Connemara has a myriad of gems to entice tourists to its stunning corner of Ireland any day of the week. Its location in the heart of the Wild Atlantic Way is a sure-fire way to attract visitors.
But a lesser-known jewel, nestled in the countryside near Oughterard, Co Galway is Glengowla Mine, which offers an experience rich in heritage that interweaves agriculture and industry down through the ages.
Owned and run by the Geoghegan family who are the sixth generation to have lived on the farm, which is home to a silver and lead mine dating back to the 1800s, Glengowla’s entrance offers a journey back in time.
A stunningly renovated hay barn houses a gift shop and café, complete with welcoming turf fire, is the starting point for visitors ahead of their guided tours and demonstrations.
These include not only an underground visit to the old mine, but also sheepdog demonstrations and traditional turf cutting by hand.
Keith Geoghegan has run the visitor attraction since the early 1990s having inherited the surrounding sheep farm from his uncle in 1989.
Eye opener
“I inherited the farm from my uncle who had lived in the Mine Captain’s cottage until he passed away in 1989,” explains Keith.
“One day I met a fella walking through the farm looking for crystals - that’s what comes out of the mine along with lead and silver - and he asked me was I ever down in the mine and I said no.”
“He showed me a map of the mine and I found it all amazing. We surveyed it in 1992 and a year later I applied to Galway County Council for planning permission to reopen the mine and develop it as a tourist attraction.”
Keeping it real, Keith Geoghegan offers traditional turf cutting demonstrations at his family's bog on the grounds of Glengowla Mine, near Oughterard. \ Sean Lydon
From enthusiastic beginnings, reality soon struck as Keith got the business up and running. “It was some shock once I had all the work done,” he says.
“Irish people weren’t convinced in the beginning; they had a lot of doubts and questions. Is it dangerous? Was it safe? Was it dirty? What do you do down there?
But once they went down into the mine, they couldn’t believe what was down there. We’ve done a lot to put ourselves out there and promote the place but it was a real eye opener in the beginning.”
Finding treasure
A tour of the old mine takes 45 minutes and is led by a tour guide who can have up to 25 people in any one group.
“People have to wear protective headgear, and they’re told all about the miners, who they were, how they lived, the tools they used, their social history etc,” says Keith.
“Then you make your way back up and you go over to the panning stations where you wash for gold and find your treasure. We have people coming to us now with their own children after they first visited us as a child themselves and that is the one memory they want to share with their families. It’s lovely.”
Panning for gold is all part of the visitor experience at the Glengowla Mine, near Oughterard, Co Galway. \ Sean Lydon
Keith has been calling for financial support for farmers who branch into tourism to make their land more sustainable.
“We’ve had some tough years, we’re a small family business that gets no funding or grant aid. We get our farm payments but nothing to do with the tourism side of things. I’m campaigning a long time for agriculture to be linked to tourism.
"You should be able to get a farm payment if you’re bringing people onto your farm. It would incentivise it for small farmers, even if you have a cottage you’re renting out to tourists. You should get a payment to push it forward, I’ve always seen the potential in that.”
Traditional turf cutting
Over the past 20 years, Keith has added extra elements to the business, which have proven as equally popular as the old mine.
“Our sheepdog demonstrations feature all four of our working dogs; Pip, Nell, Floss and Ginger, who rotate depending on the day. Although Ginger is strong and stubborn so doesn’t want to listen but Pip is the real people pleaser and a great listener,” says Keith.
“We have six to eight sheep in a demonstration so I can explain the story of the sheep and how we farm, how we use the dog and how important the dog is to us.
Keith Geoghegan puts sheepdog Pip through her paces during a sheep herding demonstration at Glengowla Mine, near Oughterard, Co Galway. \ Sean Lydon
“People love to see where their food comes from and one of the main questions, we’re asked by visitors is where our lamb is for sale. I have to explain that it’s hard to get to our food because it’s all mixed up in the wider food industry. People want to see the quality of what they’re getting.”
The final tour offered at Glengowla is traditional turf cutting which Keith offers mainly to groups.
“Our bog isn’t big and it’s located just beside the carpark so the groups that request the turf cutting tour are normally those who have a genuine interest in the history of it all,” he says.
“The tour isn’t just about turf, it’s about the bog and the experience of living here and while I’m no expert or scientist, I talk about what I know.
“We give the full story of the flora and the fauna and how important it is for our biodiversity and how we look after it as farmers and how we then extract a small amount as a reward and to be able to live in the area and to be sustainable. I can’t see anything bad for the environment in our turf production.”
Glengowla is part of the Irish National Seismic Network and a working seismograph can be seen at the mine.The centre is open five days a week from March through to September, closed on Sundays and Mondays (group tours are facilitated on Mondays).Admission prices for the mine tour are €14 for adults, €8 for children and a student and an OAP rate of €13.75. A family pass, which admits two adults and two children is priced at €40.Prices for the 30-minute sheep herding demonstration start at €6 for children under 12, rising to €10 for children aged 12 – 18 and €12 for adults. A family pass, two adults and two children costs €32.Information on the turf cutting demonstrations is available by calling 087 2529850 or at glengowlamines.ie
Connemara has a myriad of gems to entice tourists to its stunning corner of Ireland any day of the week. Its location in the heart of the Wild Atlantic Way is a sure-fire way to attract visitors.
But a lesser-known jewel, nestled in the countryside near Oughterard, Co Galway is Glengowla Mine, which offers an experience rich in heritage that interweaves agriculture and industry down through the ages.
Owned and run by the Geoghegan family who are the sixth generation to have lived on the farm, which is home to a silver and lead mine dating back to the 1800s, Glengowla’s entrance offers a journey back in time.
A stunningly renovated hay barn houses a gift shop and café, complete with welcoming turf fire, is the starting point for visitors ahead of their guided tours and demonstrations.
These include not only an underground visit to the old mine, but also sheepdog demonstrations and traditional turf cutting by hand.
Keith Geoghegan has run the visitor attraction since the early 1990s having inherited the surrounding sheep farm from his uncle in 1989.
Eye opener
“I inherited the farm from my uncle who had lived in the Mine Captain’s cottage until he passed away in 1989,” explains Keith.
“One day I met a fella walking through the farm looking for crystals - that’s what comes out of the mine along with lead and silver - and he asked me was I ever down in the mine and I said no.”
“He showed me a map of the mine and I found it all amazing. We surveyed it in 1992 and a year later I applied to Galway County Council for planning permission to reopen the mine and develop it as a tourist attraction.”
Keeping it real, Keith Geoghegan offers traditional turf cutting demonstrations at his family's bog on the grounds of Glengowla Mine, near Oughterard. \ Sean Lydon
From enthusiastic beginnings, reality soon struck as Keith got the business up and running. “It was some shock once I had all the work done,” he says.
“Irish people weren’t convinced in the beginning; they had a lot of doubts and questions. Is it dangerous? Was it safe? Was it dirty? What do you do down there?
But once they went down into the mine, they couldn’t believe what was down there. We’ve done a lot to put ourselves out there and promote the place but it was a real eye opener in the beginning.”
Finding treasure
A tour of the old mine takes 45 minutes and is led by a tour guide who can have up to 25 people in any one group.
“People have to wear protective headgear, and they’re told all about the miners, who they were, how they lived, the tools they used, their social history etc,” says Keith.
“Then you make your way back up and you go over to the panning stations where you wash for gold and find your treasure. We have people coming to us now with their own children after they first visited us as a child themselves and that is the one memory they want to share with their families. It’s lovely.”
Panning for gold is all part of the visitor experience at the Glengowla Mine, near Oughterard, Co Galway. \ Sean Lydon
Keith has been calling for financial support for farmers who branch into tourism to make their land more sustainable.
“We’ve had some tough years, we’re a small family business that gets no funding or grant aid. We get our farm payments but nothing to do with the tourism side of things. I’m campaigning a long time for agriculture to be linked to tourism.
"You should be able to get a farm payment if you’re bringing people onto your farm. It would incentivise it for small farmers, even if you have a cottage you’re renting out to tourists. You should get a payment to push it forward, I’ve always seen the potential in that.”
Traditional turf cutting
Over the past 20 years, Keith has added extra elements to the business, which have proven as equally popular as the old mine.
“Our sheepdog demonstrations feature all four of our working dogs; Pip, Nell, Floss and Ginger, who rotate depending on the day. Although Ginger is strong and stubborn so doesn’t want to listen but Pip is the real people pleaser and a great listener,” says Keith.
“We have six to eight sheep in a demonstration so I can explain the story of the sheep and how we farm, how we use the dog and how important the dog is to us.
Keith Geoghegan puts sheepdog Pip through her paces during a sheep herding demonstration at Glengowla Mine, near Oughterard, Co Galway. \ Sean Lydon
“People love to see where their food comes from and one of the main questions, we’re asked by visitors is where our lamb is for sale. I have to explain that it’s hard to get to our food because it’s all mixed up in the wider food industry. People want to see the quality of what they’re getting.”
The final tour offered at Glengowla is traditional turf cutting which Keith offers mainly to groups.
“Our bog isn’t big and it’s located just beside the carpark so the groups that request the turf cutting tour are normally those who have a genuine interest in the history of it all,” he says.
“The tour isn’t just about turf, it’s about the bog and the experience of living here and while I’m no expert or scientist, I talk about what I know.
“We give the full story of the flora and the fauna and how important it is for our biodiversity and how we look after it as farmers and how we then extract a small amount as a reward and to be able to live in the area and to be sustainable. I can’t see anything bad for the environment in our turf production.”
Glengowla is part of the Irish National Seismic Network and a working seismograph can be seen at the mine.The centre is open five days a week from March through to September, closed on Sundays and Mondays (group tours are facilitated on Mondays).Admission prices for the mine tour are €14 for adults, €8 for children and a student and an OAP rate of €13.75. A family pass, which admits two adults and two children is priced at €40.Prices for the 30-minute sheep herding demonstration start at €6 for children under 12, rising to €10 for children aged 12 – 18 and €12 for adults. A family pass, two adults and two children costs €32.Information on the turf cutting demonstrations is available by calling 087 2529850 or at glengowlamines.ie 
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