Evidence of the rich mining history of Glenmalure can be found in the remains left along the valley floor and sides. Once a valley buzzing with activity and noise, you would have heard the breaking of stone, the hum of machinery, and the shouts of workers and their families. The lively place Glenmalure once was is far from the quiet place it is today.
Copper mining in Glenmalure began around 1800. The mines were mainly productive from the 1840s to the 1860s, with several locations being worked. Before this, most activity only took place at Ballinafunshoge. At its peak, there were likely about a dozen structures including offices, mine buildings, and workers houses spread along the valley. Many were taken down over the years and the stone used for other purposes. The homes and offices of mining staff and their families are now gone from Ballinafunshoge and Baravore although the ruins of crusher houses, where stone was crushed, can be seen at Baravore. The stone wall across from the Ballinafunshoge spoil heap may have been a worker’s house.
Large white scars in the landscape point to where miners dug tunnels into the granite bedrock of the mountains, looking for ores. They used tools, like hammers, picks, and dynamite, to remove valuable ores, like copper, from the rock. Many of the spoil heaps, piles of mining waste, in this area have no plant or grass cover because the heavy metals from the mines continue to pollute the surrounding area.