IMC Exploration Group plc (IMC), announce the start of a 1,000m drilling programme at its West Avoca property on PL 3850 Co. Wicklow, Ireland. The Avoca Mine is estimated to have contained 16 million tonnes of 0.6% copper which was exported as a concentrate that contained ‘payable grades of gold and silver’ (Williams et al., 1986). In addition, in situ zinc and lead mineralization is present at West Avoca over a minimum strike length of c. 300m. When the Avoca mine ceased operation in 1982 (due mainly to the low price of copper prevailing at that time), significant amounts of ore were left in place. With the copper price recently at an all-time high, IMC has reassessed historical records along strike to the southwest from the Avoca mine, and interprets there is a 1.2km minimum strike length that has either been only partially tested or else has specific targets remaining to be drill tested. At the north-eastern end of the 1.2km strike length outlined by IMC, historical drilling encountered 13.3m grading 3.7% Zn 1.8% Pb and 5.3m grading 1.9% Cu. At the south-western end, historical assays include 5.8m grading 0.5% Cu with 0.9m grading 0.5 g/t Au. Widely spaced drillholes within the 1.2km strike extent have assayed 10m grading 1.1% Cu and 9.0m grading 10.25% Zn and 4.78% Pb. Gold grades of up to 0.4 g/t Au over 4.5m have been recorded and represent a highly positive ‘credit’ when taken in consideration with the high copper and zinc grades. In the West Avoca area, zinc-lead mineralization overlies copper-gold mineralization. Much of the historical drilling has not tested the deeper (c. 200m depth) copper-gold mineralization. This programme is planned to test the down dip extent of the zinc-lead mineralization and assess the mostly untested underlying copper-gold mineralization.