Lead and silver were drawn from the ground here during a period when similar operations were scattered across the west of Ireland, driven by outside capital and the fluctuating fortunes of European metal markets.

The Glengowla mine worked lead-bearing ore from deposits in the local limestone, and silver was recovered as a by-product of the smelting process. Operations at the site are understood to date from the mid-nineteenth century, a period when mining ventures across Connacht attracted significant investment, often from English and Scottish concerns seeking returns from Irish mineral rights. The physical remnants of such sites typically include shaft openings, spoil heaps, and the stone footprints of engine houses or processing buildings, all of which give a legible shape to what was once a noisy and dangerous working environment.