Josef Sönser, as the mine manager at International Mogul Mines (Ireland), would collect mineral specimens from the mine. After work he took the specimens into the shower with him to clean off the mud before heading for home. In that way, he obtained one of the world's largest collections from this mine. After the mine closed in 1974, Josef moved to Kitchener with his family, and in 2007 donated his collection to the Royal Ontario Museum and the Earth Sciences Museum at the University of Waterloo. Josef continues to be fascinated with the "gifts that nature brings us".