Arigna in Italy Link
Click on Image's for Link
Arigna (where I was raised) is a thriving
little village situated in the Arigna mountains in Co Roscommon,
The village lies close to the shores of the Lough Allen, the first
lake on the Shannon. Formerly a thriving coal mining village,
Arigna has had a long and proud tradition of mining through the centuries
with the industry dating back to the 1600's(over 400 years)arigna coal
was mined in what were the first and last coalmines in Ireland, it still
bears the remnants of coal mines closed in the 1980's.
Located in Arigna is the Coal Briquette Factory
which manufactures
smokeless coal briquettes and is the main source of employment in
the village.
Until recently a focal point of the Arigna area was the ESB Generating
Station chimney,
demolished in February 1999.
The Arigna Mining Experience
The village of Arigna is located in North Roscommon, on the Leitrim
borders, overlooking scenic Lough Allen. It is an area with a tradition
of mining that stretches back to 1600 when Charles Coote established iron
works in Arigna. Charcoal, made from local timber, was used in the smelting
process; however, as local timber supplies reduced, it was necessary to
find an alternative fuel. It was through this search that coal was discovered
in the area. In 1788 the O'Reilly brothers founded an iron foundry where,
for the first time in Ireland, coal was used in the smelting process.
Iron mining actually turned out to be less than successful in Arigna
and, following many attempts to salvage it, the iron works closed permanently
in 1838. Coal mining, however, continued to provide employment in Arigna.
In fact, Arigna became a relatively affluent area through times of extreme
poverty elsewhere, because of the constant availability of employment for
all the men of the area and indeed surrounding areas. The ESB opened the
Arigna Power Station in 1958, the first major power generating station
in Connacht.
By this period the supply of top grade coal in Arigna was used and
the station was built specifically to burn the semi bituminous coal with
its high ash content. At its height, the power station burned 55,000 tons
of coal annually and employed 60 people directly.
However, from the outset, one of the primary reasons behind its construction
was to secure hundreds of jobs in the local mining industry. By the 1970's
65% of the coal mined in Arigna was burned at the Power Station. In the
1980's, the government promised a Crow Coal (the name given to the lower
grade coal being mined) burning Power Station; this however failed to materialise.
With the winding down of the existing Power Station, Arigna's
main source of employment was no longer required and in 1990 the
Mines closed for the final time.
Last year the Arigna Mining Experience opened as an interpretative
centre - of sorts.
The experience is different in that it is devoted to our very recent
history.
It includes a tour of what was once a working mine, deep beneath
a mountain
with all the sounds such a visit entails.
The tour guides are themselves former miners.
The demolition of the chimney at the
former power station in Arigna
symbolically closed a chapter in the history
of this small mining area in north Co Roscommon.
The Arigna area of Roscommon and the adjacent
mountains of Co. Leitrim were famous for coal and
iron mining. Froirt as early as the 15th century iron was mined in the
area.
Coal mining became more prominent in the 19th
century. In July 1990, centuries of a mining tradition ended with the closure
of the last of the coal mines. Arigna, was Ireland's only coal-mining
centre
The Arigna Valley is green and beautiful,and
not in any way the kind of bleak and dusty place
one associates with coal-mining activity.
The Arigna, river , rising in county Sligo, flows south-east into Lough Allen. The district is rich in minerals, including coal, iron, and limestone. Ironworks on an extensive scale were established here 1788, but, proving unprofitable under various managements, were discontinued in 1808
The Miners.
The conditions the men worked in were deplorable.
Sometimes the coal seams were only 18 in high
and they had to lie on their sides
and shovel the coal out onto the main pathways,
where it could be loaded onto carriages."
Over the long history of the mines, there
were no major disasters - probably because the tunnels were driven horizontally
into the hills, sometimes to a distance of three miles.
A section of one of these pits will be opened
up to develop the "underground experience", providing visitors with a half-hour
tour to see what life was like for the workers underground.
This spot in the Arigna Mountains now
offers a scenic route to be enjoyed.
The most spectacular section of a scenic drive
here is from Drumshanbo via Arigna over the ridge-back of Kilronan Mountain,
and down to Ballyfarnon, with great views on either side. The roads
are narrrow and winding but the views offered by this journey through the
Kilronan Mountain is well worth the effort.
Cutting across the spectacular Kilronan Mountain
is an uncut gem of a tourist attraction - the 25 mile Arigna Drive, from
Cootehall to Boyle. It leads along narrow, winding and often bumpy
roads that pass through tiny, immaculate villages like Keadue and some
of the most magnificent scenery in Ireland. Red squirrels, stoats,
fallow deer, badgers, rabbits and hares can be seen along the route, and
among the birds to be spotted are goldcrests and pheasants.
Wind Turbines
on the Arigna Mountains
Wind turbine propellers revolve lazily on the mountain ridge above
the village
of Arigna in north Roscommon.
They are a potent reminder of how times have changed
for what was the main coal mining village of Ireland for generations.
Coal mining sustained the community for some 250 years, including
the Famine years.
The sleek, aerodynamic wind turbines
which generate electricity are a stark
contrast to traditional coal generation
The electricity generated by the turbines
is fed into the national grid.
Today, although many millions of tons of low-grade,
or "crow", coal
remain unexploited in the hills, the only
active continuation of the coal tradition
lies in the production locally of high-grade
smokeless briquettes by the Arigna Fuels factory.
Ironically, this enterprise imports its raw
material, coal,
then much of the output is exported to Wales
- a classic double case of "
bringing coals to Newcastle".
Lough Allen
Lough Allen,The first lake on the Shannon,and the third
largest,
has an international reputation for coarse fishing and
anglers from
Britain and Continental Europe come in great numbers
each year
to test their skills and enjoy the peaceful surroundings
it lies between the
heather covered Arigna hills and Slieve Anierin.
Lough Key
Castle Island
The beautiful Lough Key is located just 2 miles east
of the town of Boyle.
Its location is in the area known as Moylurg and the
lands were once the
property of the MacDermotts, princes of this ancient
kingdom.
Martin and Margaret Gaffney footing turf on Kilronan Mountain,
Arigna, Co Roscommon
Martin spent most of his younger life mining coal under
the mountain.
With the closure of the mine he now saves turf on the
mountain
while behind him lies the third and alternative source
of power,
the wind farm designed to generate electricity and sold
into the national grid.
I remember trains in Arigna
The Cavan and Leitrim Railway
The 11.20 to Arigna at Ballinamore
The History Of The Cavan and Leitrim Railway In Brief The Cavan &
Leitrim Railway was one of the
most fascinating and at one time busiest of Ireland's narrow-gauge
railways.
Originally the Cavan, Leitrim and Roscommon Light Railway and Tramway
Co. registered on 3/2/1883. First section from Dromod to Belturbet (34
miles) opened on 17/10/1887. The branch from Ballinamore to Arigna was
opened on 2/5/1888. Became the Cavan and Leitrim in 1895. 48 1/2 route
miles in 1911.The wartime shortage of coal in Ireland forced the Goverment
in 1920 to build an extension to the coalmines at Arigna and its 3½
miles were completed in June 1920 at a cost of £60,000.. Closed 31/3/1959,
At the outset, livestock carriage was the backbone of the operation
Later the Arigna coalmines kept the wagons rolling
The narrow gauge of 3 ft connected Dromod to Belturbet in Co Cavan
via Ballinamore, Co Leitrim.
A branch ran to Drumshanbo and was later extended to serve the Arigna
coalfields.
The Cavan and Leitrim Railway ran on narrow gauge tracks measuring
3ft.
This difference in gauge caused difficulties at Belturbet in facilitating
the transfer
of passengers, goods and livestock, but
especially the transhipment of Arigna coal from the C&L to the
GNR.
This arduous and dirty task was performed throughout the entire
history of the line by local men using only shovels.
Through the accident of its serving a coal field it remained open
many years after most of the other 3 ft gauge lines closed, and in its
last days made use of engines and rolling stock sent from these other closed
systems.
But though the railway had a long career, the predominant
theme throughout its life was struggle.
In the early years directors faced hostile public opinion and struggle
vainly to extend their line to
the Arigna coal fields. When the extension was finally built - at
a time when the political
temperature in Ireland was rising, the initiative was taken by the
Government. Changes in
the constitution of the Board in 1904 led to friction and some decisions
were taken on 'party
lines', not always to the best advantage of the Cavan & Leitrim.
When the ESB built its generating station to burn Arigna coal, the fate of the line was sealed.
The narrow gauge line's days were deemed to be over, and on
31 March 1959
one long last train panted into Ballinmore station, there to debouch
its human load. Soon both tramway and main lines were demolished, and local
residents learned to resign themselves to the tender mercies of one-man
buses.
Lorries, once despised by Cavan & Leitrim men, assumed the handling
of all freight
and one more epoch in Ireland's narrow gauge railway history was
over.
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
(left to right):- Catherine, Griffith, Donal-Barney O'Reilly of Ballyconnell |
P McNamara |
|
|
Train crossing the road in Kiltubrid, County Leitrim.
The station was situated midway on
the Ballinamore to Arigna route.
One of the last tramways in Ireland, that
was
worked entirely by steam locomotives until it's
closure.
24thFebruary 1959
The station buildings at Arigna,
20th March 1959
The lone carriage of the branch train sits in the platform.
**************************************************************************
JOHN'S STRONG WILL
by Elizabeth Gallagher McManus,
Arigna, Ireland.
John McKenna
Master of the Concert Flute
 |
 |
John McKenna was born on January 6th 1880.
His father, Pat, was from Arigna; his mother Cecily Ward, was from
Tents, Tarmon, midway between Drumshanbo and Drumkeeran,
small towns in north County Leitrim, and here, on the shores of
Lough Allen,
was where the McKenna family lived and where John was born.
'The last place that God made' is how that scenic and rugged area
is described by the farmers who struggled with its rocky land.
One feature, unusual for rural Ireland, which gave an economic viability
to this locality which nestles among the Arigna Mountains
it had for centuries been a coal mining area.
It was with the local coal mining company that McKenna found his
first job.
he was weighmaster for Arigna Collieries.
Musical
Traditions Article
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
| KILRONAN PARISH | Arigna Minersway | The Miners Bar |
Mining
History
Arigna Poem |
Kilronan Wind Farm |
| Peter Tim Lynch | Drumshanbo on Line | John Flynn Page |
| Packie Duignan | Arigna Mining Experience | Local Towns |
