Kinahan — On Irish Metal Mining. 309 



S. E. of Kilmacrea Pass, in the north part of Coolanearl, is an 

 old shaft ; but there is no information in connexion with it. 



The break a little east of Kilmacoo, or Connary cross-roads, 

 cuts off the Mineral Channel, and heaves it, apparently northward 

 as just suggested. On the Channel between it and the Ovoca 

 river lie the East Ovoca Mines. Of these mines an exhaustive 

 description was published, in 1879, by P. H. Argall, formerly 

 agent of the Magpie. 1 They are in two groups — to the north- 

 eastward, Kilmacoo, Connary, and the Magpie, or East Cronebane ; 

 and to the south-westward, West Cronebane and Tigroney. 



In the north-east division there are two main lodes, ir- 

 regularly wedge-shaped, the walls closing in depth on account 

 of the hanging or south wall, standing more perpendicularly than 

 the foot or north wall. The Mineral Channel and the lodes were 

 formerly supposed to have been deposited contemporaneously with 

 the associated rocks, but recent research has shown, that although 

 the general direction of the lodes may be more or less with the 

 strike of the " country rocks," yet the Channel and lodes always 

 cross the latter, though sometimes at a very small angle, while 

 in depth both dip at a greater angle than the "country 

 rocks." 



The north lode is principally sulphur-ore, often coppery ; it is 

 more or less friable, and accompanied with soft ground. In 

 Oonnary, south of the lode, there is a massive rib of quartzose rock, 

 with native copper disseminated through it, which is not found in 

 the Magpie. Between the lode and its "gossan" (iron and 

 ochre) there was an auriferous argentiferous lead " Gossan lode," 

 remarkable as in it there were minerals not found in the underly- 

 ing lode. In Kilmacoo, in old times, there appears to have been 

 an adit that was driven in from the north slope ; this, however, has 

 been closed up for years. Between Connary and the Magpie there 

 is a N. and S. left-hand heave, along which there was a lead lode. 

 The lead in the Grossan and Cross lodes was worked in very old 

 times, while the rest of it was abstracted during the present 

 century. Some of the sulphur ore still remains, but not much, as 

 the "Wedge" has been bottomed in different places; it is, how- 



1 On the Ancient and Recent Mining Operations in the East Ovoca Distriet. — Scien- 

 tific Proceediugs, Royal Dublin Society, 1879. 



