Lobby group object to Conroy Gold licence renewal

CONCERN Mining action groups seek to block plans in east Cavan area

A local lobby group is opposing the renewal of a prospecting licence, which aims to develop a gold mine in the region.

Redhills Action Against Mining and Cavan Mining Objection Group members have made a submission on an application by Conroy Gold and Natural Resources PLC to the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications.

The licence is one of nine prospecting licences owned by Conroy Gold in the Republic. Two others are in respect of lands north of the Border, and all feed into and from the company’s Clontibret licence on the Longford-Down Massif gold trend.

The renewal of the Cavan licence covers townlands in the Upper Loughtee, Clanmahon and Castlerahan baronies.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, maps showing the townlands affected can be viewed online.

Submissions on the renewal can be made to the Geoscience Regulation Office 30 days from when the notice was first published inThe Anglo-Celton February 25, 2021.

Redhills Action Against Mining and Cavan Mining Objection Group members previously objected to a similar application by Conroy Gold in 2019.

“It appears Ireland is open for the mining business in a big way and it has arrived in East Cavan,” said a spokesperson for the objection groups.

Last month, Conroy Gold announced it had dropped its planned Irish joint venture with Anglo Asian Mining PLC in favour of a deal with Turkish group Demir Export.

A letter of intent was signed between the two firms, with Demir set to fund and develop Conroy’s Clontibret licence.

The Turkish group is a Fortune Global 500 mining company with interests in iron, coal, gold and base metals. Its owners, the Koç family, run Turkey’s largest industrial conglomerate.

Demir will pay €1m on signing a definitive contract. It can take its stake up to 57.5% through funding the project to construction-ready status, at which point Conroy Gold can exercise the option to retain its stake at 42.5%.

A similar arrangement is in the works for Conroy Gold’s other licences in Ireland. Demir will have the right of refusal over eight more gold exploration licences Conroy Gold currently owns in Finland, as well as one other in Ireland not subject to the proposed joint venture.

Richard Conroy, Conroy Gold’s chairman, welcomed the partnership.