The Allihies Copper Mine Museum (ACMM) is a museum dedicated to the history of

copper mining Copper extraction refers to the methods used to obtain copper from its ores. The conversion of copper consists of a series of physical and electrochemical processes. Methods have evolved and vary with country depending on the ore source, loca ...

in the

Allihies Allihies (; ) is a townland in the civil parish of Kilnamanagh, in County Cork, Ireland. The townland of Allihies is located at the western tip of the Beara Peninsula. History of copper mining From the Bronze Age the area had been a site of co ...

area in

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It is situated on the

Wild Atlantic Way The Wild Atlantic Way ( ga, Slí an Atlantaigh Fhiáin) is a tourism trail on the west coast, and on parts of the north and south coasts, of Ireland. The 2,500 km (1,553 mile) driving route passes through nine counties and three provinces, s ...

History

The industrial mines in Allihies date back to 1812, when they were first opened by John Puxley. Mining activity reached its peak there in 1845, when the mines employed around 1600 people, after which the mines suffered with the local area during the

Famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, Demographic trap, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an Financial crisis, economic catastrophe or government policies. Th ...

. The mines were operational until 1962, when they were finally closed. Large

Cornish engine A Cornish engine is a type of steam engine developed in Cornwall, England, mainly for pumping water from a mine. It is a form of beam engine that uses steam at a higher pressure than the earlier Watt steam engine, engines designed by James Wat ...

houses were constructed around the mining site, ruins of which survive today. These were used to pump out water to allow for deeper mining, and to transport miners and equipment down shafts that went below sea level. The site still contains a number of engine houses, mining shafts and a church. These were constructed by and for the Cornish miners who were brought to the area in the 1800s to mine copper ore. Once the mine became unprofitable, many of the miners emigrated to

Butte, Montana Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the ...

. The museum is housed in a renovated

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

church dating from 1845. It was officially opened by President

Mary McAleese Mary Patricia McAleese ( ; ga, Máire Pádraigín Mhic Ghiolla Íosa; ; born 27 June 1951) is an Irish activist lawyer and former politician who served as the eighth president of Ireland from November 1997 to November 2011. She is an academic ...

on 13 September 2007, after ten years of work by the Allihies Mines Co-op, a group that was formed to preserve the history of the area and mining heritage, supported by the

Mining Heritage Trust of Ireland The Mining Heritage Trust of Ireland Ltd was a voluntary, not for profit organization to celebrate and promote awareness, appreciation and conservation of remains of what is arguably Ireland's oldest industry. This is an industry which commenced m ...

Exhibitions and tour

The exhibitions cover all aspects of the history of copper mining in the area, from prehistoric times all the way up to the nineteenth century and the Industrial Revolution. The displays also cover the local geology and the social history of the mining heritage. The collections contain examples of mining equipment and tools from the various eras of activity. The exhibition space is also used to display artworks, with local and International artists such as Charles Tyrrell, Cormac Boydell, Rachel Parry, Tim Goulding and Margaret Fischer Dukeman exhibiting there. The trust has begun work to extend tours into the mines and other areas, and started the restoration of Man Engine House.

References

External links

Discover Ireland
{{Museums and Galleries in Ireland Buildings and structures in County Cork Museums in County Cork History of County Cork Local museums in the Republic of Ireland Museums established in 2007 2007 establishments in Ireland