This Day in Irish History

On September 15, 1795, workers felling timber near the Goldmines River in County Wicklow discovered gold in the gravel and roots of an uprooted tree. Word quickly spread, and people from the surrounding countryside abandoned their ordinary work to search the riverbanks for their fortune.

Using household sieves, pans, and simple tools, thousands of people descended on the valley near Woodenbridge. By October, more than 4,000 people had gathered there, searching for gold or providing goods and services to those who had come to search. The largest reported nugget weighed 22 ounces and was later presented to King George III.

The authorities eventually took control of the area, bringing the first great rush to an end on October 15. Government mining continued for several years, but despite extensive searching, the source of the gold was never discovered.

Today, the Goldmines River flows quietly through the Wicklow landscape, preserving the memory of the extraordinary month when gold fever swept Ireland.