Allihies Copper Mine Tour

The remains of mine related buildings litter the Allihies landscape. The engine houses that tower over the landscape once housed giant steam engines that pumped water from the mines, drove winding gear and lowered the miners far below sea level. Discover disused mines, a gun powder house, dressing floors, man-made reservoirs and engine houses that tower over the landscape. During the tour, you are invited to imagine Allihies echoing with the sound of giant machinery crushing quartz rock to get at copper. Imagine walking through Pig Street, the walkway up to the mines that once housed hundreds of mining families. Imagine Berehaven Mine Company’s schooners leaving Beara loaded down with copper heading for the smelting houses of Swansea. Learn about mine owners, the Puxleys, and their mansion at Dunboy. Bear witness to the mining industry at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution that changed the Allihies landscape forever. Enjoy the views over the beach of Ballydonegan, formed by quartz particles washed down from the mines on the mountain above. The tour ends at what was once the Cornish Miners’ Methodist Church. Built in 1845, it now houses the Allihies Mine Museum.

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