Mining trail walk up for heritage award

THERE was great excitement in Glenmalure and Glendalough this week after it was announced that a walk which took place last August has been shortlisted for a Heritage Week Award in the Hidden Heritage category.

The walk was jointly organised by Glenmalure PURE Mile Group and the Glens of Lead Group and faces competition from three other shortlisted projects.

The 20km mining trail walk from the Wicklow Gap road to Baravore, at the head of Glenmalure valley, passes through five areas where lead mining flourished in both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The walk was led by Charles O’Byrne of Glenmalure and 28 enthusiastic walkers enjoyed the recounting of the hidden heritage along the route by Robert Carter of Glendalough, himself a former miner, Dave Shepherd from Glens of Lead and Carmel O’Toole of Glenmalure.

The mine sites of Glendasan, Glendalough, Van Diemen’s Mines, Ballinafunshoge and Baravore are all linked by this trail. Interpretative panels have recently been erected in some of these areas giving interesting historical information and showing an artist’s impression of the workings at these former mine sites.

The Heritage Week Awards will be held tomorrow (Thursday, April 12) in the offices of the National Heritage Council, Kilkenny and will be attended by representatives from both the Glens of Lead and Glenmalure PURE Mile.