Ireland Inc. (fka IRLD)

[B7$4]

"IRLD News" Ireland Inc. Announces First Gold and Silver Poured From Pilot Plant Operations at Columbus Project
Testing and Optimization of Pilot Plant Operations Continues on a 24/7 Basis

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ireland-inc-announces-first-gold-and-silver-poured-from-pilot-plant-operations-at-columbus-project-2010-05-24?reflink=MW_news_stmp

HENDERSON, Nev., May 24, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Ireland Inc. /quotes/comstock/11k!irld (IRLD 0.70, 0.00, 0.00%) , an exploration and development company focused on the discovery and extraction of gold and silver from mineral deposits in the Southwestern United States, today announced that it has poured the first gold and silver from the pilot plant operations at its Columbus Project in Esmeralda County, Nevada.

Pilot Plant Test Results

Pilot plant leach circuit installation was completed in the first quarter this year. Its first two test runs of the pilot plant were designed to prove that the thiosulphate leach Carbon-in-Pulp circuit was capable of extracting gold and silver from larger tonnages of the Columbus Project clays. The goal of subsequent test runs of the pilot plant will be to optimize and maximize the amount of precious metals extracted from the clays.

The results of the first two test runs are as follows:

-- First test run: 8.07 grams of gold (0.259 troy oz "toz") and 28.41 grams of silver (0.913 toz), extracted as metal in hand, from ~25.6 tons of material.

-- Second test run: 11.69 grams of gold (0.376 toz) and 39.45 grams of silver (1.268 toz), extracted as metal in hand, from ~33. 0 tons of material.

The gold and silver metal was extracted following ashing of the carbon. These first two tests were completed during the commissioning of the thiosulphate leach Carbon-in-Pulp circuit of the pilot plant. Tests are now underway to determine the loading rates and loading capacity of the carbon in order to optimize the recovery rates of precious metals from the leach slurry.

"It is very gratifying to see the first gold and silver produced from our onsite pilot plant operations," stated Douglas D.G. Birnie, Chief Executive Officer of Ireland Inc. "This is another very significant milestone in the evolution of our technical program as we take the steps necessary to complete a feasibility study of the Columbus Project."

Pilot Plant Operations

Ireland is now operating its pilot plant circuit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (except for maintenance down-time or circuit adjustments). This will now allow for:

-- Processing of larger tonnages of Columbus material,

-- Optimizing the leach/carbon circuit for maximum gold and silver recovery, and

-- Providing regular status updates on the Columbus Project's progress.

"The primary objective of our first tests was to prove that the pilot plant facility could extract gold and silver from continuous runs of large tonnages of mineralized clays at the Columbus Project," Mr. Birnie said. "This goal has been achieved. Our next series of tests will focus on maximizing the amount of gold and silver extracted. These tests will involve optimizing both the leach and the carbon loading parameters so that precious metal recoveries can be calculated."