History of Arigna Mines

In the 1980’s, the government promised a Crow Coal (the name given to the lower grade coal being mined) burning Power Station; this however failed to materialise. With the winding down of the existing Power Station, Arignas main source of employment was no longer required and in 1990 the Mines closed for the final time.

With almost every family in Arigna dependant on the income from the Mine, the blow to the community was significant. The opening of the Mining Experience in 2003 is an indication of the determination and passion within the community to preserve a history which had meant so much for so many generations as well as opening up new opportunities for the Area.

There were two primary methods used for mining coal in Arigna, opencast and underground. Opencast involved using giant excavation machinery that tore large portions of the mountain to reveal the coal seam which then could be worked out. This method of mining was used primarily where the terrain was too wet to allow a tunnel to be sunk.

In Arigna underground or drift mining was predominant. A main tunnel was driven from which branched a series of secondary tunnels; each branch had a series of gobs at which the coal was mined. The branches were every 5-6 yards and were the site of most of the work carried out. The gob was usually no more than 20 inches high at best and sometimes even less. The work itself could be dangerous but accidents were rarely fatal, rock falls posed the biggest danger and produced many broken arms and legs.