Allihies Copper Mine Museum facts for kids
| Musaem Mianaigh Umha na nAilichí | |
Engine House
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| Established | 2007 |
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| Location | Allihies, County Cork, Ireland |
| Type | Copper mining museum |
The Allihies Copper Mine Museum (ACMM) is a cool place in Allihies, County Cork, Ireland. It's a museum all about the history of copper mining in that area. You can find it along the famous Wild Atlantic Way!
Contents
A Look Back: The Mines' Story
The copper mines in Allihies started way back in 1812. A person named John Puxley opened them. The mines were busiest around 1845. About 1,600 people worked there then! After that, the mines and the local area faced tough times during the Famine. The mines kept working until 1962, when they finally closed down.
What Were Engine Houses For?
You can still see the ruins of large Cornish engine houses around the old mining site. These big buildings held powerful steam engines. The engines were used to pump water out of the mines. This allowed miners to dig deeper, even below sea level! They also helped move miners and equipment up and down the mine shafts.
Who Were the Cornish Miners?
Many of the miners who came to Allihies in the 1800s were from Cornwall in England. They were skilled at mining copper ore. When the mines here stopped making money, many of these miners moved far away. Some even went all the way to Butte, Montana in the United States!
The Museum's Home
The museum itself is in an old Methodist church. This church was built in 1845. It took ten years of hard work to get the museum ready! The Allihies Mines Co-op, a group formed to save the area's history, helped make it happen. The President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, officially opened the museum on September 13, 2007.
What You Can See at the Museum
The museum has lots of exhibits about copper mining. You can learn about mining from ancient times up to the 1800s. They also show how the local land was formed (geology). You can also discover what life was like for the mining families.
Mining Tools and Art
The museum has real mining tools and equipment from different time periods. Besides history, the museum also displays art! Local and international artists show their work there. Some of these artists include Charles Tyrrell, Cormac Boydell, Rachel Parry, Tim Goulding, and Margaret Fischer Dukeman.
Future Plans for Tours
The museum group is working to offer tours inside the old mines. They are also restoring the Man Engine House. This will let visitors see even more of the mining history up close!
