Company Begins Search for Gold in Wicklow and Wexford

There is rich potential for finding gold in parts of Wicklow and Wexford, according to a mining company that announced today it has started its search for the source of the 1796 gold rush, which took place in the region.

Connemara Mining Company Plc has joined up with a Canadian exploration firm, Hendrick Resources, to carry out an initial survey for gold.

The company is particularly interested in the area around the town of Avoca, Co Wicklow, which experienced a gold rush in the 1700s and 1800s. The source has never been found in the area and both companies have their sights set on locating it. They say the area is synonymous with the metal.

In the 1700s a large amount of gold was mined in the area. According to the company 7,000-9,000 ounces may have been taken out of the ground over a 40-year period. Other companies have carried out prospecting work in the area previously, but Connemara says the experience its exploration partner Hendrick Resources brings will introduce new approaches to locating the source.

The company has a Mine River licence block of five prospecting licences, which cover a 130-square-kilometre area, while its partner firm Hendrick has a block of eleven licences.

The aim of the survey is to find magnetic anomalies that are associated with gold mineralisation. Connemara says “abundant” float samples with gold have been found in the area.

Finds in the region were not confined to the 1700s and 1800s. This old footage from 1959 shows people walking along streets in small village of Ballycoogue near Avoca after gold was struck.

The Irish-based company’s main interests are in zinc and lead as well as gold.

In the 1980s the high price of gold led to an increase in exploration in Ireland, which resulted in 130 occurrences of the metal being identified.

The fall in prices in the 1990s meant many exploration companies left however the current global rise in prices has made it appealing once again.

What do you think? Will there be another gold rush in Wicklow?