By Helen Riddell

THE Allihies Copper Mine Museum is looking for volunteers to help them make audio recordings of the names of over 1,000 Beara men who are buried in unmarked graves in Leadville, Colorado.   

Committee member Niall O’Sullivan explained that they plan to record each man’s name being spoken, the recordings will then form part of an official memorial which will be unveiled in Leadville this September. 

Allihies has long had strong links with Butte Montana, with many Beara men emigrating there to seek work when the copper mines in Allihies closed. 

However, Niall says it was only in the last ten years that it was discovered that many first went Leadville first to work in the area’s silver mines, which proved a tough experience for many, as Leadville is over 10,000ft over sea level, the average age of many of the Irish men who died was 23. 

‘The initiative to memorialise the men was instigated by Irish American historian Prof Jim Walsh from the University of Colorado, who estimated that in 1800s, two out of every five people living in Leadville, came from the Beara peninsula.’ The memorial will be located in the Evergreen cemetery in Leadville and will comprise a spiral walkway leading to a bronze sculpture of a miner by Wicklow-based Terry Brennan.      

Niall explained how part of the memorial will feature a listing of the names of all those buried in the cemetery.  

‘For many of those buried in Leadville, this will be the first time their names have been spoken out loud in decades.  

‘We plan to use the recordings in a number of ways. They will be on our website, and converted to QR codes for the actual memorial so as well as reading the names, people can hear their names being spoken.’

Those who are interested in taking part in the project must be able to travel to the museum in Allihies, and there is no age limit, says Niall. 

‘We’ve made a start on the recordings and have had some teenagers come along to read out the names.  

‘We would particularly like if any families with a connection to mining in Allihies would be able to take part.’

Anyone who would like to take part in the project can contact Niall at [email protected] or call the museum on 027 73218.