Horse Island

Horse Island in the foreground which once had a thriving mining industry. Terri Kearney There are several of them on the island, the remnants of the once-thriving copper industry on the island which operated from to as well as all along the Mizen Peninsula and which employed thousands of people. The Topographical Dictionary Of Ireland in reported that the mines yielded very pure ore and were extensively worked by the West Cork Mining Company. In the population peaked at people, most of whom were employed in the mines.

Of the old population the last man to live on the island was Paddy McCarthy who left in He bought a farm at Rosbrin, raised his family, and still farms there today. He says it was a tough life on Horse Island. He says people tend to have a romanticised view of what life was like on the islands in those days. There were nine of them and they lived next door.

As there were no fridges and the butter could melt before it was brought for sale, it presented a challenge to get it to market in a saleable condition. An ingenious solution was found.

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There was very cold water on the level coming in from the beach where they were able to harden and store the butter before selling it in Ballydehob. On a rainy day last August I saw Sea-kale, Sea-holly, Sea Plantain and Thrift, and drove back on a boreen lined with Meadowsweet and Wood Sage and past a standing stone whose purpose has been long-forgotten but that continues its vigil through the centuries.

Horse Island

She has restored it beautifully and the gardens are a work-in-progress that manage to capitalise on, rather than overwhelm, the mill stream and the rocky site. This is also the starting point for the Butter Road walk — but that deserves a new post one of these days, a post in the Mizen Magic series. We have written one but it was a long time ago. Take a walk, or a drive, down any part of this road — do it in summer when the boreens are heady with wildflowers, or do it in winter when the colours of the countryside are at their most vivid.

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Heck, do it any time! We live in the townland of Cappaghglass. Stub of 9th century Irish round tower? In front is the head of a shaft, behind is the remains of the mine chimney that fell in ; to the right are the old mine cottages. Our own house, Nead an Iolair, is built on territory that was once owned by a nineteenth century copper mine, and legend has it that our Calor gas tank is placed over an old mine shaft!

Look at the photograph of the number of workers employed there at this time. Now there are merely a few holiday homes on the island. Among the quiet fields and peaceful boreens our townland is strewn with evidence of the industry that once was here: Mining here commenced in and works ceased in Its best years were the decade to , when tons of bornite copper ore were produced. It feels so remote out there, yet the place was a hive of industry when mining was at its height during the Victorian age.

When exploring these pieces of industrial archaeology in Cornwall I was always struck by the incongruity of the incredibly beauty of the places — set against the blue background of the Atlantic — with the hardship and danger of the working conditions that must have prevailed. Here in West Cork, as there in Cornwall, shafts and galleries extended out under the sea bed and the men toiled away in cramped and perilous conditions with the sound of the booming waters above them, while on the surface women bal maidens and children worked equally hard preparing the ore for crushing and smelting.

Botallack Tin Mine, West Cornwall — a romantic site now, but less benign in earlier days. Far longer ago than the nineteenth century, West Cork was being worked for copper ore.

On the steep sides of our local Mount Gabriel there is evidence of copper mining dating back years to the Bronze Age. The extraction was a well organised process: Constant working on good seams led to excavation into the mountain side, and some shafts have been found extending to several metres. Water ingress was a problem and it seems likely that a system of bailing or pumping was necessary. Eventually the drowned shafts were abandoned and, over time, they became filled with a type of blanket bog. This helped to preserve some of the wooden implements used and — presumably — discarded in them: Mount Gabriel — once the haunt of Wolves and miners.

Interesting that the Rock Art we find in these same hillsides — and which could date from the same period — also has parallels in Britain, Brittany and Iberia. First published in , it is a classic of travel writing — amusing, learned, thoughtful — that still holds up as a fascinating portrayal of this part of the world.

Stunning acre Horse Island off coast of Cork goes on sale for €6,, - Irish Mirror Online

The photograph above is of the front cover of the book, signed by the author, that I brought with me to Canada when I emigrated in Forty years later, I am living on the very spot where this photograph was taken! Extensive walkways through and round the island provide access to all areas including the many sandy beaches, pastures and the natural landscape. The large living room offers double height ceilings with mezzanine over, extra large panoramic windows to soak in the light and outstanding views over Roaring Water Bay all the way to Cape Clear Island and the Fastnet Rock Lighthouse.

The guest wing incorporates five bedrooms, two on the ground floor with bathroom and three on the first floor with bathroom. The fully enclosed courtyard offers full protection from the elements. The courtyard contains open or sheltered seating, charcoal fired BBQ and wood fired pizza oven. The outbuildings consist of store areas and a large wine cellar.

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