Tag Archives: allihies

North Engine

Monday 10/03/2014 Richie

North Engine, or going out to have a look for what is left of the North Engine. Had a talk with another Friend of Allihies Mines who was telling me that the North Engine just above the Man Engine was the first engine to have been built. I had seen a 1950’s photo of it and had no recollection of the building in my younger years as a visitor to Allihies. So I decided to go for a walk up to it to see what was left. When Deccie and myself got there of course I realised that I had seen it before. However seeing it now after seeing a photograph of it in the 1950’s added a bit of extra interest to it. The North engine was apparently only for pumping the water out of the mine. When the Man Engine was built it did a lot more. Lifting the ore, transporting the men etc.

Also got some extra views out to sea and over towards the Caminches and Coom mine sites too.

North Engine

The Man Engine, in the reservoir below is a horseshoe shaped wall to filter the water

North engine remains and the original open cast.

Man Engine looking out towards the Dursey Island in the distance

Looking towards Reentrisk, down by the sea the first mine Dooneen

Coom is the furthest away and Caminches engines

There is another report about mine stuff here, the port area (coast guard) down beyond Balydonegan beach.

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Allihies Mines

Allihies mine port

Saturday 08/03/2014 Richie

Allihies mine port, down beyond the strand at Balydonegan. On Anthony’s point is the remains of the coastguard buildings that I believe were installed to protect the interest of the copper mines. Where the ore was stored before being transported onto Dunboy castle and then Wales. Since the recent storms there has been some erosion and traces of walls and cobbled flooring is visible in a way that was not so evident before. Deccie and myself had a look around and took a few photos before continuing around the point for a walk. I did not photograph it, but have done so before (here), but on the actual strand the original pier is very visible. We wonder if it will last now that it has been uncovered of sand…

Allihies Mine Port

fam2 — Cobble stone layer which would have been the walking level before

fam7 — Walking out towards the sea, evidence of fixing

fam5 — hole boring, probably for wooden posts

fam12 — Anomalous stone group – On low mound in boggy ground overlooking sea. Group of nine partially embedded stones,…

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Allihies

Neil visits Balydonegan

Saturday 25/01/2014 Richie

Neil visits Balydonegan Strand on a wet and windy January day to try out his new video camera in the car thanks to “le Parrain” Jean-Luc Raffa. A nice windy walk along the beach was great for Butter our dog to get out of the house and have a run. The old copper mines pier is very visible after many years thanks to the big storm that we had earlier in the month, which created lots of damage throughout Ireland.