Poor old Tooreen.You'd search long and hard to find a reason to visit its summit which consists of a mast in a rough clearing. The locality however is a little more interesting. Underneath its east face in the townland of Reafadda is an abandoned copper mine.Hollyford mine was in operation periodically between 1837 and 1862. The Mining Company of Ireland controlled operations from 1837 to 1839 but owing to problems with water mining was suspended and the lease was eventually cancelled in 1840. The mine was reopened under private hands and was worked more or less continuously from the mid 1840s until 1862 when low copper prices forced closure.
The host rock in the mine was described by Wynne (1860) as “hard grits and hard splintery shales”. Three mineralized lodes or veins occur in the area and all were mined to some degree. Two veins trend northnorthwest and are linked by a cross vein trending roughly east-west. The Ballycohen vein in the east was apparently the earliest worked; the Hollyford vein in the west was the one on which most mining was carried out in the mid-19th century. Workings on this vein reached 90 fathoms (165m). The Hollyford vein is described as a near-vertical vein ranging from 0.15 to almost 2m in width.
Several original mine features still remain on the site Of the two chimneys, one remains standing but is showing signs of instability. Only the base of the other chimney survives, covered in moss and surrounded by trees and shrubs. There is no obvious trace of most of the eight shafts that are marked on old maps. However, the main shaft, close to the chimney, is still visible but blocked at a depth of 2m below the surface. Local people have indicated that most shafts are merely covered over and not properly sealed. The mine manager’s house and adjacent mine buildings have been restored as a dwelling. The field in which the chimney stands is used as pasture for cattle.
The possibility of reopening the mine was raised in the Dail in 1956 however the Minister at the time stated he would only support its reopening as a private business venture. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/597/comment/6645/