Area of Work
Valentia Slate Quarry was first opened commercially in 1816 by the Knight of Kerry and is Ireland’s only surviving slate quarry. Valentia Slate has exceptional strength, a very low porosity and pleasing tactile properties and colour. The quarry has been a producer of naturally split roofing slate and sawn slabs throughout its history and at one time exported most of its products. Today the quarry seeks to again supply high quality architectural projects and in particular to green buildings. Local natural stone, including Valentia Slate has a lower embodied carbon than any manufactured and/or imported building material and the quarry has embarked on a programme of LCA investigations to demonstrate this definitively.