Avoca Mines

Comments about this page

• My O’Toole ancestors were supposed to have been a mining family. My great grandfather Martin O’Toole (1869-1908)was born in Ballinvalley & immigrated to the US and was a gold miner in many of the Western States. Is there any references to individual miners in Wicklow history?

  By Kathy Egan (05/03/2023)

• A St Patrick’s Copper Mines Ltd view of the site prior to the installation of the lime silo at the Mill.

  By Stephen Young (26/11/2018)

• As a young engineer I was sent to review problems being experienced at the Arklow load out facility. Lorry unloading was slow, when copper concentrate was dumped into the hopper over the conveyor feeding the storage shed, the copper concentrate would not discharge correctly and often the conveyor would trip out on overload. It was found that on installation the hopper had been incorrectly assembled, there was a slight narrowing towards the discharge end instead of a slight widening. The copper concentrate was basically wedging rather than relieving as it tried to exit the hopper. It was like a crowd rushing a narrow doorway rather than a wide exit. The unit was simply modified, lorry turn round times were improved, there were fewer frayed nerves, less sweat and tears but possibly less trucking overtime.

  By Stephen Young (26/11/2018)

• Old flotation chemical drums were often used for building construction. Horizontally corrugated dry powder drums proved to be individual sheets of corrugated iron when “topped, tailed and flattened”.

  By Stephen Young (26/11/2018)

• The red material is burnt pyrite residue from the NET plant.

  By Stephen Young (26/11/2018)

• Red burnt pyrite residue from NET.

  By Stephen Young (26/11/2018)

• If I remember correctly the metallurgical consultant (with pipe) was Fred Byrne. Dave Crombie standing on the bottom step

  By Stephen Young (20/10/2018)

• This is Merrigan’s field in Ballymurtagh, the man facing towards the camera I think may be Mr. (David?) Crombie

  By Jim Kenny (19/10/2018)

• This looks like the chimney stack for the Cornish pumping engine at Twin Shafts,  Ballymurtagh.  Only the lower 2m of the chimney now remains.

  By Martin Critchley (18/04/2016)