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| The Arigna Valley is situated between Kilronan Mountain and Lough Allen on the border of North Roscommon and Leitrim. At the foot of the valley sits the village of Arigna. In the village is a school, shop, pub, post office, church and graveyard. For 400 years the mining of iron and coal was the principal industrial occupation of the region. |
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| In 1990 the mines closed down bringing to an end a long and proud history. Visitors to this beautiful valley may at any time be surprised to stumble upon the remains of an old mine workings, its abandoned pumps, rusting cables and generators, a poignant reminder of its industrial past. A wonderful Mining Museum close to the village provides information and insight into the ways and the world of a now closed chapter in the life of the Arigna Valley. |
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| This CD is the culmination of two years of work by musicians Colin Beggan and frank Molloy. During that time Colin and frank conducted a series of workshops with community and school groups along with one-to-one interviews that culminated in the writing and recording of eight new songs and three new tunes portraying all aspects of the lives of the miners of the Arigna region and their families. |
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| In contrast to other countries, the mining tradition in Ireland didn’t make its way into folklore and music very much until now. This is in sharp contrast to the American or English contexts where a rich repertoire of poetry, music and song has recorded and archived the experiences of mining communities and their working lives. Scars on the Mountain addresses this imbalance and brings the stories and folklore of Arigna to the fore. |
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| The region has a long tradition of mining dating back to the 1600’s when Charles Coote established an iron works there. While the last iron works closed in 1838, coal mining continued to provide employment. For a time Arigna was a relatively affluent area through times of extreme poverty elsewhere, because of the constant availability of employment. Over the next 150 years coal was used to heat homes and hospitals, and to power steam engines. The ESB opened the coal fired Arigna Power Station in 1958, the first major power generating station in Connacht. But through the next decades the higher grade reserves of coal became depleted and other forms of power generation came on stream. By the 1980’s, the winding down of the Power Station commenced and in 1990 the mines closed for the final time. With almost every family in Arigna dependant on the income from the mine, the blow to the community was significant. |
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| The opening of the Arigna Mining Experience in 2003 is an indication of the determination and passion within this community to preserve a history which had meant so much for so many generations. This new CD will be yet another source of considerable local interest and pride. The project is of course all that more significant for all the members of the community young and old who have been the sounding board, the inspiration and the motivation behind the work and played a part in its creation. |
