Arkle Res Regulatory News (ARK)

24th February 2011

Connemara Mining Company plc

("Connemara" or the "Company")

Drilling Begins on Thurles Block

The directors of Connemara (AIM:CON) the AIM listed Irish zinc explorer are pleased to announce that drilling has begun on their three-licence Thurles block near the Lisheen zinc mine in Tipperary.

The initial programme is 3 x 300 metre holes, the locations of which have been selected after regional and detailed geophysics followed by geological modeling.

The initial holes will be drilled on the northern hanging wall of faults along the floors of the Littleton Inlier. The target is a Lisheen type zinc / lead discovery.

John Teeling, Chairman, commented:

"Zinc in Ireland is a good story. Our discovery at Stonepark, that of Xstrata / Minco beside us and reported extensions at the Navan and Lisheen zinc mines combine well with strong demand and prices to produce an industry in good health. Our ground in the Thurles area is prospective sharing many of the characteristics of the nearby Lisheen mine. We have reviewed all existing data on the licences and conducted detailed geophysics. As a result we have identified three targets. This is high risk early stage exploration but the potential is good."

This announcement has been reviewed and approved by the Company's technical director Graham Reid (P.Geo) in his capacity as the Qualified Person for the purposes of the AIM Guidance Note for Mining, Oil and Gas Companies issued by the London Stock Exchange. Mr Reid is a Member of The Institute of Geologists of Ireland (IGI) and The Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and has over 30 years experience in mineral and site investigation fields.

www.connemaramining.com