ROB GOODBODY
Wordwell Ltd
£22.99
ISBN 978-1-913934-87-3 (pb)
ISBN 978-1-913934-94-1 (e-book)
Reviewed by Tommy Graham
Tommy Graham is editor of History Ireland and a former apprentice fitter-turner in ESB Ringsend.
Ballycorus is a townland about 2.5km to the west of Shankill, Co. Dublin. It is most notable for the chimney that stands at its highest point and is a prominent local landmark, visible from a significant distance. The hillside below the chimney bears the marks of nineteenth-century mining activity, while at the bottom of the hill is a former lead-smelting works. Most of the lead that was smelted there was not mined locally at Ballycorus but was brought from mines in the Glendalough area, some 30km to the south.
Heaps of spoil some 30km south, in Glendalough and the neighbouring Glendasan, form a different kind of landmark, and yet the two are inextricably linked. The Lead Mines: Ballycorus and Glendalough in the nineteenth century is the product of some decades of research by author Roy Goodbody, a well-known local and building historian. It tells the story of mining in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains throughout the nineteenth century until just before the First World War, a part of the industrial history of the capital city. The aforementioned tall chimney-stack is a beautifully built granite structure and commands a view over Dublin that many have come to cherish.
The book, intended for the more general reader, does not take an academic approach, but the author introduces, in a non-technical manner, lead as a product and the history of lead and its uses in the Dublin area. It goes on to discuss the foundation of the Mining Company of Ireland and how the company fared in locations at Ballycorus and Luganure over most of the mid- to late nineteenth century and into the early twentieth century. The process of mining itself in the nineteenth century is explained as well, again in clear and understandable language. One cannot help but marvel at the engineering vision and ambition of these entrepreneurs.
Besides explaining the functions of the mine and the development of the associated processes, the book also touches on and reflects the social and economic history of late nineteenth-century Ireland and Britain. It fascinates in its discussion of the engineering involved, and those of a technical frame of mind will be intrigued by the description of the function and purpose of the associated shot tower. Lead shot, comprised of small spheres of lead, is used in shotgun cartridges and as weights for various purposes, such as fishing lines. While larger spheres, such as those used in muskets, could be formed in moulds, it would be difficult and impractical to do this in the large quantities and small size required for shot. Instead, it is formed in shot towers. This process uses a property of liquids whereby they will form into spherical droplets if allowed to fall through the air. Molten lead is hoisted to the top of a tower and poured into a colander to break it up into droplets, and as it falls it will separate into small spheres. Provided that the shaft is high enough, the falling lead will cool sufficiently to solidify before it reaches the bottom, where it falls into a water bath, both to cushion its fall to ensure that the drops remain spherical and to complete the cooling process. Depending on the length of fall, different weights of lead shot are thus formed. The tower is no longer extant but formed an essential part of the industrial complex at Ballycorus.
The process of lead-mining in Glendalough is also covered by Goodbody, and the fluctuating fortunes of its product on the international market are explained. Perhaps the most helpful and detailed part of this book, however, is the description of the function of the still-existing chimney and the tunnel that leads from the former smelting works in Ballycorus up to the chimney. The author details how it was used even in less ecologically aware days to mitigate the effects of lead-smelting fumes and, interestingly, as a result, to extract further residual by-products, including more lead from the tunnel walls.
The book includes illustrations and photographs that bring this story to life. It is instructive to see the actual shot tower that was demolished in about 1920 and the location maps and early pictures of both the shot tower and the chimney on the hill. For the more committed reader, four excellent appendices are included which cover details of the mining and smelting remains. There is a more detailed description of the mining and extraction process, some discussion of the significant health problems and an insight into the difficulties and dangers of the miner’s life associated with this admittedly dangerous extraction and smelting process.
The book has been written to ensure that it is accessible to general readers, and it is perfect for anyone who may ever have looked at that tall chimney in Ballycorus and wondered, ‘What is the story behind this landmark?’. Rob Goodbody has done a service to all of those who have visited and enjoyed this significant industrial monument.