Treasure Leitrim calls for clarity from Minister and GSRO on Flintridge Resources

Community group Treasure Leitrim has written to Minister Eamon Ryan and the Geoscience Regulation Office (GSRO) seeking clarification on whether mining company Flintridge Resources had informed the Minister or the GSRO about a near fatal mine collapse in Co Tyrone in 2018 when they made their application for a prospecting license in County Leitrim.

The company were granted the gold prospecting license for 47 townlands in Leitrim by Minister Ryan in April 2022.
Flintridge Resources was recently fined £120,000 pounds for serious failings at Dungannon Crown Court following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in Northern Ireland.

They admitted to health and safety failures during a mine collapse in 2018. The HSE argued that employees at the mine were exposed to risk as a result of falling rocks from the roof of an underground roadway within the mine.
The mine then flooded, with employees further exposed to a risk of drowning.

It was also confirmed recently that the Department for Economy in Northern Ireland were aware of this life threatening incident before they took the decision to renew their prospecting license for an area outside Omagh, Co Tyrone.
During the public consultation that took place prior to the granting of the prospecting license by Minister Eamon Ryan a number of submissions raised the issue of the track record of Flintridge and specific concerns regarding their performance outside the Republic of Ireland.
In response to some of those public submissions and prior to their conviction in court Flintridge Resources said they “consistently carried out both prospecting and mining operations to an acceptable standard.

“The Company operates a gold mine in Cavanacaw, Omagh, Northern Ireland. The Company works closely with all regulators in Northern Ireland and has never been prosecuted throughout its long history of mining and prospecting in Northern Ireland, or during exploration activities in the Republic of Ireland.”

Treasure Leitrim are seeking a response from the Minister and the GSRO on whether or not the company’s had made them aware of this 2018 incident when they made their successful application for a prospecting license in Leitrim.
A Treasure Leitrim spokesperson said “There are already well founded concerns about the impact mining could have on the environment, water quality and existing industries such as tourism.

“What happened in Tyrone was a very serious incident and could have resulted in loss of life of people working for Flintridge Resources.
“We believe it’s important to establish whether the company has provided the GSRO and Eamon Ryan with this information at any stage during the application process for a license in Leitrim.”
Manorhamilton area councillors also expressed concern at the recent findings at Dungannon Crown Court and the fine against Flintridge Resources in relation to health and safety.

The six councillors are writing to Minister Eamon Ryan asking if his department were aware of the company's health and safety record or complaints against the company when a prospecting licence for North Leitrim was granted.
They noted that employees were exposed to risk due to falling rocks and when the mine flooded the employees could have drowned.
The court found that suitable measures were not put in place to minimise the risk.

The Manorhamilton councillors said these serious issues need to be assessed by Minister Ryan and the GSRO.
In response to questions from the Leitrim Observer a spokesperson for the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications stated “Contrary to what has been claimed by Treasure Leitrim, the Department was not aware of the fall of ground that occurred at Cavanacaw Mine in Northern Ireland in 2018 at the time the two Prospecting Licences were granted in Co Leitrim.

“It is important to emphasise that the Department has only issued Prospecting Licences to Flintridge Resources. These are not mining licences. These Prospecting Licences only permit the company to undertake exploration activities such as geological mapping, geochemical sampling and ground geophysical surveys.
“These activities are temporary and involve minimal disturbance. No mining is permitted to take place under a Prospecting Licence.

“Any mining would require additional consents from a number of different agencies, including planning permission from the local authority and an Integrated Pollution Control or Industrial Emissions Licence from the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Whilst the Department was unaware of the rock fall that occurred in another jurisdiction, the two Prospecting Licences granted to Flintridge Resources in April 2022 were issued in accordance with all relevant provisions of the Minerals Development Act (1940).”