Two reports from the Journal of the Royal Geological Society of Ireland refer
to the discovery in 1816 of the Brookeborough diamond in the Colebrooke
River, with the stone presented to a certain Lady Brooke and checked by
jewelers in Dublin who apparently confirmed the stone was a diamond.
Now, Karelian Diamond Resources Ltd, which has mining operations in
Finland and is headquartered in Dublin in neighboring Ireland, is interested in
mining in Fermanagh and Tyrone in Northern Ireland, according to media
reports.
The mining firm believes that Brookeborough, in particular, may contain
diamonds and is seeking a license to prospect in the area.
Kareliean has applied for the license to Fermanagh and Omagh District
Council via the Department for the Economy saying the area “may have
diamondiferous potential and in which the historic Brookborough diamond is
reported to have been discovered,” according to local newspaper articles.
A minerals prospecting license permits a range of measures, including:
reviews, geological surveys, assessments, a geochemical survey, a
geophysical survey, trenching, pitting, rock sampling, drilling, chemical
analysis and laboratory studies.
Karelian may face a tough challenge, however, in receiving for the license
since members of the Council’s Regeneration and Community Committee
were united in opposing the request, saying that they had not received
sufficient information regarding the environmental impact on groundwater,
rivers streams and lakes, air quality, livestock, wildlife and habitats and to
human health.
The Council will give its full response at its Environmental Services
Committee meeting on November 8.
