Copper Coast Geopark

The Copper Coast is a UNESCO Global Geopark running about twenty-five kilometres between Tramore and Stradbally, designated because the cliffs expose an unusually complete record: volcanic rocks from an ocean that closed 460 million years ago, later desert sandstones, and glacial deposits from the last ice age, all visible in a short stretch of coast. Overlaid on that is industrial history. Copper was mined here through the nineteenth century, employing hundreds at Tankardstown and Knockmahon, and the engine houses, chimneys and shafts are still standing along the cliffs - some stabilised, many not. Small coves punctuate the coast, several with beaches accessible by steep paths. A visitor centre in a former church at Bunmahon explains the geology. Old shafts are a genuine hazard, cliff edges are unfenced and crumbling in places, and several of the coves have no lifeguard cover.

History

The coast took shape over 460 million years, beginning with volcanic activity in the Ordovician period, and red conglomerates and sandstones of 370 to 360 million years ago lie along it; it was the first geopark to be designated in Ireland (Wikipedia, Copper Coast Geopark).

The landscape

• The rock record - volcanic, desert and glacial sequences in one coastline.
• The mine buildings - engine houses and chimneys at Tankardstown and Knockmahon.
• The coves - small beaches reached by steep paths off the coast road.
• The visitor centre - in a converted church at Bunmahon.

When to go

April to October. Low tide exposes more of the rock platforms and the coves. The coast is fully exposed to southerly weather.

What to expect

Old mine shafts along the cliffs are unfenced in places and dangerous. Cliff edges are crumbling. Most coves have no lifeguards and some have rip currents. The visitor centre keeps seasonal hours.

Nearby

Tramore is east; Dungarvan and the Waterford Greenway are west.

Key facts