County: Cork Site name: CARRIGACAT AND MILLEEN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 00E0257
Author: William O’Brien, Department of Archaeology, NUI Galway
Site type: Mine - copper
Period/Dating: Prehistoric (12700 BC-AD 400)
ITM: E 477958m, N 529809m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 51.507702, -9.758179
This sample excavation of a primitive copper mine took place in April 2000. This isolated mine working is located on the eastern side of a small valley crossing the Knockboy–Knocknamaddree mountain ridge, some 3km to the north-west of Goleen village. The site consists of a single mine opening at the base of a 4.5m-high vertical rock face. This opening is driven east-north-east for a distance of 3.45m, ranging in width from 1.6m to 1.73m at the entrance to 0.4–1.05m at the back wall, with a corresponding internal height variation of 3.4–1.1m. There is a low build-up of spoil outside the entrance, and stone hammers are exposed on the mine floor.
