Dotted along the sides of the Avoca Valley are the remains of a rich industrial legacy. Chimneys, ore bins, adits, and engine houses are all reminders of a mining boom from the 1800s-1900s that brought wealth and employment to this area.
You can take in the beauty of the Avoca Valley and this industrial legacy from the Miner’s Cross in the south. At Tigroney, the empty frames of the Williams and Baronet engine houses standout among the trees. Below these are two ore bins, recently restored by Wicklow Heritage Office and community groups. These are large metal containers which were used to hold the rock taken from the mines before sorting. Further up the slope behind them, an entrance to an adit can be seen. This is a horizontal tunnel cut into the rock to allow miners to access deeper workings and for water to drain out. Across the valley in Ballymurtagh Mine, the remains of Hodgson’s Tramway can be seen.
To the north, evidence of giant mining operations is obvious as the human built hill of Mount Platt rises above the landscape. The mouth of Cronebane Open Pit, worked in the 1970s, has been backfilled with spoil removed from other mines. Beyond this lie the remains of the Connorree mine. Little is left of the operations here, only a solitary chimney stack and footings for a ropeway.
Image: Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland [L_ROY_00599]