Mine — copper in Mountgabriel

Some 30m N of the Mount Gabriel-Rathcool boundary stream, c. 3m above another mine (CO139-049---). It is one of 31 copper mines belonging to Mount Gabriel Prehistoric mining complex (CO139-026001-). This large working was first recorded by Duffy (1929, unpublished field sheets, Geological Survey of Ireland), and Jackson (1968); it was drained and surveyed in 1970 (Deady and Doran 1972) and in 1984 (O'Brien 1994), but not excavated. It is a steeply inclined working driven 250° into the E-facing rock scarp. On inspection the mine was flooded, with a substantial rubble floor deposit containing stone mauls. After drainage the interior was accessible over c. 5.5m. The entrance (Wth 2.4m; H 3m) had a high rounded profile uncommon in Mount Gabriel mines, while from there the interior narrowed towards the backwall (Wth 1.75m; H < 1.5m). The hanging wall had a smooth profile with concave fire-set surfaces. Rock extract from this mine and (CO139-049---) was processed on a ledge below the workings; the spoil dump, covering c. 170 sq. metres (D 1-1.8m), was excavated in 1985 (Ibid., 75-116). S of the mound associated structures and activity areas were uncovered, including a water trough and a post-hole structure. Radiocarbon dating from roundwood fuel from this mine suggests it was in operation between 1680 and 1520 BC (O'Brien 1987, and 1994 304-7: mine 4). This is a National Monument in State Care. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 1: West Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1992) and William O’Brien’s monograph ‘Mount Gabriel, Bronze Age mining in Ireland’ (Galway: Galway University Press, 1994). Image attached: CO139-050----_01: Interior of mine (in O'Brien 1994, 306) Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009 Date of last revision: 01 August 2023 References: 1. Jackson, J.S. 1968 Bronze Age copper mines on Mount Gabriel, west County Cork, Ireland. Arch. Austriaca 43, 92-103. 2. Deady, J. and Doran, E. 1972 Prehistoric copper mines, Mount Gabriel, Co. Cork. Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society 77, 25-27. 3. O'Brien, W. 1987 Primitive copper mining in south-west Ireland, 3 vols. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis. University College, Cork. 4. O'Brien, W. 1994 Mount Gabriel: Bronze Age mining in Ireland. Galway University Press.