In 1795, a local schoolmaster discovered gold in the Aughatinavought River, a tributary of the River Aughrim since renamed Gold Mines River that rises on the slopes of Croghan Kinsella mountain. During the subsequent gold rush, some of gold was recovered from the river by local prospectors, including a single nugget weighing , the largest lump of gold ever discovered in Ireland and Britain. The mine workings were subsequently seized by the British government who extracted a further of gold. Various attempts have been made to locate the motherlode on Croghan Kinsella but to no avail.