Curraghinalt Gold Mine

Overview

A high-grade vein gold deposit in the Sperrin Mountains near Greencastle, County Tyrone, found in 1983 by following a soil arsenic anomaly. An exploration adit was driven into it in 1987-89 and extended by Dalradian from 2015, giving almost two kilometres of tunnels, but no commercial mine has been built. Dalradian's 2017 application for a full underground mine drew more than 50,000 objections, and the public inquiry into it was still running in 2026.

History

Gold was known in the Sperrins long before anyone mined it: Gerald Boate recorded alluvial gold in the Moyola River in 1652, but Northern Ireland had no historical gold workings and was not explored for gold until the early 1980s. Ulster Base Metals, later Ulster Minerals and a subsidiary of Ennex International, took the ground in 1981, and in 1983 prospecting around a shallow soil arsenic anomaly found gold-bearing veins at Curraghinalt Burn, about 5 km east of Gortin. Ennex trenched and drilled the deposit, and between August 1987 and March 1989 drove a 412-metre adit with 325 metres of drifts and 60 metres of raises to sample it underground. It drilled again in 1995-97. Ennex sold Ulster Minerals in 2000 to Nickelodeon, soon renamed Strongbow; Tournigan Gold took an option in 2003, bought the company outright in 2004 and set up Dalradian Gold Ltd to hold the licences. Dalradian Resources bought Dalradian Gold in October 2009 and drilled some 50,000 metres more. Its 2013 application to go underground to take a bulk sample was followed by construction of a water treatment plant, offices and workshops at the portal in 2015, and by 989 metres of new tunnelling in 2015-16, bringing the total to 1,785 metres. From 2016 it ran public tours of the tunnels. A 2018 technical report put the measured and indicated resource at 6.3 million tonnes at 15 g/t, about 3.06 million ounces, with a similar inferred amount. In 2017 Dalradian applied to build a full underground mine near Greencastle. The application drew more than 50,000 objections, among the most contentious planning cases in Ireland; the Save Our Sperrins campaign has kept a protest caravan, the Greencastle People's Office, at the site for nearly 3,000 days. Dalradian dropped cyanide processing from the plans in 2019. The Planning Appeals Commission inquiry opened in January 2025 but was suspended because the Irish government had not been notified of cross-border effects; it reconvened in Omagh on 13 April 2026 under commissioner Jacqueline McParland. Dalradian, now owned by Orion Resource Partners, says it has invested about €346 million and that the mine would create 350 direct jobs.

Geology

A swarm of WNW-trending, north-east-dipping quartz-carbonate veins, a few millimetres to 3 metres wide, in Dalradian pelites, semi-pelites and psammites above a ramp in the footwall of the Omagh Thrust Fault. Gold occurs as electrum, in the telluride hessite and in pyrite, with arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, galena and sphalerite; it was introduced in two phases, one about 90% gold and a later, brine-related one about 80%.

Geological setting: Veins and Lodes (well documented example)

Workings

An exploration adit driven by Ennex in 1987-89 (412 m of adit, 325 m of drifts, 60 m of raises) and extended by Dalradian in 2015-16 to about 1,785 m of drifts, cross-cuts, raises, drilling chambers and safety bays, entered on the level, with a portal, water treatment plant, offices and workshops on the surface.

Closure

No commercial mining has taken place. The exploration tunnels were extended in 2015-16, and the 2017 application for a full underground mine was before a Planning Appeals Commission public inquiry in 2026, which reports to the Infrastructure Minister.

What remains

Exploration site with a portal, water treatment facility and tunnels that Dalradian used for public tours from 2016; the application for a full mine was still undecided in 2026.

Portal, water treatment plant with settling pond, offices, workshops and a temporary rock storage area (built 2015).

Redevelopment

A full underground mine and processing site is proposed; the planning decision rests with the Department for Infrastructure after the inquiry.

Related mines

• Cavanacaw Gold Mine — The two main gold deposits in the Dalradian of County Tyrone, both found by 1980s exploration.

People

• Gerald Boate · author, 1652 — Recorded alluvial gold in the Moyola River in 1652, the earliest historical reference to gold in Northern Ireland.
• Brian Kelly · manager, from 2014 — Managing director of Dalradian Gold Ltd, giving evidence to the Assembly's Environment Committee in 2014.
• Jacqueline McParland · official, 2026 — Planning Appeals Commission commissioner leading the reconvened inquiry into the mine in 2026.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• Dalradian's managing director told the Assembly in 2014 that Ulster Minerals began working at Curraghinalt around 1982. (uncertain) ³
• Dalradian says it has invested about €346 million and the mine would create 350 direct jobs; at the April 2026 hearing it claimed 1,000 jobs and £5 billion for the local economy. (disputed) ^5,6

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• The multi-vein deposit about 5 km east of Gortin was discovered in 1983 by prospecting around a shallow soil arsenic anomaly. ¹
• There were no gold workings in Northern Ireland in historical times, and gold was not explored for until the early 1980s. ¹
• Ulster Base Metals (later Ulster Minerals, an Ennex subsidiary) acquired the property in 1981; Ennex explored it 1982-1999. ²
• Dalradian's managing director told the Assembly in 2014 that Ulster Minerals began working at Curraghinalt around 1982. (uncertain) ³
• Between August 1987 and March 1989 Ennex developed a 412 m adit, 325 m of lateral drifting and 60 m of raising, with 26 underground boreholes. ²
• Dalradian completed about 989 m of underground development in 2015-16, bringing the total with the Ennex tunnels to 1,785 m. ²
• Almost two kilometres of exploration tunnels exist, just under half pre-dating Dalradian; they enter the hillside on the level. ⁴
• Tournigan Gold took an option in 2003 and bought Ulster Minerals in 2004; Dalradian acquired Dalradian Gold Ltd from Tournigan in October 2009. ²
• SRK's May 2018 statement gave 6.343 Mt at 15.01 g/t (3.061 Moz) measured and indicated and 7.722 Mt at 12.24 g/t (3.038 Moz) inferred. ²
• BGS Earthwise quotes an earlier resource of 470,000 t at 17 g/t Au. ¹
• The 2017 application for an underground mine near Greencastle drew more than 50,000 objections; Dalradian removed cyanide processing in 2019. ⁵
• The Planning Appeals Commission inquiry opened in January 2025, was suspended over cross-border notification, and reconvened in Omagh on 13 April 2026. ^5,6
• Dalradian says it has invested about €346 million and the mine would create 350 direct jobs; at the April 2026 hearing it claimed 1,000 jobs and £5 billion for the local economy. (disputed) ^5,6
• Gold occurs as electrum, in hessite and in pyrite; Q2-phase gold is about 90% Au and Q4-phase gold about 80% Au. ¹

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Precious metals (gold and silver), mineral resources, Northern Ireland — British Geological Survey / Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (Earthwise)
2. (primary) Technical Report for the Curraghinalt Gold Project, Northern Ireland (SRK Consulting, June 2018) — Dalradian Resources / SRK Consulting (Canada)
3. (primary) Committee for the Environment: Dalradian Resources, 9 October 2014 — Northern Ireland Assembly Official Report (Hansard)
4. (observational) Going underground with Dalradian — Fermanagh Herald (sponsored content by Dalradian), August 2019
5. (secondary) Reconvened inquiry into Sperrin Mountains gold-mining plan looks to decide 17-year battle — The Irish Times (Shauna Corr), 2 April 2026
6. (secondary) 'No toxic mining': Public inquiry into controversial Tyrone gold mine reconvenes — The Irish Times / PA, 13 April 2026

Record created: 17 September 2026 · Last researched: 17 September 2026