Galway community fights against metal mining licence in ‘fragile’ Connemara landscape
Hundreds of Galway residents have signed a petition against mining plans in Connemara.
Gold Note Minerals Limited, owned by BTU Metals Corp, has recently applied to the Department of Climate, Communications and Environment for prospecting licences in the Joyce Country area of Connemara.
In particular, the company wants to search for base metals, barytes, silver, gold and platinum group metals in the townlands of Breenaun, Carrowgarrif, Claggan, Crumlin East, Dooghta, Farnaght, Glenlusk, Griggins, Kilmeelickin and Moneenmore.
The documents read that Climate, Energy and Environment Minister Darragh O’Brien intends to grant the prospecting licence to the company.
However, members of the community attended a meeting in Maam on Saturday March 21, to call on the minister to not award the licence.
A petition on the matter was also set up, gathering over 600 signatures in just a few days.
Creator of the petition, Niall Joyce, said the area is “not suited for mining”. In the petition, he argued that mining would damage the already “fragile landscapes” in the rural area that “have already long suffered from a lack of investment and opportunity.”
The petition reads: “While these prospecting licences only permit the boring of holes to collect information and are part of the research stage around the mineral content in the ground they are the early stages of potential for an application to be made for a licence to mine said minerals.”
The licence notice reads that Gold Note Minerals is seeking approval to carry out “geological mapping, hammer prospecting and geophysical surveying.”
“That includes walking over the land, collecting small samples of rock, and recording measurements using geophysical equipment.”
The document also states that the minister saw no necessary requirement for an appropriate assessment due to the “temporary, non-intrusive” effect the works will have.
Public submissions are open for receipt by the Geoscience Regulation Office until March 27.
The petition against the mining research licence remains open until Wednesday March 25 and will then be posted to the Geosceience Regulation Office for their observance.
Joyce Country and the Western Lakes geopark were given global geopark status by UNESCO in late 2025, a recognition that Connemara councillor Thomas Welby said is “not compatible” with an introduction of mines, during the March Galway County Council meeting.
In 2019, Connemara residents highlighted similar concerns as Canadian based company MOAG Copper Gold Resources put forward applications to mine for gold, silver, and other minerals in the Ballynahinch and Roundstone area.