Locals and businesses in the villages of Moyne and Templetouhy are preparing for life without its leading employer.
Lisheen Mine is now 12 months away from full closure with the first 38 redundancies from the 360 employees sought this week.
The Vedanta run operation has been the main employer in the area since it began operations in 1997
There has been criticism of the IDA's efforts to secure a replacement for Lisheen – however Fine Gael TD Noel Coonan says efforts are being made.
He cited the recent announcement that the former Dawn Fresh Foods plant in Fethard had been taken over by RibWorld as an example of how work can take place behind the scenes.
