In addition to these small pockets around the country, there have been some more famous, bigger hauls. During the period between 1795 and 1830, according to Minerals Ireland, an estimated 7–9,000 ounces of gold were extracted from the Gold Mines River, Co. Wicklow. This time period became known as the Avoca Gold Rush.
In recent years, gold has been found in County Monaghan, and another mine was opened in County Tyrone in 2008. In addition, the Connemara Mining Company has stated as recently as December 2012 that they found ‘a number of zones with significant gold enrichment’ in the Wicklow/Wexford area.
With any luck, we could be returning to our Bronze Age roots.
So there you are now – you could easily be sitting on a jackpot. Why not get digging?