 50 No. supplement, Thomas, W., Short Notices on Irish Mines (Internet Archive item sim_mining-journal_1880-05-29_50_supplement).
17. Earlier description of this locality on Mindat (field observations, pre-2026); Natural History Museum, London, register of the Sir Arthur Russell mineral collection (BM 1964R series), Irish entries (no Cooragurteen entry).
List of minerals for each chemical element
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
- Rheno-Hercynian BeltOrogenic Belt
Cooragurteen Mine, Ballydehob, Mizen Peninsula, Cork County, Munster, Ireland