Save Our Sperrins is a community movement of frontline land defenders in the Sperrin Mountains of County Tyrone, Ireland. The campaign recently marked the beginning of a second decade of resistance to a devastating mining project from the Canadian firm Dalradian. The proposed mine threatens to sacrifice land, air, and water for the U.S. war machine’s global push to control the supply chains that enable AI weaponry, including gold, copper, and ‘critical minerals.’
So-called critical minerals (a military term) are the raw materials for tech dystopia. The connection is stark: for example, Jacob Helberg, a senior advisor to Alex Karp of Palantir, was tapped to spearhead Pax Silica, the State Department’s flagship initiative to secure the supply chains for the entire technology stack of AI warfare.
Orion Resource Partners, the U.S. parent company of Dalradian, works directly with Helberg. Most recently, they closed a major deal in the DRC on the basis of U.S. ‘security’ [military] support. Orion also has major allies in Congress, four of whom have directly intervened to support the Dalradian mine in Ireland alongside the Epstein confidant and now-disgraced former British Ambassador to the U.S., Lord Peter Mandelson. One of those Congressional allies was Eric Swalwell, the similarly disgraced former co-chair of the Critical Minerals Caucus, who recently resigned his seat in the East Bay district built around national labs and defense tech infrastructure.
On 13 April 2026, an eight-week public inquiry into the mine reconvened after collapsing in early 2025. When the inquiry concludes, a decision will be made. If this mine is allowed to proceed, it would be a huge win for Pax Silica, AI warfare, and companies like Palantir and Oracle - and a devastating loss for people and ecosystems.
Currently, Breaking the Firewall, a media collective building solidarity in the Irish diaspora and beyond through storytelling, culture and analysis, is supporting our comrades in Save our Sperrins through awareness, education, and advocacy. We have every reason to believe that members of Congress and political leaders in Ireland alike are responsive to U.S. public opinion in this issue, and we intend to make our voices heard.
To connect with Save Our Sperrins directly, visit them at dontmineus.com and follow on Instagram at @save_our_sperrins.
We’ll provide resources and updates for fellow supporters outside of Ireland here at breakingthefirewall.org, and via our Instagram at @breakingthefirewall.
And In the meantime, check out the link library below ⬇️ and please drop us an email if you’d like to help support this campaign!
