Irish Marble Quarry

Stone age man worked the marble from this deposit 4000 years ago and axes made of connemara marble are in the collection of the national museum of ireland.

Irish marble quarry.

The first and main source was the black quarry in the townlands of archersgrove and gallowshill just south of kilkenny. A wide range of connemara marble gifts are available there. The joyce family owns a connemara marble quarry in recess. We got to tour a small workshop see the many kinds of raw materials they work with watch an informative video about marble and they we got to shop the.

One of the finest examples of connemara marble in ireland forms. Kilkenny marble or kilkenny black marble is a fine grained very dark grey carboniferous limestone found around county kilkenny in ireland in the butlersgrove formation a lower carboniferous limestone that contains fossils of brachiopods gastropods crinoids and corals. I bought some connemara marble pieces when i was first in ireland more than 40 years ago and they are still lovely. Streamstown marble quarry in clifden is the oldest of the marble quarries.

Its use in jewellery can be regarded as one of ireland s indigenous industries and the quarrying of connemara marble is a centuries old endeavour. This quarry is the oldest and most famous of the connemara marble quarries opened commercially in 1822. Sandstone travertine slate limestone and granite are products of nature and have been quarried from all over the world. Annual extraction rate of 25 000m gross block production hub for irish blue limestone slabs and paving for irish and european markets.

The streamstown marble quarry. Connemara marble is over 900 million years old and is unique to ireland. We own and operate the oldest marble quarry which was first opened in the 19th century and visited in 1903 by king edward vii and queen alexandra during the royal tour of connemara. The joyce name was to become synonymous with connemara marble supplying world famous buildings with the ireland s iconic marble.

Located just outside the historic marble city of kilkenny. Connemara marble is the standout irish geological and gem material and is therefore recognised as the iconic stone of ireland. It was opened in 1822 by the joyce family. Their factory is based in the village on the n59 between clifden and galway where joyce s craft shop and art gallery can also be found right across the road from the connemara giant monument.

Streamstown marble quarry letternoosh clifden co. So when offered a chance to visit the actual factory i jumped at it.