Barytes Mining - North Sligo's Industrial Heritage

Mining has been an important part of the Glencarbury area of the Benbulbin mountain range for more than 100 years. Thanks to the dedicated research of Gerry Foley and the work of the Ballintrillick Environmental Group, much of this significant industrial heritage has been documented and preserved.

Over the generations, many local people worked underground, on the surface, and in the transport of barytes ore. As ownership changed, new mining and transportation methods were introduced, with the ore shipped mainly through Sligo Harbour and, for a short period, through Mullaghmore Harbour.

Today, the legacy of the Glencarbury mines remains an important part of North Sligo's social history and industrial heritage. Visitors can still see many of the physical remnants of this remarkable mining tradition, offering a fascinating insight into the lives, work, and ingenuity of the generations who shaped the area's rich mining past.


About the Speaker

Seamus Connolly was born and reared in Ballintrillick. He has a lifelong interest in local history. He has given talks on local historic sites over several years as part of Seachtain na Gaeilge. He is Secretary of the Grange Armada Development Association, a group dedicated to commemorating the tragic events of 1588 at Streedagh beach.