Silvermines

I've spent literally a month of Mondays looking for these mines, (and I mean 30 Mondays, not 4 !!).
I first spotted them on Tarquin Blakes "Abandoned Ireland" website where he referred to them as "The Lost Mines of County Wicklow" and created an elaborate bullshit story about how a guide blindfolded him and brought him off up into the wicklow mountains, only to remove the blindfold at the entrance.
They're not in Co. Wicklow !!
Basically the "lost mines" are a culmination of several different mining sites around the village of Silvermines in Tipperary. I believe that the attention that abandoned Ireland has brought upon this site, has prompted recent measures to clean up and secure the sites, some of which are extremely hazardous.
The earliest buildings in the area, (Cornish engine houses, above) have been maintained and people are free to visit them. The next site we encountered consisted of some kind of recycling plant for spent mine material. These buildings are due to be demolished as part of the rejuvenation project. The last site we visited, (Shallee Mine) is probably the most dangerous. Most of the old buildings and a large area of open shafts have been securely fenced off, and even though I was eyeing up the gap under the gate that led to the shafts, my good sense, (Natalie!!) warned me against it !
Basically, I can understand why Tarquin Blake was reluctant to reveal the true location of this place, after all, it is dangerous, but to deliberately mislead people in such a way ? It would make me wonder how much of the other material on his site is bollocks too ??!!
(Nallo)