La Zarza Testwork Update

Ormonde Mining PLC
05 December 2005

05 December 2005



Ormonde Mining plc



Positive Results from Initial Gold Recovery Tests, La Zarza Gold-Copper Project



DUBLIN & LONDON: 05 December 2005 - Ormonde Mining plc ("Ormonde" or "the
Company") reports positive developments in gold recovery tests on a sample from
the La Zarza Gold-Copper Project in southern Spain.



Initial tests on the Gold Composite sample show that:



  • Up to 60 per cent of the gold can be recovered by standard flotation
    procedures to first stage copper and lead concentrates; final cleaned
    concentrates should be saleable directly to smelters.



  • Up to a further 30 per cent of the gold goes into a pyrite concentrate;
    ongoing testwork, including ultra-fine grinding and leaching, will determine
    the amount of additional gold that can be extracted from this pyrite
    concentrate.



  • A combination of gold recovered to saleable flotation concentrates and
    gold recovered from pyrite concentrates should achieve total gold recoveries
    higher than originally targeted.





Kerr Anderson, Managing Director, said today,



"The unexpected recovery of a significant proportion of the gold by standard
flotation to copper and lead concentrates is a very positive development which
gives the Company considerable confidence in the testwork programme.  I believe
that we are on track to achieve at least our target gold recovery and, together
with our recent high copper recovery results, this is an early but very
significant step towards proving the viability of the La Zarza project."





The metallurgical testwork programme, being carried out by Wardell Armstrong
International in Cornwall, U.K., is investigating the most appropriate method to
recover the economic minerals from gold and copper resources at La Zarza.  Two
composite samples, the "Gold Composite" and the "Copper Composite", are being
tested.  On 14th November the Company reported that initial testwork on the
Copper Composite has indicated copper recoveries in excess of 80 per cent, with
further optimization steps in progress.



Follow-up testwork, including cleaning, optimization and variability testwork,
will be ongoing through to early 2006.  The results of the various tests will be
used in the Preliminary Assessment Study (previously referred to as the "
economic scoping study"), which will determine the most appropriate ore
processing option based on metal recovery, processing costs and capital costs.





Enquiries to:



Kerr Anderson, Managing Director,

Ormonde Mining plc   Tel: [phone]



Fraser Gardiner, Director,

Ormonde Mining plc   Tel: [phone]



Simon Rothschild,

Bankside Consultants   Tel: [phone]   Mobile: [phone]



ENDS





BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Ormonde Mining is quoted on the AIM and IEX markets in London and Dublin,
respectively.  The Company is focused on acquiring and developing gold projects
in Spain where it has a strong local Spanish management team, supported by a
Board with extensive exploration expertise in the region and mine development
experience.



For more information and contact details including email, please visit
www.ormondemining.com.


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange