Mineral exploration and development firm Sunrise Resources has signed a new drilling contract with Priority Drilling for an Irish project.

The new contract allows drilling to recommence at the company’s Derryginagh barite project in south-west Ireland in October 2011.

Once started, the drilling program is expected to take about six weeks to complete with assay results becoming available about six weeks after completion, Sunrise said.

Priority Drilling has been operating in Ireland since 1956, currently with 25 surface diamond drill rigs and nine underground rigs.