Irish Marine Oil (IMO) has started a drilling programme on its Shinrone licence block in Tipperary and Offaly. At least five drill holes are to be drilled before Christmas. IMO said the target on the licence is a Lisheen or Silvermines type zinc-lead orebody. The drilling will be carried out as part of IMO's joint venture with Noranda, the Canadian mining group. Noranda has already defined a number of anomalies which warranted drill testing following an airborne geophysics programme.