About Arigna
Arigna’s rich history and heritage brought to life by immersive underground tours

Truly Unique Experience
Coal was mined here in the Arigna Valley from the 1700s through to 1990, when the mines were closed. With massive community and Government support, the Derreenavoggy Mine reopened as a visitor attraction in 2003. Since then, close to 400,000 people have enjoyed the Arigna Mining Experience, making this community-inspired initiative one of the most popular local attractions in Roscommon.
Discover Arigna Mining Experience in Pictures
Weaving your way through the beautiful scenery of the Leitrim and Roscommon countryside, you’ll see our building, impressively designed to resemble the slack heap that would typically be part of a coal mining operation.
Voices from the Mines
“As a miner, your necessities were a No.6 and No.8 shovel, a 4 lb hammer, a wedge, a carbide lamp, carbide, and your lunch which was a bottle of tea, sandwiches, and a bottle of water.”
– Gerry Cullen, Tour Guide / Ex-Miner
Plan Your Visit
Facilities
Café & Gift Shop
Free Parking
Fully Wheelchair Accessible
Getting Here
We’re situated in the heart of Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, just a short drive from Carrick-on-Shannon and Sligo
Opening Times
Open All Year
Tours Daily 10am to 5pm
Tour Lasts 45 Minutes
What Visitors
Are Saying
“A great little mining taster for the 4 of us, the boys 9 and 12 thought it was great and thoroughly enjoyed the guided tour, it’s a short walkabout tour, no ducking or crawling around”
– David M.
#8 Top Irish Attractions on Tripadvisor
EXCELLENT Based on 1040 reviews Swirley63Verified A great experience! Do go out of the way to visit here! We were camping nearby Arigna at Lough Arrow and were recommended to visit by our hosts. We are so glad we came. As our Guide Gerard said, it’s a bit out of the way but well worth the effort. There’s plenty of parking too. The Centre has great facilities, an audio visual area about the history and geology of the mines, old photographs and then we were taken in to be togged up hairnets and helmets ⛑️ and start the tour with Gerard. It was fascinating seeing how the miners worked and Gerard recounted this first hand. I really loved the poem he told us at the end. There’s a lovely cafe here, we had tea and cake - a friendly service here and a fabulous view over Lough Allen. Garrett CVerified Tour to a coal mine. Super informative tour from a guide who is an ex miner. Lovely location and good cafe for family bites. Nice option on a rainy day. Aoife WVerified A great rainy day trip Fascinating tour given by Gerry who provided a first hand experience of life working in the mine and day to day life for these families. We attended with our small children and it was a great trip to do on a rainy day. The kids loved it too and our guide was patient and interactive with the kids and all those attending the tour. All staff we encountered were friendly and we learned a lot. Well worth a visit, we would recommend to people with young kids also. ldupton2015Verified Worth every penny & distance travelled . Amazing history , very moving tour . Reception staff , Tour guides and cafe staff all very friendly & helpful. Very well worth the money & the travel to get there . Scott MVerified Absolutely worth a visit. Excellent experience, opened our eyes to the physicality and bravery that went into extracting coal from the earth! Our guide Gerard/Gerry was excellent and it was fantastic to have a former miner from the site who started working the mine at 15! Give it a go it’s not everyday you get to go down a coal mine! Ed HVerified Fantastic tour Fascinating tour led by Jimmy, an ex-minerReally interesting to be taken into the mines and have it explained by someone who worked there. Jimmy told fantastic stories of life as a miner, and was great at ensuring our children could see and hear everything. The staff in the cafe and gift shop were also really helpful. shamus67Verified Well worth the drive. It’s a drive but well worth it, lovely tour by Gerald ( ex-miner). The accent is strong but the information is wonderful. An enjoyable hour at the site. Cafe and gift shop also on site. Penni PragaVerified It moved me to tears. Go! An absolute must see for everyone! The stories, the hardships, the seeing the mine first hand… absolutely should be mandatory for everyone. Michael, our tour guide worked there when it was active and his insight was invaluable. I was moved to tears! Aoife OVerified Mining experience Very good experience, very good to have a tour guide who has experience in a mine. Really unique and interesting and lovely café and gift shop. Beautiful views outside also would be lovely on a nice day to sit outside and have a coffee after the experience. Jackie23Verified 5 star attraction Highly recommend this place. Our tour guide was very informative and full of knowledge. We got a fine day and the view was exceptional.

Exhibition & Tour
Here you can explore an extensive display of historical documents, photographs and mining equipment.

Private & Group Tours
Whether you’re planning a day out for your class, your year or your social club, we welcome groups of any size.
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