Thursday, 14th October 2004 (2584 views)

The Irish area of Co Tyrone is preparing for a gold rush, following the discovery of significant gold findings.

In the 19th century Irish people headed for goldfields in North America to make their fortunes, but now the role has been reversed with the Sperrin Mountains offering top prospects.

Tournigan Gold, a Canadian mining firm, has been drilling at the Curraghinalt mine for the last year and has claimed the site could hold the largest deposit of gold found in the British Isles.

Gordon Riddler, of the Mineral Industry Research Organisation told the Telegraph: "There has never been a gold deposit that big - it's massive by British standards. If sold locally as jewellery, it would have an Irish cachet that could significantly boost the economy."

It is hoped around one million ounces of gold will be retrieved from the site and that it could help Ireland return to gold mining.

 

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