Geoscience Ireland (GI) was pleased to co- sponsor a Conference on Signs of Revival in Ireland’s Natural Resources. Held in Mullingar Co Westmeath on 19th September, the Conference was co hosted by the Irish Association for Economic Geology (IAEG) and the Irish Mining and Quarrying Society(IMQS) .

The Keynote Address by Darragh O’Brien TD ,  Minister  for Climate, Energy and Environment  (DCEE), reiterated the importance of developing Ireland’s natural resources in a responsible and sustainable way. He noted the commitment of DCEE to its line division Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) in supporting research to ensure  the quality of aggregates; involvement in the EU’s Critical Raw Materials programmes;  reuse of construction and demolition waste (C&D) and remediation of historic mine sites- topics outlined further by speakers from GSI and the Geoscience Policy Division .

The well attended Conference heard presentations on the mining sector e.g. the reopening of the Galmoy zinc lead mine; the emergence of an Irish Minerals Fund ; the unfortunate delays experienced by the Dalradian Project in Northern Ireland ; promising exploration projects by Group 11 , Conroy and Minco; R&D undeway by iCRAG; Geotechnical Safety in Quarries and  C&D waste categorisation. GI was well represented by members ARUP, APEX, AURUM, BRG,  and SLR (all co-sponsors) alongside  Roadstone, TOBIN, Priority Drilling, GSI and iCRAG.

In Closing Remarks to the Conference, GI Director and an IMQS  member of the Conference Committee Sean Finlay said;

” The resumption of operations at Tara Mines; the reopening of the Galmoy mine; the award of planning permission  for the expansion of Gyproc’s  mine and continued operations at Irish Salt’s mine are all positive developments for the sector. While overall exploration activity is subdued, there are advanced projects emerging with great promise. The joint IAEG-IMQS Conference echoes similar events held at Canada’s PDAC in previous years, showcasing achievements 0f  the minerals sector in Ireland. IMQS is indebted to IAEG for its strong support for the Conference. ”

Photo shows from left; Miller O’Prey (President IAEG) , Ruairi O Connor (President IMQS) ; Noleen Fox (IAEG), Brendan Morris (IMQS), Graham Reid (IAEG) , Sean Finlay (IMQS) and Zoe Brown (IAEG)