Aims & Objectives

Metal Links will bring together communities from Ireland and Wales that share a common historical link through the exploitation of metal ore, with the core aims to:

• Develop and promote joint socially inclusive opportunities for sustainable regeneration of former metal-mining communities through tourism as well as creating local awareness and pride of place;
• Promote and encourage new cultural and educational links including exchanges and interaction based on mining, archaeology, geology and cultural heritage;
• Share new ways of telling the ‘story’ of the mining areas and hinterlands with the view towards a unique tourism product contributing towards economic regeneration.

Former mining water & wind power sites will be identified that have future community potential.  Communities will be empowered to make use of innovative archaeological , historical & geological techniques that will increase the known archaeological resource & use pollen evidence that shows the carbon-sinks of peat bogs can extend the community story backwards over 6,000 years.

Pioneering e-trails, laser-scan surveys & interpretive animations feeding community narratives, are among the cultural tourism resources that will be made available on sustainable websites.  A Celtic Quad tourism trail & sustainable enterprises will be maintained beyond the project.

These aims would be achieved through the following objectives and outputs:

• Visit the historical context of interaction between the mining communities; 
• Promote cross-border initiatives in geological interpretation, archaeological survey and built heritage to use and promote assets through modern and sustainable digital techniques and the internet;
• Develop and demonstrate joint modern scientific investigative resources such as paleo-botanical and geochemical sampling of peat deposits to present an interpretation of local environmental histories;
• Evaluate historical water and wind power usage in these mining regions to explore opportunities for reusing existing potential for renewable assets;
• Ascertain how UNESCO status - Geopark and World Heritage can be attained to promote tourism and used to regenerate local communities; 
• Improve the awareness of the mining landscapes though the development and promotion of loop trails following old mining tracks, roads, railways & watercourse systems to develop culture & adventure tourism;
• Establish links and cultural exchanges based on mining, archaeology, geology, commercial and cultural heritage;
• Develop, implement and demonstrate best practice in presenting mining heritage - paperless information trails using ‘e-trails’.
   

Budget

Location of Activity

Contacts