Mick CollinsThe majestic Sperrin Mountains which straddle the counties of Tyrone and Derry have offered shelter for the dispossessed for centuries. 

The plantation of Ulster saw the shift of the indigenous Irish to the mountains of Tyrone and Derry. Until the 1950’s parts of the Sperrin’s held the Tyrone and Derry Gaelteachts. The dialect of the Sperrins is still that of the ancient Gael, the people are hardy and some outsiders see them as thran. They don’t take people at face value but delve beneath to unravel motives and agendas. For centuries the Sperrins has offered protection and in particular isolation from post - modern industrialisation. About ten years ago that all changed with the introduction of gold mine exploration.

A Canadian mining exploration company called Dalradian Gold moved into the picturesque hills above the hamlet of Rouskey in West Tyrone. Dalradian was awarded permission to create an exploratory mine to test if gold was available in the Sperrins, In 2015 Dalradian produced expert reports that it was feasible to extract gold from the Sperrins at a level that would be profitable. Dalradian initiated a tried and trusted pre-mining programme to gain community acceptance of intensive gold mining.

The pre-mining programme involved the use of local agents to set the tone of a responsible, sustainable gold mine near the village of Greencastle. Resources were poured into industrial intelligence companies and public relations companies to develop a community approach to acceptance. These methods are used to gain social license. By and large the methods are successful. Sophisticated and slick public relations offer glossy catalogues of responsible and sustainable gold mining. The communities to be affected are offered a future of good well paid jobs and sustainable wealth for generations. Gold mining is intensive and its very nature entails years of disruption, the potential for harm is endemic in the methods used for extraction.

One ounce of gold mined involves utilising several tonnes of mined rock, The rock is crushed and milled to produce tailings. The tailings are processed to create gold ore which is then further processed to produce gold dore. The dore is further refined to create gold bars which are then sold onto the market VAT free. The Crown Estate which owns all property under the ground stands to benefit from a four percent royalty on all gold sold on the open market. Dalradian claim that there will be billions of pounds of gold in the Sperrins. To extract this amount of gold will involve the amassing of millions of tonnes of mine waste. This waste will be disposed of unto huge dry stack waste facilities. The Greencastle waste could amount to seven million cubic tonnes of potential toxic waste. Dalradian Gold envisage up to twelve mines across the Sperrins.

Such huge waste facilities create environmental risks. The community of Greencastle is split on support for the mine. A sophisticated public relations machine has been deployed to distract from the potential for environmental and health risks. At present nearly forty thousand objections have been lodged with the planning authorities and three thousand five hundred have been lodged in support of the mine. A BBC Spotlight documentary in late October presented a programme of a community at war. Allegations of corruption by mining companies in Brazil were examined, serious incompetence by the Norths regulatory authorities was presented, critical flaws in existing regulatory sanctioning were exposed and allegations of widespread intimidation of opponents of gold mining were aired. The Spotlight documentary made for uncomfortable viewing for those with concerns surrounding health and environmental protection.

November 2021 will see a challenge to the biggest planning application in the history of Ireland. Judges will examine if the European Convention of Human Rights was engaged in the government’s handling of the planning application. A member of the anti-gold mine community in Greencastle is engaging the ECHR and Human Rights Act to seek remedies to claims of potential violation of human rights. The case will engage the most senior of lawyers. It will be a battle between a community's right to protection against the untrammelled freedom of international mining corporations to operate as they have done with great freedoms from legal sanctions. Many leading lawyers have called this case ‘the case for our times’. Will the environment win out against international mining interests?

Intensive gold mining depends on the utilisation of mass industrial methods to produce enough gold to justify the huge deployment of financial resources for extraction of the gold. The introduction of meaningful regulation to police stringent mitigations could render intensive mining not at all profitable. Investors would walk away and revert to old habits of operating in regions of the world less inclined to introduce protective laws. The stakes are high; if opponents of the gold mine are successful in Greencastle this will have serious impacts on plans for mineral extraction across the island of Ireland. One Irish government minister told a recent mining conference in Canada that Ireland is open for business. The High Court in Belfast is the frontline for the development of human rights. What the court rules could have critical consequences for either small communities under threat or the interests of international mining. The stakes could not be higher.

Mick Collins is a Tyrone based trade unionist with a passionate interest in the environment.

Gold Mining In The Sperrin Mountains

Mick CollinsThe majestic Sperrin Mountains which straddle the counties of Tyrone and Derry have offered shelter for the dispossessed for centuries. 

The plantation of Ulster saw the shift of the indigenous Irish to the mountains of Tyrone and Derry. Until the 1950’s parts of the Sperrin’s held the Tyrone and Derry Gaelteachts. The dialect of the Sperrins is still that of the ancient Gael, the people are hardy and some outsiders see them as thran. They don’t take people at face value but delve beneath to unravel motives and agendas. For centuries the Sperrins has offered protection and in particular isolation from post - modern industrialisation. About ten years ago that all changed with the introduction of gold mine exploration.

A Canadian mining exploration company called Dalradian Gold moved into the picturesque hills above the hamlet of Rouskey in West Tyrone. Dalradian was awarded permission to create an exploratory mine to test if gold was available in the Sperrins, In 2015 Dalradian produced expert reports that it was feasible to extract gold from the Sperrins at a level that would be profitable. Dalradian initiated a tried and trusted pre-mining programme to gain community acceptance of intensive gold mining.

The pre-mining programme involved the use of local agents to set the tone of a responsible, sustainable gold mine near the village of Greencastle. Resources were poured into industrial intelligence companies and public relations companies to develop a community approach to acceptance. These methods are used to gain social license. By and large the methods are successful. Sophisticated and slick public relations offer glossy catalogues of responsible and sustainable gold mining. The communities to be affected are offered a future of good well paid jobs and sustainable wealth for generations. Gold mining is intensive and its very nature entails years of disruption, the potential for harm is endemic in the methods used for extraction.

One ounce of gold mined involves utilising several tonnes of mined rock, The rock is crushed and milled to produce tailings. The tailings are processed to create gold ore which is then further processed to produce gold dore. The dore is further refined to create gold bars which are then sold onto the market VAT free. The Crown Estate which owns all property under the ground stands to benefit from a four percent royalty on all gold sold on the open market. Dalradian claim that there will be billions of pounds of gold in the Sperrins. To extract this amount of gold will involve the amassing of millions of tonnes of mine waste. This waste will be disposed of unto huge dry stack waste facilities. The Greencastle waste could amount to seven million cubic tonnes of potential toxic waste. Dalradian Gold envisage up to twelve mines across the Sperrins.

Such huge waste facilities create environmental risks. The community of Greencastle is split on support for the mine. A sophisticated public relations machine has been deployed to distract from the potential for environmental and health risks. At present nearly forty thousand objections have been lodged with the planning authorities and three thousand five hundred have been lodged in support of the mine. A BBC Spotlight documentary in late October presented a programme of a community at war. Allegations of corruption by mining companies in Brazil were examined, serious incompetence by the Norths regulatory authorities was presented, critical flaws in existing regulatory sanctioning were exposed and allegations of widespread intimidation of opponents of gold mining were aired. The Spotlight documentary made for uncomfortable viewing for those with concerns surrounding health and environmental protection.

November 2021 will see a challenge to the biggest planning application in the history of Ireland. Judges will examine if the European Convention of Human Rights was engaged in the government’s handling of the planning application. A member of the anti-gold mine community in Greencastle is engaging the ECHR and Human Rights Act to seek remedies to claims of potential violation of human rights. The case will engage the most senior of lawyers. It will be a battle between a community's right to protection against the untrammelled freedom of international mining corporations to operate as they have done with great freedoms from legal sanctions. Many leading lawyers have called this case ‘the case for our times’. Will the environment win out against international mining interests?

Intensive gold mining depends on the utilisation of mass industrial methods to produce enough gold to justify the huge deployment of financial resources for extraction of the gold. The introduction of meaningful regulation to police stringent mitigations could render intensive mining not at all profitable. Investors would walk away and revert to old habits of operating in regions of the world less inclined to introduce protective laws. The stakes are high; if opponents of the gold mine are successful in Greencastle this will have serious impacts on plans for mineral extraction across the island of Ireland. One Irish government minister told a recent mining conference in Canada that Ireland is open for business. The High Court in Belfast is the frontline for the development of human rights. What the court rules could have critical consequences for either small communities under threat or the interests of international mining. The stakes could not be higher.

Mick Collins is a Tyrone based trade unionist with a passionate interest in the environment.

6 comments:

  1. Mick - thanks to you for publishing it here and to the mutual friend for procuring it. Any time you want the matter highlighted, feel free to make use of this blog.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a thought provoking article given the week that's in it across in Glasgow. From one who lives in the foothills of the Sperrins and who sees first hand the underhand tricks of the Goldmining company,thank you for pricking the conscience of a wider readership Mick. Dalradian have the money, they have many in powerful positions in their hip pocket but they fail to understand that financial clout isn't enough in this battle, a lesson they will soon learn.

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  3. Good luck to the people of the Sperrins ..... the tentacles of the Crown Estates lie hidden under the radar right across the island .... we are simply a Suzerain state ...... https://www.thepensivequill.com/2021/01/are-english-royal-charters-still.html

    ReplyDelete
  4. Exactly what article of the Convention is being invoked and on what grounds?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. These webpages may answer your question-
      https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/plans-for-dalradian-gold-mine-in-co-tyrone-face-new-high-court-challenge-39686239.html

      https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2021/09/20/news/nichola-mallon-asks-pac-to-hold-public-inquiry-into-dalradian-gold-proposals-2452936/

      Delete