Allihies Copper Mine Museum, Mining museum in Allihies, Ireland
The Allihies Copper Mine Museum occupies a restored Methodist church building and displays mining tools and rock samples from the local copper industry. The exhibits show how the operation worked and what miners extracted from underground.
Copper extraction started in the area in 1812 and rapidly grew to employ hundreds of workers throughout the 1800s. Operations gradually declined and finally ceased in 1962.
The museum tells the story of Cornish mining families who settled here and built their community together. Visitors can learn how these people eventually moved on to seek work in distant places when opportunities changed.
The building is easy to reach and offers services for families tracing their ancestry through the area. Plan to spend a couple of hours exploring the collections and speaking with staff who can share details about the exhibits and local history.
Six stone engine houses still stand scattered across the countryside around the museum, each one built to house the steam pumps that drew water from deep shafts. These structures remain intact and together tell the complete story of how the mining operation actually functioned day to day.
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