Connemara's only show mine, where you descend into silver and lead workings abandoned in 1865, then surface to sheepdog and turf-cutting demonstrations on a working family farm.
Put on a miner's hard hat and go beneath the surface into workings abandoned since 1865, past original chisel marks to marble chambers and rare octahedral crystals of fluorite and quartz. Guided tours of the mine run roughly hourly.
Back above ground, try the gold-panning station, a favourite with children, and keep any gems you uncover. You can also walk the site to see its marble and granite rock formations.
On the family's organic sheep farm, owner Keith Geoghegan and his trained sheepdogs show how the dogs work the flock, with Keith explaining each command. The viewing area is fully covered, so rain is not a problem.
The visit begins in the museum with minerals found below and artefacts uncovered during the mine's restoration, followed by the restored mine buildings and the Captain's Cottage.
Watch turf cut with a slean, the traditional Irish spade, on the farm's peat bog, then try cutting a sod yourself. This demonstration must be booked in advance by website or phone.
Finish in the gift shop, which stocks locally made crafts and Irish souvenirs, a useful last stop for Connemara keepsakes.
The site has doubled as a filming location, most notably standing in for the fictional town of Dominion Creek in the series An Klondike.
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