[1] The deposit was discovered in 1970 by Brian Byrne in conjunction with Derek Michael Romer while working for Pat Hughes' Northgate Exploration.

The planning conditions for the Tara mines included: Broken ore is delivered to one of five underground crushers and reduced in size to less than 150mm before being carried by conveyor to a 3,600t capacity storage bin at the base of the production shaft.

Tara Mines is connected by railway to Drogheda via Navan, where daily loads of ore are sent to Dublin Port.

In 2009 production was again threatened as demand for zinc, used to galvanise steel for the car and construction industries, declined sharply due to the slowdown in the global economy.

The mine was temporarily closed again in July 2023 due to factors including a fall in zinc prices and increased energy costs, with Boliden aiming to reopen the facility in the second quarter of 2024.