A gold band was produced at the marriage of the two land masses which formed Ireland - only this one was sweated out of the rocks which were cracked and heated by the vast amount of energy produced by this geological event.

420 million years ago, the collision of the continents, as well as creating our land mass and the towering peaks of the Caledonian Mountains, left a rich bounty in the rocks which is only nowbeing claimed.

Prospectors made the discovery back in the early 1980s but it wasn't until January 2007 that mining started at the site which now employs over 35 people.

The company which owns and operates the site expects to produce 30,000 ounces of gold a year which would net close to 15 million pounds

The mining operation breaks and crushes the ore which is then treated to separate the gold particles from the rock.

The waste rock is then replaced at the mine site in order to preserve the natural environment ahead of the peat being laid over the site once the mining operation moves on.

It is expected that some of the gold will be used to make a range of branded Irish jewellery.

Many involved in the project are excited by recent soil and sediment samples which indicate the gold deposits might be much greater and spread further than they originally thought.