Allihies (Irish: Na hAilichí, meaning "the cliff fields") is a village (and townland) located on the western tip of the Béara Peninsula, in West Cork.
From the Bronze age up to the 1870s, the area was a major copper-mining site.
The most productive period was 1812 to 1912 when 297,000 tons of ore were recorded as passing through Swansea from Allihies mines.
An attempt was made to restart mining in the late 1950s by a Canadian mining company but was not successful.
The most prominent reminder of Allihies' mining heritage is the engine house located on the mountain above the village.
The area saw large-scale emigration when the mine closed following a fall in the worldwide price of copper.
Many miners went to Butte, Montana and the town has many families who trace their ancestry back to Allihies.
The Allihies Copper Mine Museum near the village is well worth a visit:
http://www.acmm.ie/index.php/themuseum
Reference: Wikipedia

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