Hi Carol, Many, many years ago I performed on stage in a concert with a group of Irish musicians called "The Johnstons". A "Fantastic" Irish Folk group they were, back in the late 60's early 70's. They had recorded a song called "The Tunnel Tigers by" Ewan Mc.Coll written in 1967. The opening lines were: "Hares run free on the Wicklow mountains, Wild geese fly and the foxes play; Sporting Wicklow boys are working, Driving a tunnel through the London clay. Chorus then went on: Up with the shields and jack it! Ram it! Drive a tunnel through the London clay. ©Stormking Music (1967) So all in all Carol it's not surprising at what they got up to. Ireland produced "Tunnel Tigers" from almost every County in Ireland, digging the London Underground, the Mersey Tunnel etc.. even the famous Chunnel (England-France Channel Tunnel under the Sea). It was a great skill to have when they emmigrated into the Goldfields of Africa, Opal mining in Australia and of course the coal fields worldwide. Even into the Salt mines of Cheshire! Wicklow in fact had/has the following mines: Owner Name of Mine Situation Agent Minerals worked Below Above Cronebane Mining Co., Tigroney Mine, Ovoca East Cronbane Ovoca Jas. Higgins Iron pyrites, cuperous pyrites, ochre 7 4 ditto West Cronbane ditto ditto ditto - - Electrolytic Copper Co. Ltd., 70 Lombard St., London Ballygahan ditto TP Phillips Iron pyrites and copper - - ditto Connary ditto ditto Copper ore - - ditto East Cronebane ditto ditto ditto 16 31 WH Pearson, Suffolk House, Cannon St., London Ballycapple Kilbride R Murray Iron ore - - Via Gellia Colour Co. Ltd., Matlock Bath, Derbyshire Ballymurtagh Ovoca WA Shetliff Ochre - 30 Mining was going strong in Avoca since the 18th. century although I think it has finished (commercially) now since around 1982. slan Cyril Newsome Loch Garman... ----- Original Message ----- From: <Carolgriff@aol.com> To: <IRL-WICKLOW-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, May 04, 2006 8:13 PM Subject: [Wicklow] Knockanree Upper Wicklow > Hi > > Im looking for info on Knockanree Upper in Co Wicklow and not finding too > much. Maybe this is where my Niles came from, you cant believe how excited Im > getting! > > Im gathering the area was used for mining, does anyone know the timescales > for this activity. > > Could this be why my Niles clan settled in Western Cumbria 1860's working in > the iron ore mines. Could they have been miners in ireland? > > I obviously have a lot to learn as I didnt think there were mines in > Ireland, I imagined Cumberland being totally alien to them, maybe it was really > Little Ireland after all. > > Any comments/suggestions welcome. > > carol > > > ==== IRL-WICKLOW Mailing List ==== > Oh no you cant retire from family research, what would you do all day then? > > ============================== > Search the US Census Collection. Over 140 million records added in the > last 12 months. Largest online collection in the world. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13965/rd.ashx > > >