GLENIFF BARYTES MINES
BY: EIMEAR COYLE
HE HISTORY OF THE MINES
- The first recorded mining operation was in 1858
- Sir Henry Gore Booth of Lissadell Co Sligo became involved in the mining of Barytes in 1880.
- He went into Business with George Tottenham and called the business “Glenniff Barytes Company”
- The company ceased operations in 1922.
- The mines had underground tunnels and shafts to move the Ore
- They used dynamite to blast the mines
ALL ABOUT ORE
Ore was mined here.
- Ore is a natural mineral.
- It was used in products like paint, plastics and pottery.
- It is a heavy mineral and used in the oil industry.
- This is the cross that was put up to protect the miners.
SURROUNDING AREA
- The mines can be found in the horse shoe mountain range beside Ballintrillick
- It is close to the Ballintrillick Mill
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The powder was then put into barrels and transported to other countries from Mullaghmore and Sligo port.
The powder was used to make paints, plastic and pottery. Baryte is also used in medicine to help with x-rays.
The mill was burnt to the shell in the 1920’s. Today the mill is a tourist attraction and it has a charming forest walk.
J. Coyle 2017
BARYTES MINES
1. The mines are on top of Benbulben
2. The mines opened in 1858 and closed in 1979
3. Barytes was used for making paint and on oil drilling rigs.
4. Lots of people worked on the mine from Grange
5. One local man was killed there in 1947
6. To get the barytes down the mountain they used a cable system like a cable car.
7. The barytes was shipped around the world from Mullaghmore.
8. They even had their own railway system for moving the Barytes around the mine.
9. Sir Henry Gore Booth who lived in Lisadell House owned the mines.
10. The reason the mines closed was it was too expensive to remove the barytes that was left in the mountian.
Last changed: Jun 23 2021 at 5:20 PM
