BUILDING IRELAND

Building Ireland S3 Geographer Susan Hegarty deep inside Mountain Mine Allihies Copper Mines Image Name: Building Ireland S3 Geographer Susan Hegarty deep inside Mountain Mine Allihies Copper Mines
Building Ireland S3 Engineer Tim Joyce at Man Engine House Allihies Copper Mines Image Name: Building Ireland S3 Engineer Tim Joyce at Man Engine House Allihies Copper Mines
Building Ireland S3 Geographer Susan Hegarty at Mountain Mine Allihies Copper Mines 2 Image Name: Building Ireland S3 Geographer Susan Hegarty at Mountain Mine Allihies Copper Mines 2
Building Ireland S3 Geographer Mary Greene with Berehaven Copper Mines Cost Book Allihies Image Name: Building Ireland S3 Geographer Mary Greene with Berehaven Copper Mines Cost Book Allihies

Broadcast Details: Thursday 30th April, 8.00pm

In episode 3 of Building Ireland, Geographer Susan Hegarty is in one of the remotest parts of Ireland to rediscover the extensive copper mines of Allihies.

Episode 3 – Copper mining the Beara Peninsula

With our team of experts, Susan gets unique access to a subterranean world and overground explores the scale of industrial activity in a West Cork Valley.  At its peak, 1,600 miners dug for copper in the Berehaven Copper Mines on the Beara peninsula.  It was the largest copper deposit in Europe at the time and the introduction of steam engine technology increased productivity.  The iconic steam engine houses, now in ruins, once serviced a labyrinth of mineshafts below.