Ireland may not be well known for mining precious metals but Irish gold mining history dates back for centuries and there’s still lots of gold to discover.
In 2018, a huge discovery of gold worth €546million was found near the village of Clontribet in County Monaghan by a mining company, Conroy Gold and Natural Resources.
Gold has also been found at a number of locations in County Wicklow and County Tyrone and old Irish place names with ‘ór’ in them, meaning gold, could be clues to some ancient sources of gold.
READ MORE: Irish people with these surnames could be heirs to fortunes
So where are Ireland’s hidden ‘gold mines’ and is there one in your county?
Goldmines River, County Wicklow
The Great Wicklow Gold Rush took place for about six weeks in September 1795 when word got out that there was gold to be found in sand and gravel of the Goldmines River near Woodenbridge.
Hundreds of local men, women and children came with household equipment to dig and sieve for gold and a huge amount of gold was discovered.
It is estimated that up to 2,666 ounces or £10,000 pounds worth of gold was collected and sold - which would be worth over €4million in today’s value.
A recent geological survey of Ireland revealed that there are still high levels of gold in streams near the Goldmines River and Avoca regions of Wicklow.
Sperrin Mountains, County Tyrone
One of the world’s biggest unexcavated gold deposits worth an estimated £3billion is believed to be located in the Sperrin mountains of County Tyrone.
Canadian company Dalradian Gold have been carrying out exploratory work in the area since 2009 under prospecting licences and have discovered that the area of Curraghinalt contains over six million ounces of gold.
However, Dalradian Gold is still seeking planning permission for its mine and the project has been met with much local opposition. Over 40,000 representations have been submitted to a public inquiry on the mine proposal, with the vast majority of them objections.
The ‘Gold Coast’, County Waterford
The areas of Dungarvan and Stradbally in Co Waterford is known locally as The ‘Gold Coast’ and it has earned that name for a reason.
High gold values were identified in streams by experts using modern technology in 2016. The gold is thought to be sourced from 450m-year-old volcanic rocks in the area.
Coomanore and Glenanore, County Cork
Glenanore in north east Co Cork translates to 'Glen of Gold' and has naturally attracted prospectors seeking their fortunes.
Coomanore in the west of the county between Bantry and Dunmanway translates to 'Hollow of the Gold' and is also thought to hold hidden gold treasures.
Slieveanore, County Clare
Slieveanore roughly translates from Irish to 'Mountain of Gold' and was named after an abundance of gold once found in the area.
However, it is not certain if any gold remains hidden in this small townland near Feakle in Co Clare.
Luganore, County Tipperary
This area in Clonmel, Co Tipperary is also known as the 'Hollow of the Gold' and has been a popular destination for prospectors over the years.
Any mining activity in Ireland requires a licence from the State, but "recreational" panning is allowed.
Gold is currently valued at around €1,752 an ounce however, recreational gold prospectors are warned that all gold found in Ireland is considered the property of the state and any discoveries of over 20 flakes of gold must be reported.
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