Scart Barytes Mines This mine supplied the paint factory of Mr. Harris of Donemark, Bantry in 1886. The transport of the barytes gave much employment and many horses and carts were hired.. The ground barytes was bagged and exported in loads of 200­300 tons for porcelain manufacture. The paint was made also of umber which had been fired in a furnace. It might be noted that when the railway to Bantry was under construction in 1880 evidence of an old lead mine with traces of silver was discovered when making the cuttings at Scart. Dereenlomane Barytes Mine

The townland of Dereenlomane was part of the Western Bandon Estate.This estate was

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assembled by purchase by the Bernards of Bandon (Later Earls of Bandon) from the late 17th century. In the Famine Lord Bandon was involved in wholesale clearances of the 1

townland.

Letter 3rd December 1862 from Charles Thomas, Ardmana House, Schull, West Cork, 2

Manager, confirming mine operational and profitable employing 100 men.

1 Rev.Patrick Hickey, Famine in West Cork. 2 West Carbery Eagle.

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March 1863, Charles Thomas has chartered Schooner from Drogheda ‘Monkey’ Captain David Carroll to take 130 tons of Sulphate of Barytes from The Earl of Bandon’s Mine at Derrynalomane from Ballydehob to Liverpool.

Installation of Steam Engine on Lord Bandon's Barytes Mines (Dereenlomane),1867, and 3

local Road Damage. At the time roads were maintained on contract for a period usual three years approved by the Grand Jury at presentments. At one of these the Rev. Pratt, the local Church of Ireland Minister, pointed out the the road between Durrus and the Mines was in a dreadful state due to the operation of the mines. He felt it unfair that the local population should bear the cost of rehabilitation.

3 Skibbereen Eagle, March 9th 1867.

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Lord Bandon Inspected the Barytes Mines, Dereenlomane, Ballydehob, on his Property on 4

August 1868. He had been staying at Durrus Court, Carrigbue where the High Sheriff and

4 Skibbereen Eagle.

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his sister Lady Mary Aldworth were residing.

This was originally worked as a copper mine by the Rev. Traill of Schull, assisted by Captain William Thomas in 1840 and they sold 19 tons of copper. They discovered barytes or barium sulphate, a heavy white mineral, used for paint, papermaking for which in the 1850s there was a limited market. An early use was by Josiah Wedgwood in the making of pottery. In 1863 Captain Thomas was chartering boats c 160 tons and shipping the barytes to Messrs Martyn Dennis Liverpool and around 150 people were employed. That year there was a serious flood which resulted in the mine being non operational for a period . In 1867 the 5

mine at what was described as Cahirolickaney Mountain was inaccessible and Captain Thomas built a road from the mine to the Dunbeacon Road nearly a mile long in three weeks. It was marked by a celebration with ‘creature comforts’ in abundance, followed by a dance. Before the road was built the farmers had to carry sea sand and manure along the line of the rocky bed of a river and scramble up the mountain as best they could with back load on horses, men and women. The road was called Wilson’s after one of the promoters by Father O’Regan . There were quite a number of fatalities in the operation of the mine which were 6

mentioned in the local press. In 1851, 2,500 tons

were raised compared to only 800 tons in three other centres in the former United Kingdom. The material was washed, dried, crushed and milled. It was then produced as barytes flour; this was packed into bags and sent to an island jetty in Dunmanus Bay by an aerial ropeway 1.23 miles long. From 1909, the boats carried coal to Dunbeacon and left with barytes. During the War men dived there looking for remnants of coal. Prior to that the ore went by horse and cart to Schull pier. The mine also produced a small tonnage of copper (bornite) and approx 22,000 tons of fine barytes. It was worked by a Liverpool Company controlled by the Roe Brothers; one of the assistant Managers was Mr. Barton. The mine used to be all lit up at night and it looked like a city. At its height up to 500 were employed, supervised by Welsh miners. The numbers employed in 1915 were 150 described as highly paid. Among those 7

who worked there were the father and uncles of Danno Mahony of nearby Derreenlomane the World Wrestling Champion. Bells rang to call the labourers to work in the morning. A report in 1923 described the treatment of the ore as ‘washing, drying, in a revolving furnace, crushing, rolling between steel rollers and milling’. In 1917 a major fire caused extensive damage, including the underground workings. Although repairs were carried out, the mine never recovered its former level of activity. In 1922 the then Department of Agriculture and 8

5 There had been a suggestion in 1862 that the mine was not operating and Captain Thomas, of Ardmana House, Schull wrote on the 3rd December 1862 that it was operational and paying well, with 100 employed, Skibbereen Eagle and County Advertiser 3 Dec 1862. 6 SE 6 July 1867 7 Southern Star, the machinery was described as modern and up to date.

8Grenville A.J. Cole, 1922 Memoir’ he regarded it as the first in Ireland and one of the earliest in the world. Map re minerals reprinted 1998 Survey of Ireland, Mineral Resources, p.20, 25.

The companies listed as having worked the mine were, Marty Dennis and Co., British Barytes Co., Durrus Barytes Co., Mount Gabriel Barytes and Umber Co., Irish Barytes and Umber Co., Dereenlomane Barytes Mines Ltd., Dunmanus Barytes Mines Ltd., Cowman and Reilly, the Geological Survey of Ireland, The Abandoned Mines of West Carbery. Dereenalomane Barytes & Copper Mine, Co.Cork (OS 095038) This is 4 miles north­west of Ballydehob, on the south side of Mount Corrin, County Cork. On the site there are remains of a crushing mill, grinding mill, shafts and stopes but most of the site has been bulldozed and is much overgrown. The shaft to the west is filled with burnt household rubbish and the shaft and open stope (a ledge in

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Technical Instruction reviewed the recent history of the mine and commented on it being burnt down in July 1920. Mr Lynburn of the Department expressed a hope that in time with a more relaxed regime re explosives it might re open . 9

A line of timber pylons ran from the mine site down the steep hillside all the way to Dunmanus Bay. The pylons, anchored to triangular concrete­and­stone foundations, supported a continuous aerial rope and a number of cable cars. The system was powered by a gas engine. The foundations are all still in situ and can be followed to the sea. The ships which carried away the ore landed coal and during the War people dived in the area seeking lumps of coal.

Five hundred men had worked at the mine between 1917­18. Mine water was pumped by a ‘balanced bob’ with the engine house being sited over the main shaft. The gas engine house was located adjacent to the pump house. The mining company entrusted the job of making ore­bearing cable­cars to a local carpenter cum pit­sawyer named Willie Coakley. He seems to have played a considerable role in erecting the aerial ropeway system and in weaving wicker cable­cars to transport ore from mine to sea.

On the first trial of the aerial ropeway, a number of baskets were laden with barytes and sent down the steep hill to their destination, a pier at Dunmanus Bay. From there it was exported to Liverpool, London or Glasgow. However, on releasing the baskets it was discovered that the braking mechanism on the aerial ropeway had failed. On reaching journey’s end, the run­away cable­cars demolished a portion of the aerial rope and caused extensive damage to the system, presumably several pylons were torn from their foundations.

A local wit composed a poem to commemorate the event – the poem was titled ‘Willie Coakley’s Apparatus’ One line of the poem describes the wicker basket in euphemism as ‘a donkey who would never have a foal’ 10

Boats landed at a pier of which a buoy still survives. The Atridge, Shannon and Hegarty families from Rossmore across the Bay jointly owned a fishing boat. They would regularly cross to trade potatoes, vegetables and meat for tobacco and brandy. The Captain was Captain was generally Captain Bousy and afterwards the Attridges were known as the Bousys. It was the custom for the miners to play football at a field near the mine every Saturday afternoon. In the records of Carrigbui (Durrus) schools there are frequent reference to the parents of the children being miners and often coming in from outside areas often abandoning earlier occupations.

which ore is extracted) to the east are water filled. There are no adits. The mine was worked intermittently from 1820­ 1920, producing a small tonnage of copper (bornite) and approximately 22,000 tons of fine barytes. See Cole's Memoir pages 20, 55. 9 National Archive AGF 92/2/1862, the Company's registered office is given as Dunmanus Bay Barytes Mine Co., 24 Finsbury Square, EC 2 and it had been under the control of the Home Office where a closure plan was deposited in 1921, the Statutory Mining Engineers were based in Manchester. 10Mining Trust of Ireland Newsletter, no 34, 2007 article by Paddy O’Sullivan

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When the mines closed many of the men went to South Wales to work in the coal mine 11

sother to mines in the USA. At the Dunbeacon side there was an area of houses now derelict which in the early 20th century was a hive of activity and centre of music and dancing known as the 'Station Heights'. Many of the families were associated with the mines.

In time the developed mine would the, if not, then one of the largest in the world. A specially constructed jetty in Dunmanus Bay was fed by an Aerial Ropeway. The mine closed in 1920 due to a combination of post World War 1 depression and the effect of the Troubles locally. In its prime around 1910 it employed over 150 men in well paid jobs. The school register of Carrigboy (Durrus) reflects this in the father’s occupations.

When the mines closed many of the miners went to the coal mines of South Wales or to the USA. One of them was Denis John L O'Sullivan, his father originally from Kilcrohane ran a pub in Durrus, who went to the USA and returned. He had a pub in Durrus Village which is still run by his son Danny.

Kevin Daly December 6, 2011 at 8:57 pm

11 Seosamh Ó Drisceóil, (Joe O’Driscoll) from Dunbeacon worked as a national Teacher in Dun Laoghaire and died in his 90s in 2015. He said his father had worked in the mines, on closure, went to South Wales and when he had enough saved returned home to buy a farm.

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My paternal grandfather, Cornelius Leo Daly worked at this mine up until it was ultimately consumed by fire. The Daly family lived in the Station Heights, a series of attached houses just to the west of the foot of the Mine road where it intersects Dunbeacon Road at Dunmannus Bay. There was little work to be had after the fire and my grandfather eventually immigrated to Boston, Massachusetts to find work and support his wife and four children back home in Ireland. My late father, Cornelius Patrick Daly was just shy of five years old when his father left in 1925 and he often told the story of watching his father leaving in a cart being pulled by a black horse headed off to Cobh and America. Sadly his father died around 1930 as the result of injuries he sustained in an automobile accident. He’s buried in West Roxbury, Massachusetts. These were very hard times for the family back home but they managed with hard work and the generosity of others. Until the day he passed my father considered himself a proud American but always an Irishman first. His and his siblings optimism though the hardest of times inspires me each day. God bless the people of Ireland. There are none finer. Tom Coughlan January 25, 2016 at 1:26 am I grew up in Station Heights and recall; your uncle Corney & Aunt Marie (A) either living or (B) visiting when I was a wee lad! 1896, There were four such Barytes mines in the West Cork area. In 1896, barytes mines in Co. Cork, worked under the Metalliferous Mines Regulation Act, included (1) Deriganagh, an abandoned mine owned by Peter Brown of Colomane, Bantry; (2) Duneen Bay Mine in or near near Clonakilty, and (3) Dereenalomane Mine in or near Bantry, both owned by J. Cameron Swan and Co., Newcastle­on­Tyne, England; and (4) Mount Gabriel in Schull. (Duneen Bay Mines, near Clonakilty, employed 19 workers underground and 47 on the surface. Dereenalomane, worked intermittently from 1820­1920, was four miles northwest of Ballydehob, on the south side of Mount Corrin. The mine produced a small tonnage of copper and approximately 22,000 tons of fine barytes. At one time, although most of the site had been bulldozed, there were still remains of a crushing mill, grinding mill, shafts and stopes). In 1918 all four mills were still listed, the first one now called Cookson Byrites Company Ltd. (20 workers below and 16 above); the 2nd one now also called Cookson Byrites Company Ltd. with 9 workers below and 42 workers above; and the third one now called Dunmanus Bay Barytes Mines Company Ltd (22 workers below and 54 workers above).The mine in Schull (Skeagh) was now called Scarthe & Davis and employed four workers below and six above.

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What is Barite? Barite is a mineral composed of barium sulfate (BaSO4). It receives its name from the Greek word "barys" which means "heavy." This name is in response to barite's high specific gravity of 4.5, which is exceptional for a nonmetallic mineral. The high specific gravity of barite makes it suitable for a wide range of industrial, medical, and manufacturing uses. Barite also serves as the principal ore of barium.

Barite Rose: This "barite rose" is a cluster of bladed barite crystals that have grown in sand, incorporating many of the sand grains within each crystal. Specimen and photo by Arkenstone / www.iRocks.com.

Barite Occurrence Barite often occurs as concretions and void­filling crystals in sediments and sedimentary rocks. It is especially common as concretions and vein fillings in limestone and dolostone. Where these carbonate rock units have been heavily weathered, large accumulations of barite are sometimes found at the soil­bedrock contact. Many of the commercial barite mines produce from these residual deposits.

Barite is also found as concretions in sand and sandstone. These concretions grow as barite crystallizes within the interstitial spaces between sand grains. Sometimes crystals of

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barite grow into interesting shapes within the sand. These structures are known as "barite roses" (see photo). They can be up to several inches in length and incorporate large numbers of sand grains. Occasionally barite is so abundant in a sandstone that it serves as the "cement" for the rock.

Barite is also a common mineral in hydrothermal veins and is a gangue mineral associated with sulfide ore veins. It is found in association with ores of antimony, cobalt, copper, lead, manganese, and silver. In a few locations barite is deposited as a sinter at hot springs.

Physical Properties of Barite

Chemical Classification

Sulfate

Color Colorless, white, light blue, light yellow, light red, light green

Streak White

Luster Vitreous to pearly

Diaphaneity Transparent to translucent

Cleavage Very good, basal, prismatic

Mohs Hardness

2.5 to 3.5

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Specific Gravity

4.5

Diagnostic Properties

High specific gravity, three cleavage directions at right angles

Chemical Composition

Barium sulfate, BaSO4

Crystal System Orthorhombic

Uses Drilling mud; high­density filler for paper, rubber, plastics

Physical Properties of Barite Barite is generally easy to identify. It is one of just a few nonmetallic minerals with a specific gravity of four or higher. Combine that with its low Mohs hardness (2.5 to 3.5) and its three directions of right­angle cleavage, and the mineral can usually be reliably identified with just three observations.

In the classroom, students often have difficulty identifying specimens of massive barite with fine­grained crystals. They look at the specimen, see the sugary appearance, correctly attribute it to cleavage, and apply a drop of dilute hydrochloric acid. The mineral effervesces and they think that they have calcite or a piece of marble. The problem is that the effervescence is caused by contamination. The students tested the hardness of the barite with a piece of calcite from their hardness kit. Or the specimen of barite can naturally contain calcite. However, any student who tests the specific gravity will discover that calcite or marble are incorrect identifications.

Barite is also a good mineral to use when teaching about specific gravity. Give students several white mineral specimens that are about the same size (we suggest calcite, quartz, barite, talc, gypsum). Students should be able to easily identify barite using the "heft test"

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(placing Specimen "A" in their right hand and Specimen "B" in their left hand and "hefting" the specimens to determine which one is heaviest). Students in third or fourth grade are capable of using the heft test to identify barite.

Gas well site: Barite is used to make high­density drilling mud for wells. Aerial photo of a gas well site. © iStockphoto / Edward Todd.

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Barite from Canada: Barite from Madoc, Ontario, Canada. Specimen is approximately 4 inches (10 centimeters) across.

Uses of Barite Most barite produced is used as a weighting agent in drilling muds. This is what 99% of the barite consumed in the United States is used for. These high­density muds are pumped down the drill stem, exit through the cutting bit and return to the surface between the drill stem and the wall of the well. This flow of fluid does two things: 1) it cools the drill bit; and, 2) the high­density barite mud suspends the rock cuttings produced by the drill and carries them up to the surface.

Barite is also used as a pigment in paints and as a weighted filler for paper, cloth and rubber. The paper used to make some playing cards has barite packed between the paper fibers. This gives the paper a very high density that allows the cards to be "dealt" easily to players around a card table. Barite is used as a weighting filler in rubber to make "anti­sail" mudflaps for trucks.

Barite is the primary ore of barium, which is used to make a wide variety of barium compounds. Some of these are used for x­ray shielding. Barite has the ability to block x­ray

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and gamma­ray emissions. Barite is used to make high­density concrete to block x­ray emissions in hospitals, power plants, and laboratories.

Barite compounds are also used in diagnostic medical tests. If a patient drinks a small cup of liquid that contains a barium powder in a milkshake consistency, the liquid will coat the patient's esophagus. An x­ray of the throat taken immediately after the "barium swallow" will image the soft tissue of the esophagus (which is usually transparent to x­rays) because the barium is opaque to x­rays and blocks their passage. A "barium enema" can be used in a similar way to image the shape of the colon.

Barite from Australia: Barite from Edith River, Northern Territory, Australia. Specimen is approximately 2 inches (5 centimeters) across.

Cole:

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http://www.geologicalmaps.net/IrishHistMapsDownload/B02139.pdf

Barite from Utah: Barite from Mercur, Utah. Specimen is approximately 4 inches (10 centimeters) across.

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