IRELAND INC. - FORM 10-K - March 30, 2012

Attached files

file	filename
EXCEL - IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT - IRELAND INC.	Financial_Report.xls
EX-95.1 - MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES - IRELAND INC.	exhibit95-1.htm
EX-10.5 - MANAGEMENT EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT FOR DAVID Z. STRICKLER - IRELAND INC.	exhibit10-5.htm
EX-31.2 - CERTIFICATION OF PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER - IRELAND INC.	exhibit31-2.htm
EX-32.1 - CERTIFICATION OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER - IRELAND INC.	exhibit32-1.htm
EX-31.1 - CERTIFICATION OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER - IRELAND INC.	exhibit31-1.htm
EX-32.2 - CERTIFICATION OF PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER - IRELAND INC.	exhibit32-2.htm
EX-23.1 - CONSENT OF BROWN ARMSTRONG ACCOUNTANCY CORPORATION - IRELAND INC.	exhibit23-1.htm

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

[X] ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011

[__] TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from _____to _____

COMMISSION FILE NUMBER 000-50033

IRELAND INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

NEVADA	91-2147049
State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

2441 West Horizon Ridge Parkway, Suite 100
Henderson, Nevada	89052
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip Code)

(702) 932-0353
Registrant's telephone number, including area code

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: NONE.

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: Common Stock, $0.001 Par Value Per Share.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined by Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
[__] Yes [X] No

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.
[__] Yes [X] No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
[X] Yes [__] No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (s. 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).
[X] Yes [__] No

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (s229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. [X]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer [__]	Accelerated filer [__]
Non-accelerated filer [__] (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)	Smaller reporting company [X]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).
[__] Yes [X] No

State the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold, or the average bid and asked price of such common equity, as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter:
$39,741,507.49 as of June 30, 2011, based on an average of the closing bid of $0.21 and the closing ask of $0.765 as quoted by the OTC Bulletin Board on that date.

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.
As of March 26, 2012, the Registrant had 137,012,641 shares of common stock outstanding.

IRELAND INC.

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS

			PAGE
PART I			3
	ITEM 1.	BUSINESS.	3
	ITEM 1A.	RISK FACTORS.	6
	ITEM 2.	PROPERTIES.	10
	ITEM 3.	LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.	20
	ITEM 4.	MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.	20
PART II			21
	ITEM 5.	MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES	21
	ITEM 7.	MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATION.	22
	ITEM 9.	CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE.	30
	ITEM 9A.	CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.	30
	ITEM 9B.	OTHER INFORMATION	30
PART III			31
	ITEM 10.	DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.	31
	ITEM 11.	EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION	33
	ITEM 12.	SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS	37
	ITEM 13.	CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE	41
	ITEM 14.	PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES	42
	ITEM 15.	EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.	42
SIGNATURES			44

PART I

The information in this discussion contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding the Company's capital needs, business strategy and expectations. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "plan," "intend," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate,” "predict," "potential" or "continue," the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology. Actual events or results may differ materially. In evaluating these statements, you should consider various factors, including the risks described below, and, from time to time, in other reports the Company files with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). These factors may cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement. The Company disclaims any obligation to publicly update these statements, or disclose any difference between its actual results and those reflected in these statements.

As used in this Annual Report, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” “Ireland,” and the “Company” mean Ireland Inc. and its subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated. All dollar amounts in this Annual Report are expressed in U.S. dollars, unless otherwise indicated.

ITEM 1.

BUSINESS.

General

We were incorporated on February 20, 2001 under the laws of the State of Nevada. We are a minerals exploration and development company focused on the discovery and extraction of precious metals from mineral deposits in the Southwestern United States.

In February 2008, we acquired our lead project, a prospective gold, silver and calcium carbonate property located in Esmeralda County, Nevada, that we call the “Columbus Project.” The Columbus Project consists of 25,498 acres of placer mineral claims, including a 378 acre Permitted Mine Area (58-acre mill site and mill facility and 320-acre mine site). Our current permits allow us to mine up to 792,000 tons per year to 40 feet in depth for the purpose of extracting precious metals and calcium carbonate from the Permitted Mine Area. We also have a mineral lease covering, and the option to acquire, an additional 23,440 acres of placer mineral claims adjoining the current project area (the “DDB Claims”). Our current exploration efforts are focused on the North and South Sand Zones of the Columbus Project.

In addition to the Columbus Project, we own the right to acquire a prospective gold, silver and tungsten property located in San Bernardino County, California, that we call the “Red Mountain Project.”

Recent Corporate Developments

The following significant corporate developments occurred after the completion of our fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2011:

Increased Mineralized Material Estimates for North Sand Zone

In October 2011, we announced that we had increased our mineralization estimates for the North Sand Zone of the Columbus Project to 145 million (MM) tons of mineralized sand, up from 83 MM tons as previously estimated. This brings the total estimated mineralization for the North and South Sand Zones of the Columbus Project to 174 MM tons of mineralized sand, consisting of 145 MM tons in the North Sand Zone, and 29 MM tons in the South Sand Zone. The increased mineralization estimates were a result of analysis done on drill samples from our 2010 drill program. A total of 34 holes have been drilled in the North Sand Zone. These holes outlined a zone covering an area of approximately 0.67 square miles, to a depth of 200 feet, with a weight mean average head grade of 0.034 opt Au and 0.179 opt Ag (gold equivalent (AuE)¹of 0.038 ounces per ton (opt)).

^{_________________________________________
1}AuE opt = Au opt + 0.025 Ag opt

Extension of Options Granted to Executive Officers under 2007 Stock Incentive Plan

On December 13, 2011, our Board of Directors approved an extension of certain options granted to the following executive officers on March 30, 2007 as follows:

		No. of	Exercise	Previous	Extended
Optionee	Position	Options	Price	Expiry Date	Expiry Date

Douglas D.G. Birnie	Director / Chief Executive Officer	2,200,000	$0.05	30-Mar-2012 (orig. 30-Mar-09)	30-Mar-2017
Robert D. McDougal	Director / Chief Financial Officer	500,000	$0.05	30-Mar-2012 (orig. 30-Mar-09)	30-Mar-2017

The extended options had previously been extended from their original expiration date of March 30, 2009 to March 30, 2012.

In addition to extending the options granted to the our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, our Board of Directors approved an extension of an additional 500,000 options granted to a consultant of the Company. The extended options were also granted on March 30, 2007, are exercisable at a price of $0.05 per share, and have an extended expiry date of March 30, 2017.

Testing on Gravity Concentration Circuit

In January and February 2012, we released the results for three tests completed by our independent metallurgical consultants, AuRIC Metallurgical Laboratories, LLC of Salt Lake City, UT using a new gravity concentration process on bulk samples taken from the North Sand Zone. All tests were conducted at AuRIC’s laboratory facilities in Salt Lake City, utilizing modified operating parameters on the same gravity concentration process. These test results all exceeded our 75% gold extraction rate goals for the Columbus Project. We are continuing to work on optimizing the extraction circuit. Once we have settled the operating parameters for the gravity concentration circuit to our satisfaction, we will seek to upgrade our onsite pilot plant at the Columbus Project. A more detailed description of these tests is contained under Item 2 of this Annual Report in our description of our planned Mining and Recovery Methodology for the Columbus Project.

In addition to demonstrating potential extraction rates for the Columbus Project, these tests indicated that more gold was extracted by leaching concentrates derived from large samples than was predicted by caustic fusion assay on small head samples (approx. 5g). We believe that these results are consistent with the nugget effect common in alluvial deposits such as those found at the Columbus Project, and point to the need to process large samples and the extraction of gold in hand to best determine the head grade of the project.

Issuance of Securities under Private Placement Offerings

In February and March 2012, we sold an aggregate of 9,560,000 units (each a "Unit") at a price of $0.50 per Unit in separate concurrent private placement offerings for total aggregate proceeds of $4,780,000 as described below. Each Unit was comprised of one share of our common stock and one share purchase warrant (each a “Warrant”), with each Warrant entitling the holder to purchase an additional share of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.80 per share for a period expiring March 31, 2015. After September 30, 2012, we may accelerate the expiration date of the Warrants if the volume weighted average price for our common stock exceeds $2.40 per share for 20 consecutive trading days.

US Private Placement: We sold an aggregate of 9,260,000 Units to U.S. persons for total gross proceeds of $4,630,000 pursuant to the provisions of Rule 506 of Regulation D of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Each U.S. subscriber except one represented that they were an accredited investor as defined under Regulation D of the Securities Act. The one non-accredited investor was provided with the disclosure required by Rule 502 of Regulation D and provided representations that investor otherwise met the requirements under Rule 506 for persons that do not qualify as an accredited investor.

Offshore Private Placement: We sold a total of 300,000 Units to non-U.S. persons for total gross proceeds of $150,000 pursuant to the provisions of Regulation S of the Securities Act. We did not engage in a distribution of the Offshore Private Placement in the United States. Each of the subscribers represented that they were not “US persons” as defined in Regulation S of the Securities Act and that they were not acquiring the shares for the account or benefit of a US person.

Finder’s Fees: We agreed to pay total finder’s fees of $14,000 in cash and 28,000 share purchase warrants (the “Finder’s Warrants”) in respect of Units sold under the US Private Placement and the Offshore Private Placement. In addition, we will pay the finder an additional cash fee of 4% of the exercise price of any warrants exercised by the subscribers introduced by the finder. The finder is a registered broker dealer pursuant to Section 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Competition

We are a mineral resource exploration and development company. We compete with other mineral resource exploration and development companies for the acquisition of new mineral properties, the services of contractors, equipment and financing. Many of the mineral resource exploration and development companies with whom we compete may have greater access to a limited supply of qualified technical personnel and contractors and to specialized equipment needed in the exploration, development and operation of mineral properties. This could have an adverse effect on our ability to explore and develop our properties in a timely manner. In addition, because many of our competitors are more established and have a longer operating history than us, they may have greater access to promising mineral properties.

In addition, many of our competitors have greater financial resources than us. Accordingly, these competitors may be able to spend greater amounts on acquisitions of mineral properties of merit, on exploration of their mineral properties and on development of their mineral properties. In addition, they may be able to afford greater geological expertise in the targeting and exploration of mineral properties. This may make our competitors more attractive to potential investors and could adversely impact our ability to obtain additional financing if and when needed.

Government Regulations

The mining industry in the United States is highly regulated. We intend to secure all necessary permits for the exploration of the Columbus Project and the Red Mountain Project and, if development is warranted on the properties, will file final plans of operation prior to starting any mining operations. The consulting geologists that we hire are experienced in conducting mineral exploration activities and are familiar with the necessary governmental regulations and permits required to conduct such activities. As such, we expect that our consulting geologists will inform us of any government permits that we will be required to obtain prior to conducting any planned activities on the Columbus Project and the Red Mountain Project. We are not able to estimate the full costs of complying with environmental laws at this time since the full nature and extent of our proposed mining activities cannot be determined until we complete our exploration program.

If we enter into the development or production stages of any mineral deposits found on our mineral properties, of which there are no assurances, the cost of complying with environment laws, regulations and permitting requirements will be substantially greater than in the exploration phases because the impact on the project area is greater. Permits and regulations will control all aspects of any mineral deposit development or production program if the project continues to those stages because of the potential impact on the environment. Examples of regulatory requirements include:

Water discharge will have to meet water standards;
Dust generation will have to be minimal or otherwise remediated;
Dumping of material on the surface will have to be recontoured and revegetated;
An assessment that all material to be left on the surface will need to be environmentally benign;
Ground water will have to be monitored for any potential contaminants;
The socio-economic impact of the project will have to be evaluated and if deemed negative, will have to be remediated; and,
There will have to be a report of the potential impact of the work on the local fauna and flora.

Employees

As of the date of this Annual Report, other than our officers and directors, we have 10 full-time employees and 1 part-time employee.

Research and Development Expenditures

We have not incurred any research or development expenditures since our incorporation.

ITEM 1A.

RISK FACTORS.

The following are some of the important factors that could affect our financial performance or could cause actual results to differ materially from estimates contained in our forward-looking statements. We may encounter risks in addition to those described below. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us, or that we currently deem to be immaterial, may also impair or adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operation.

Although we have installed the leach circuit of the onsite pilot production module for the Columbus Project, there is no assurance that this project is commercially feasible.

We have begun testing and optimizing the onsite pilot production module at the Columbus Project. This pilot production module is part of our pre-feasibility study for the Columbus Project and is designed to evaluate the commercial viability of the Columbus Project. There is no assurance that the results of our pre-feasibility program will result in a decision to enter into commercial production.

Additional exploration work is required before proved or probable reserves can be established.

We intend to report the results of our exploration activities promptly after those results have been received and analyzed. However, there is no assurance that the test results reported by us will be indicative of extraction rates throughout our mineral properties. We have not yet established proved or probable reserves on the Columbus Project or on our other mineral properties and additional exploration work will be required before proved or probable reserves can be established.

We will require additional financing to complete our exploration and development programs for our mineral projects.

We expect to spend approximately $5,670,000 on the exploration and development of our Columbus and Red Mountain Projects and the general costs of operating and maintaining our business and mineral properties during the twelve months ending December 31, 2012. We do not currently have sufficient financial resources to pay for our anticipated expenditures for that period. We anticipate that our existing financial resources are sufficient only to pay for the anticipated costs of our exploration and development programs until October 31, 2012. We will require additional financing to complete our planned exploration and development plans. In addition, actual costs of completing our exploration and development plans could be greater than anticipated and we may need additional financing sooner than anticipated. If we are unable to obtain sufficient financing to complete our planned exploration and development plans, we will scale back our plans depending upon our existing financial resources. We do not currently have any financing arrangements in place.

Our ability to obtain future financing will be subject to a number of factors, including the variability of market prices for gold and silver, investor interest in our mineral projects, and the performance of equity markets in general. These factors may make the timing, amount, terms or conditions of additional financing unavailable to us. If we are not able to obtain financing when needed or in an amount sufficient to enable us to complete our programs, we may be required to scale back our exploration and development programs.

If we complete additional financings through the sale of our common stock, our existing stockholders will experience dilution.

The most likely source of future financing presently available to us is through the sale of shares of our common stock. The only other anticipated alternative for the financing of further exploration would be the offering by us of an interest in our mineral properties to be earned by another party or parties carrying out further exploration thereof, which is not presently contemplated. In addition, if our management decides to exercise the right to acquire a 100% interest in the Red Mountain Project, we will be required to issue significantly more shares of our common stock. Issuing shares of our common stock, for financing purposes or otherwise, will dilute the interests of our existing stockholders.

In order to maintain the rights to our mineral properties, we will be required to make annual filings with federal and state regulatory agencies and/or be required to complete assessment work or pay fees in respect of those properties.

In order to maintain the rights to our mineral projects, we will be required to make annual filings and pay fees with federal and state regulatory authorities. On June 16, 2011, the Governor of Nevada approved Senate Bill 493 (SB 493), which repealed a one-time tiered fee hike on mining claims in Nevada. SB 493 also eliminated a number of tax deductions that had previously been available for companies with mining operations in Nevada. However, we are currently an exploration stage company and do not have significant mineral extraction activities or any revenues from mining operations and do not expect the elimination of these tax deductions to have a significant impact on our current exploration activities or financial prospects. However, if we do, in the future engage in significant mineral extraction operations, of which there is no assurance, the elimination of these tax deductions could affect our future financial results.

In addition to claim maintenance fees, we may be required by federal and/or state legislation or regulations to complete minimum annual amounts of mineral exploration work on our mineral properties. A failure by us to meet the annual maintenance requirements under federal and state laws could cause our mineral rights to lapse.

Because we are an exploration stage company, we face a high risk of business failure.

To date, our primary business activities have involved the acquisition of mineral claims and the exploration and development on these claims. We have not earned any revenues as of the date of this report. Potential investors should be aware of the difficulties normally encountered by exploration stage companies and the high rate of failure of such enterprises. The likelihood of success must be considered in light of the problems, expenses, difficulties, complications and delays encountered in connection with the exploration of the mineral properties that we plan to undertake. These potential problems include, but are not limited to, unanticipated problems relating to exploration, and additional costs and expenses that may exceed current estimates.

Because we anticipate that our operating expenses will increase prior to earning revenues, we may never achieve profitability.

Prior to exiting the exploration stage, we anticipate that we will incur increased operating expenses without realizing any revenues. We therefore expect to incur significant losses into the foreseeable future. We recognize that if we are unable to generate significant revenues from the exploration of our mineral claims and the production of minerals thereon, if any, we will not be able to earn profits or continue operations. There is no history upon which to base any assumption as to the likelihood that we will prove successful, and we may not be able to ever generate any operating revenues or achieve profitable operations. If we are unsuccessful in addressing these risks, our business will most likely fail.

Because of the speculative nature of exploration of mining properties, there is substantial risk that no commercially exploitable minerals will be found.

The search for valuable minerals as a business is extremely risky. Although we have been encouraged by the results of the exploration work conducted by us to date, further exploration work is required before proven or probable reserves can be established, and there are no assurances that we will be able to establish any proven or probable reserves. Exploration for minerals is a speculative venture, necessarily involving substantial risk. The expenditures to be made by us may not result in the discovery of commercial quantities of ore. Problems such as unusual or unexpected formations and other conditions are involved in mineral exploration and often result in unsuccessful exploration efforts.

Because of the inherent dangers involved in mineral exploration, there is a risk that we may incur liability or damages if and when conducting mineral exploration activities.

The search for valuable minerals involves numerous hazards. As a result, when conducting exploration activities we may become subject to liability for such hazards, including pollution, cave-ins and other hazards against which we cannot insure or against which we may elect not to insure. The payment of such liabilities may have a material adverse effect on our financial position.

Even if we establish proven or probable reserves on our mineral claims, we may not be able to successfully reach commercial production.

We anticipate using a low cost, high volume surface dredge operation to mine the Columbus Project. Our pre-feasibility program for the Columbus Project is designed to test and optimize our planned mining process for the Columbus Project. There is no assurance that this pre-feasibility program will result in a decision to enter into commercial production. In addition, expanding our production facilities to accommodate commercial operations is expected to require substantially more financial resources than what we currently have available to us.

There is a risk that we will not be able to obtain such financing if and when needed.

Even if we can successfully reach commercial production, any change to mining laws or regulations or levy of additional taxes in the future may make our planned production process nonviable economically.

Several bills have been introduced by the US federal government that would levy resource taxes on mineral exploration companies. Any levy of additional taxes would have an adverse effect on our business. In addition, laws and regulations governing the exploration of mineral properties and the mining process are subject to change. Changes to mining laws and regulations that would have the effect of increasing the cost of mineral exploration and mining activities would adversely impact our business.

We are subject to compliance with government regulations. The costs of complying with these regulations may change without notice, and may increase the anticipated cost of our exploration and development programs.

There are several government regulations that materially restrict the exploration of minerals. We will be required to obtain work permits, post bonds and perform remediation work for any physical disturbance to the land in order to comply with these laws. While our planned exploration program budgets for regulatory compliance, there is a risk that new regulations could increase our costs of doing business and prevent us from carrying out our exploration program.

In addition, if our applications for permits from the relevant regulatory bodies are denied, we may not be able to proceed with our exploration and development programs.

If we decide to pursue commercial production, we may be subject to an environmental review process that may delay or prohibit commercial production.

Our planned method for mining the Columbus Project is not expected to generate any significant long term environmental impact. However, we have not yet had a comprehensive environmental review conducted on our planned mining operations for the Columbus Project.

Compliance with an environmental review process may be costly and may delay commercial production. Furthermore, there is the possibility that we would not be able to proceed with commercial production upon completion of the environmental review process if government authorities do not approve our mine or if the costs of compliance with government regulation adversely affected the commercial viability of the proposed mine.

The market for our common stock is limited and investors may have difficulty selling their stock.

Our shares are currently traded on the over the counter market, with quotations entered for our common stock on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol “IRLD.” However, the volume of trading in our common stock is currently limited. As a result, holders of our common stock may have difficulty selling their shares.

Because our common stock is a penny stock, stockholders may be further limited in their ability to sell their shares.

Our shares constitute a penny stock under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and are expected to remain classified as a penny stock for the foreseeable future. Classification as a penny stock makes it more difficult for a broker-dealer to sell the stock into a secondary market, which makes it more difficult for a purchaser to liquidate his or her investment. Any broker-dealer engaged by the purchaser for the purpose of selling his or her shares will be subject to Rules 15g-2 through 15g-9 of the Exchange Act. Rather than having to comply with these rules, some broker-dealers will refuse to attempt to sell a penny stock.

No assurance that forward looking assessments will be realized.

Our ability to accomplish our objectives and whether or not we are financially successful is dependent upon numerous factors, each of which could have a material effect on the results obtained. Some of these factors are in the discretion and control of management and others are beyond management’s control. The assumptions and hypothesis used in preparing any forward-looking assessments contained herein are considered reasonable by management. There can be no assurance, however, that any projections or assessments contained herein or otherwise made by management will be realized or achieved at any level.

If we are, or were, a U.S. real property holding corporation, non-U.S. holders of our common stock or other security convertible into our common stock could be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the gain from the sale, exchange, or other disposition of such security.

If we are or ever have been a U.S. real property holding corporation (a “USRPHC”) under the Foreign Investment Real Property Tax Act of 1980, as amended (“FIRPTA”) and applicable United States Treasury regulations (collectively, the “FIRPTA Rules”), unless an exception described below applies, certain non-U.S. investors in our common stock (or options or warrants for our common stock) would be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the gain from the sale, exchange or other disposition of shares of our common stock (or such options or warrants), and such non-U.S. investor would be required to file a United States federal income tax return. In addition, the purchaser of such common stock, option or warrant would be required to withhold from the purchase price an amount equal to 10% of the purchase price and remit such amount to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

In general, under the FIRPTA Rules, a company is a USRPHC if its interests in U.S. real property comprise at least 50% of the fair market value of its assets. If we are or were a USRPHC, so long as our common stock is “regularly traded on an established securities market” (as defined under the FIRPTA Rules), a non-U.S. holder who, actually or constructively, holds or held no more than 5% of our common stock is not subject to U.S. federal income tax on the gain from the sale, exchange, or other disposition of our common stock under FIRPTA. In addition, other interests in equity of a USRPHC may qualify for this exception if, on the date such interest was acquired, such interests had a fair market value no greater than the fair market value on that date of 5% of our common stock. Any of our common stockholders (or owners of options or warrants for our common stock) that are non-U.S. persons and own or anticipate owning more than 5% of our common stock (or, in the case of options or warrants, of a value greater than the fair market value of 5% of our common stock) should consult their tax advisors to determine the consequences of investing in our common stock (or options or warrants). We have not conducted a formal analysis of whether we are or have ever been a USRPHC. We do not believe that we are or have ever been a USRPHC. However, if we later determine that we were a USRPHC, then we believe that we would have ceased to be a USRPHC as of June 1, 2005 and that non-U.S. holders would not be subject to FIRPTA with respect to a sale, exchange, or other disposition of shares of our common stock (or options or warrants) after June 1, 2010.

FOR ALL OF THE AFORESAID REASONS AND OTHERS SET-FORTH AND NOT SET-FORTH HEREIN, AN INVESTMENT IN OUR SECURITIES INVOLVES A CERTAIN DEGREE OF RISK. ANY PERSON CONSIDERING TO INVEST IN OUR SECURITIES SHOULD BE AWARE OF THESE AND OTHER FACTORS SET-FORTH IN THIS REPORT AND IN THE OTHER REPORTS AND DOCUMENTS THAT WE FILE FROM TIME TO TIME WITH THE SEC AND SHOULD CONSULT WITH HIS/HER LEGAL, TAX AND FINANCIAL ADVISORS PRIOR TO MAKING AN INVESTMENT IN OUR SECURITIES. AN INVESTMENT IN OUR SECURITIES SHOULD ONLY BE ACQUIRED BY PERSONS WHO CAN AFFORD TO LOSE THEIR TOTAL INVESTMENT.

ITEM 2.

PROPERTIES.

We currently lease office space located at Suite 100, 2441 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway, Henderson, NV 89052 at a rate of $5,975 per month. The lease terms expired on August 31, 2008, and we continue to rent the existing space on a month-to-month basis.

We currently own an interest in, or rights to, two mineral projects that we refer to as the Columbus Project and the Red Mountain Project.

THE COLUMBUS PROJECT

The Columbus Project is a sediment hosted gold and silver exploration project located in western Nevada. It is comprised of 584 mining and millsite claims which cover 48,938 acres and an additional 80 acres of private land, for a total of 49,018 acres. It includes a permitted and operational pilot plant and mine site. We currently own a 100% stake in 149 of the claims (which we refer to as the “CSM Claims”), 100% stake in additional 288 claims (which we refer to as the “Ireland Claims”), with rights to an additional 147 peripheral claims (which we refer to as the “DDB Claims”).

LOCATION

The mineral claims that make up the Columbus Project are located in the Columbus Salt Marsh, Esmeralda County, Nevada, northwest of Coaldale Junction, approximately 50 miles west of Tonopah (Fig. 1) halfway between Las Vegas and Reno. Access is from the junction of US6 and Nevada Highway 95, approximately 10 miles north of Coaldale Junction, to a gravel road westerly to the mill site and to the remains of the town of Columbus.

The Columbus Salt Marsh is an enclosed basin and is a dry lake bed for the majority of the year. All surface drainage from a surrounding 360 square mile area flows into the Columbus Salt Marsh.

Figure 1: Location of Columbus Project

TITLE AND OWNERSHIP RIGHTS TO THE CSM CLAIMS, IRELAND CLAIMS AND THE DDB CLAIMS

The CSM Claims and the Ireland Claims are wholly owned by Columbus S.M., LLC (“CSM”). CSM is a wholly owned subsidiary of Columbus Minerals Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ireland Inc.

The DDB Claims are wholly owned by a mining syndicate known as the DDB Syndicate. Lawrence E. Chizmar, Jr., a former member of our Board of Directors (and a former director of Columbus Brine Inc. (“CBI”), the former owner of CSM and the CSM claims) and a limited liability company controlled by Douglas D.G. Birnie, our President and Chief Executive Officer, and a member of our Board of Directors, are each the owners of a 1/8 interest in the DDB Syndicate. The remaining members of the DDB Syndicate are made up of the former officers and directors of CBI, the brother of a former officer and director of CBI, and certain affiliates of Nanominerals Corp. (“Nanominerals”). Nanominerals is a significant shareholder in our Company. Mr. Birnie also owns a 3.5% interest in Nanominerals. The DDB Claims were located by the DDB Syndicate in February 2007, prior to Mr. Birnie’s, Nanominerals’ or Mr. Chizmar’s involvement with our Company. Mr. Birnie also acquired his interest in Nanominerals prior to his involvement with our Company.

Figure 2: Columbus Project Property Map

Our rights to the DDB Claims are pursuant to the terms of a mining lease with the DDB Syndicate dated November 30, 2007 (the “DDB Agreement”). The DDB Agreement provides us with a five year lease on the DDB Claims, ending on November 29, 2012, with an option to purchase the DDB Claims at anytime during the lease period. To date, we have paid the DDB Syndicate $220,000 under the terms of the DDB Agreement. Under the option rights provided under the DDB Agreement, we may purchase the DDB Claims at any time by either:

	(a)	paying the DDB Syndicate the purchase price of $400,000 (with all previously made rental payments credited against such purchase price); or

	(b)	paying the DDB Syndicate $10, plus granting the DDB Syndicate a royalty of 2% of net smelter returns on the DDB Claims.

Current budget includes a payment to the DDB Syndicate of $180,000 in 2012 to fulfill the purchase agreement for the DDB claims.

ACCESS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

The Columbus Project contains an operational pilot plant, lab and living facilities with power supplied by generators and water from an onsite well. Water used for processing is available from existing wells located on the surrounding basin (the “Columbus Basin”). There is also a high voltage grid located at the Candelaria Mines, approximately three miles from the Columbus Project.

Permits have been obtained for the extraction of precious metals and the production of calcium carbonate from an area of interest consisting of approximately 378 acres, including millsite, roads and mineable acreage.

HISTORY

The Columbus area has had mining activity for over 100 years. Silver was discovered in 1863 in the area of the Candelaria Mine, to the northwest of the Columbus Basin. These deposits were mined intermittently by different companies through 1999, producing large quantities of silver and minor gold. Salt was first mined in the Columbus Salt Marsh in 1864, followed by borax in 1871. Precious metals were thought to exist in the basin sediments as early as the late 19^thcentury but no production is documented. Mining ceased in the Columbus Marsh around the beginning of the 20^thcentury.

The Columbus Project is located in an area that has historically been known as a well mineralized region. A silver and gold mining operation known as the Candelaria Mine is located approximately five miles northwest of the Columbus Project. The Round Mountain project is a gold operation located approximately 60 miles northeast of the Columbus Project. The Clayton Valley Brine Project, a lithium extraction project, is located approximately 25 miles southeast of the Columbus Project.

GEOLOGY

The Columbus Project covers a flat enclosed basin with a surface composed of salt deposits and is primarily devoid of vegetation. Older sediments, which host the silver deposits of Candelaria, underlie several sequences of volcanic rocks, with the youngest being the 15Ma Gilbert Andesite. The region has undergone older thrust faulting, which hosts the Candelaria deposits, and later extensional faulting as a result of movement along the Walker Lane. The Columbus Basin is one of several structural basins in the region caused by right lateral movement along the Walker Lane and the subsequent clockwise rotation and oblique extensional down dropping of the blocks within this structural domain.

EXPLORATION ACTIVITIES

Exploration and development work to date has identified three different host materials (sand, clay, brine) each of which could potentially contain commercial quantities of gold and silver mineralization within the project area. The sand zones outcrop on the western side of the Columbus basin and dip gently eastward. The clay zones also outcrop and overlay the sand zones. The brine zone occurs as an aquifer at some 400 feet depth underlying the sand/clay zones. Our exploration efforts to date have focused on drilling both the sand and clay zones within the approximately 5,000 acre Columbus Project Area of Interest outlined by previous geochemical exploration work. Our recent work has focused on the North Sand Zone.

To date, 34 holes have been drilled in the North Sand Zone. Analyses of drill samples have outlined a deposit covering approximately 0.67 square miles, to a depth of 200 feet beneath the surface of the Columbus Marsh Basin, with a weight mean average head grade of .034 opt Au and 0.179 opt Ag (.038 opt AuE. We estimate the drill-inferred tonnage of mineralized sands within this zone at approximately 145 million (MM) tons. In addition, the drill-inferred tonnage of the mineralized sands within the South Sand Zone, to a depth of 100 feet, is currently estimated at approximately 29 MM tons with a weight mean average head grade of 0.036 opt Au and 0.182 opt Ag (0.041 opt AuE) , resulting in a total of 174MM tons. Previous drilling has indicated that the mineralized sands in both North and South Sand Zones extend below 200 feet in depth.

We have been granted the permit for our 2012 drill program, which will consist of 31 drill holes to a depth of at least 200 feet. The drill program will cover an additional 0.48 square miles adjacent to the North Sand Zone. The goal of this program is to expand the boundaries of the North and South Sand Zones. Following completion of the 2012 drill program, we will re-evaluate the boundaries of the sand zones, the quantity of the tonnage contained therein and the quality of the mineralization estimates within these areas.

Figure 3: Map of North and South Sand Zones

Historical Surface Sampling Program and Drill Programs

Near surface basin sediment samples were taken in late 2006 and early 2007 and analyzed by Arrakis Inc. (“Arrakis”), an independent engineering lab based in Denver, Colorado. 64 surface samples, four shallow boring samples, and a bulk sample were taken and analyzed using a four acid total digestion and atomic absorption analysis. Samples were analyzed for Au, Ag, Cu, and Fe. This work led to the discovery of a 5,000 acre surface gold anomaly in the northwestern part of the basin. This gold anomaly is the primary focus of current exploration and development work. The Permitted Mine Area (320 acres) is situated in the north end of this zone.

An 18-hole hollow stem auger drill program was undertaken in Q3 2007 in the Permitted Mine Area to establish mineral potential at depth. Samples were 18” in length, taken every 10’ with a split spoon sampler. Material was analyzed by Arrakis using a 3-acid modified version of aqua regia. A split was analyzed by CBI staff at the onsite facility using a standard fire assay and it was found that standard fire assay was ineffective. Repeated firing of the slag showed that various amounts of the metals remained in the slag after each firing.

Encouraging results warranted a second drill program, managed by independent consultants McEwen Geological LLC (“McEwen”), which took place in Q2-Q3 2008, consisting of 39 widely spaced holes and a total of just less than 10,000 feet using sonic drilling technology. 25 holes were drilled in the ‘A’ program, 14 holes in the ‘B’ program. For this program, holes were drilled to a maximum depth of 400’. The sonic drilling resulted in continuous sample material, therefore providing an improved representation of each drill interval. Samples were sent to Arrakis and AuRIC for analysis under chain of custody protocols.

A follow up drilling program was initiated in Q2 of 2009 to delineate mineralized zones and further define the extent of gold and silver mineralization potential in the project area. 58 holes, for a total of 15,270 feet, were drilled as a follow up to the ~10,000 feet drilled in 2008. Sample intervals were changed from 10’ to 20’ because of the homogeneity of the sample material. Again, the drill material was stored in polyethylene bags in the onsite core facility. Samples were submitted to AuRIC for caustic fusion analysis under chain of custody protocols. In addition, 211 clay samples were taken at various depths for density determinations.

In 2010, we drilled 28 holes in the North Sand Zone and 147 short holes in the permitted mine clay zone. As the sand zones are the focus of the technical program, the samples from the clay zone drilling have been inventoried and will be analyzed later.

To date, 34 holes have been drilled in the North Sand Zone. Analyses of drill samples have outlined a deposit covering approximately 0.67 square miles, to a depth of 200 feet beneath the surface of the Columbus Marsh Basin, with a weight mean average head grade of 0.038 opt AuE. We estimate the drill-inferred tonnage of mineralized sands within this zone at approximately 145 million (MM) tons. In addition, the drill-inferred tonnage of the mineralized sands within the South Sand Zone, to a depth of 100 feet, is currently estimated at approximately 29 MM tons of 0.041 opt AuE, resulting in a total of 174MM tons. Previous drilling has indicated that the mineralized sands in both North and South Sand Zones extend below 200 feet in depth.

2012 Drill Program

We have been granted the permit for our 2012 drill program, which will consist of 31 drill holes to a depth of at least 200 feet. The drill program will cover an additional 0.48 square miles adjacent to the North Sand Zone. The goal of this program is to expand the North and South Sand Zones. Following completion of the 2012 drill program, the Company will re-evaluate the boundaries of the sand zones, the quantity of the tonnage contained therein and the quality of the resource definition within these areas.

MINERALIZATION MODEL

Geologic Model

The lakebed clay varies in color, moisture content, texture, and organic content. Because of the wide drill hole spacing, it is not possible to correlate between individual clay units. At present, the clay will not be sub-classified and will be referred to as a single unit. Average dry bulk density of the clay, taken from the 200+ samples, is 1.198 tons/yd³(1.423 tonnes/m³).

Along the western edge of the project area, alluvial material occurs as ‘fans’ which descend beneath the clay toward the center of the basin. The depth to this sand was gridded and contoured. This information is very useful for determining where this sand unit might be encountered during future drilling. In general, changes in sand depth parallel the basin. The average dry bulk density of the sands is 1.165 ton/yd³ (1.383 tonnes/m³). The sand zone averages 91.4% -1/4” as determined from 258 screen analysis of sonic drill samples from 0-200 ft. depth.

Mineralization Model

Results from the drill program in the North Sand Zone were used by us to estimate the drill-inferred tonnage of mineralized sands within this zone at approximately 145 million (MM) tons, with a weight mean average gold equivalent (AuE) head grade of 0.038 ounces per ton (opt). In addition, the drill-inferred tonnage of the mineralized sands within the South Sand Zone, to a depth of 100 feet, is currently estimated at approximately 29 MM tons of 0.041 opt AuE, resulting in a total of 174MM tons. Previous drilling has indicated that the mineralized sands in both North and South Sand Zones extend below 200 feet in depth. All results are reported in total Au equivalent (AuE), calculated using the formula Au(opt)+0.025Ag(opt)=AuE(opt) (based on $/oz Au:$/oz Ag=40:1).

Zone	Million tons (short)	Sample Grade (AuE opt)
North Sand Zone	145	0.038
South Sand Zone	29	0.041
TOTAL	174	0.039

The North Sand Zone is comprised of mostly sand, but also contains some silt and clays. The South Sand Zone is also in the sand unit, with consistently high assays. Even though the South Sand Zone is two dimensional, it is highly likely that these zones are contemporaneous and this southern zone is of exploration significance.

We had also previously identified 5 mineralized zones totaling approximately 230 million tons of material within the clays of the Columbus Basin. These areas are currently not the focus of our technical program due to their high clay/carbon content and more difficult metallurgy.

Analytical Methodology

All reported drill results were determined by caustic fusion assay and analysis of the extracted metal for gold and silver. Sampling and analyses were conducted by qualified independent professionals, under chain of custody procedures, and included blind labeling of samples, the insertion of blanks, standard reference material and repeats to ensure the quality of results.

Independent metallurgists engaged in extensive research and testing before they determined the best pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical methodologies for extracting gold and silver from the organic carbon rich clays and sand at the Columbus Project.

Caustic fusion is a standard pyrometallurgical method used for rock dissolution and subsequent analysis. A caustic fusion protocol was selected as the preferred method for head grade assays, because it has proven to be very effective in liberating and collecting gold and silver, as metal-in-hand, from the Columbus organic carbon rich clays. Independent work has shown that conventional fire assaying, another standard pyrometallurgical method, extracts extremely low gold and silver values from the Columbus Project material.

Thiosulphate leaching is a relatively new, environmentally friendly, hydrometallurgical method for extracting gold and silver from ores. Again, independent work has shown that thiosulphate leaching, followed by resin or carbon extraction, has been very effective in bench and pilot scale tests for the extraction of gold and silver, as “metal-in-hand”, at the Columbus Project. Aqua regia and cyanide leaching tests of head ore proved ineffective and resulted in extremely low gold and silver extraction. It is the thiosulphate leach system that is currently being tested onsite to determine the feasibility of leaching both the clay and sand deposits.

As mentioned previously, the entombment of the precious metals in the organic carbon and clays at the Columbus Project can cause problems of detection by many methods of analysis. In January 2010, the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology (NBMG) reported they found no economically significant amounts of gold and silver in five surface samples from the Columbus Salt Marsh using a variety of assay methods. These results are consistent with the values initially found by our independent consultants using similar methods. However, further research and testing led to the development of a caustic fusion protocol, a thiosulphate leach process and, more recently, a gravity concentrating circuit that has extracted economically significant values of gold and silver as “metal-in-hand,” from samples where conventional fire assay, aqua regia leach and cyanide leach of head ore extracted very low values.

The best assay of any geological sample is by quantifying the extracted metal. That is why we and our consultants rely only on extracted gold and silver as “metal-in-hand” for reporting assay results. The caustic fusion and thiosulphate leach provide “metal-in-hand” on head ore as do caustic fusion, thiosulphate leach and cyanide leach on gravity concentrates. Using these assay methods, together with the quality assurances and quality controls of the drill program, we and our consultants are confident of the results that we have reported from head ore and concentrate samples.

MINING AND RECOVERY METHODOLOGY

The Company currently has a production permit for the Columbus Project. The production permit allows for the extraction of precious metals and the production of calcium carbonate on the 378 acre site (320 acre mine site and 58-acre mill site) at a mine rate of up to 792,000 tons per year. During the period from 2008-2011 the Company developed a dredge mine, constructed a pilot plant and began operations to develop and prove the extractive metallurgy for the Columbus Project. Initial metallurgical testing was primarily focused on extracting gold and silver from the clay material. As previously reported, problems with organic material interfered with the extraction of precious metals from the clays, and this has led us to focus our current efforts on extraction of the precious metals from the sands.

The Company recently announced the results of tests completed by AuRIC Metallurgical Laboratories of Salt Lake City, Utah. AuRIC completed three bulk tests (194 lb., 220 lb., 3,000 lb.) on sand material collected from a single site within the North Sand Zone using a new gravity concentration circuit. The weight mean average results on the tests were: 13:1 concentration ratio; 121% Au recovery; and 42% Ag recovery (0.100 opt AuE², 0.084 opt Au and 0.642 opt Ag).

The purpose of these bulk tests is to determine the net recovery of gold and silver from the Columbus sands. The focus has been on optimizing the new gravity concentration circuit developed specifically for these sands. Readers are cautioned not to place undue weight on the metal grades reported in these tests. The recent gravity concentration tests were completed on material that was probably significantly higher in head grade than the overall average head grade of the North Sand Zone. The area from which these samples were taken may represent an anomaly within the North Sand Zone and may not be representative of the entire zone. The head grade of the sands tested has varied, and will probably continue to vary, at each sample location. The varied head grade of the sands has little relevance, because the contained gold and silver has the same concentrating characteristics. Based on the limited bulk test results, to date, we can make no new assumptions or assertions regarding the overall head grade of the North Sand Zone. Additional gravity concentration tests on bulk samples from different sites within the North Sand Zone are planned.

These test results all exceeded our 75% gold extraction rate goals for the Columbus Project. These gravity concentration tests also indicated that more gold was extracted by leaching concentrates derived from large head samples (88,330 g – 1,363,636 g) than was predicted by the many caustic fusion assays performed on small head samples (5 g each). These results are consistent with the ‘nugget effect’ common in alluvial deposits such as those discovered at the Columbus Project and continue to indicate the need to process large samples and extract the gold and silver in order to best determine the head grade.

AuRIC is currently completing the metallurgical tests and design work in support of the new gravity concentration circuit to be installed at the on-site pilot plant at the Columbus Project. To date, the test work at AuRIC has focused on optimization and scale-up of the capacity of the gravity concentration circuit. The reliability of this new concentrating circuit continues to be verified by the extraction of limited quantities of gold and silver during the course of this work, as previously disclosed.

^{____________________________________
2}AuE opt = Au opt + Ag/40 opt

We are currently installing the framework for upgrades to the Columbus Project on-site pilot plant, and we will move forward with the upgrades upon completion of AuRIC’s tests. After the installation and performance assessment of the on-site gravity concentration circuit, we will commence the bulk testing of up to 2,000 tons of sand material.

If the operation of the pilot plant proves, to our satisfaction, that the Columbus Project is economically viable, we may seek to expand the production permitted area, reconfigure the production process and/or construct additional production circuits within the mill site to increase production capacity. The production model for the Columbus Project is anticipated to be a low cost, high volume mining operation.

Readers are cautioned that, although we believe that the results of our exploration activities to date have been sufficiently positive to proceed with the installation and operation of a pilot processing facility at the Columbus Project millsite, we have not yet established any probable or proven reserves. Additional exploration work will be required before probable or proven reserves can be established. There are no assurances that the results of our pre-feasibility and technical programs will result in a decision to enter into commercial production.

THE RED MOUNTAIN PROJECT

The Red Mountain Project is a potential gold, silver and tungsten project that consists of 60 mineral claims covering approximately 13,729 acres, all located in San Bernardino County and Kern County, California. Title to these mineral claims is currently recorded in the names of a number of individuals who, together, make up a mining syndicate known as Red Mountain Mining (“RMM”). We have been notified that some of the claims making up the Red Mountain Project may conflict with other existing mineral claims and other property rights covering the location of the project. We intend to work with RMM in order to resolve these issues.

RIGHTS TO THE RED MOUNTAIN PROJECT

On July 20, 2011, we entered into an amended and restated option agreement for the Red Mountain Project (the “Amended Red Mountain Option”). The Amended Red Mountain Option replaces the Red Mountain Letter Agreement under which we had previously earned a 30.6% undivided interest in the Red Mountain Project. Under the terms of the Amended Red Mountain Option, we have the option (the “Buyout Option”) to buyout all of the optionor’s interest in the Red Mountain Project by paying to the optionor $200,000 in cash and (i) if the Buyout Option is exercised on or before March 31, 2012, issuing to the optionor $2,800,000 worth of our common stock, or (ii) if the Buyout Option is exercised after March 31, 2012, issuing to the optionor $3,800,000 worth of our common stock. If we exercise the Buyout Option, of which there is no assurance, we will own 100% of the Red Mountain Project. We have until December 31, 2016 to exercise the Buyout Option.

To maintain the Buyout Option, we must (i) pay the optionor the sum of $8,000 per month, and (ii) spend a total of $600,000 on the Red Mountain Project. For every $2,000 that we spend on the Red Mountain Project, we will earn an additional 0.1% undivided interest, up to an additional 29.4% undivided interest (which would bring our total undivided interest in the Red Mountain Project to 60.0%) . On execution of the Amended Red Mountain Option, we prepaid $35,000 to the optionor to be applied against the monthly payment amounts.

The project acreage of all claims under the Red Mountain Option Agreement now totals 13,729.

LOCATION AND ACCESS

The Red Mountain Project is located at the base of Red Mountain, which is 27 miles south of Ridgecrest in San Bernardino County and Kern County, California, approximately 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles. The Red Mountain Project can be accessed by using a gravel road that bisects the project from northwest to southeast.

The Red Mountain Project does not contain any useable infrastructure other than a water well.

Figure 6: Location of the Red Mountain Project

HISTORY

The Red Mountain Project is east of and adjacent to the Rand Mining District, initially discovered in 1894. The Rand Mining District was mined off and on until just recently for gold, silver and tungsten. The majority of the mines in the area consisted of small independent operations. There is currently no commercial mining occurring on the Red Mountain Project site.

GEOLOGY

The area surrounding the Red Mountain Project is highly mineralized with recorded production of gold, silver and tungsten.

Nanominerals had Arrakis review the Red Mountain Project, including the existing reports on work previously done by RMM. RMM has excavated over 100 test pits at the project site and has gravity concentrated the bulk samples taken from these pits. The results of RMM’s tests show values ranging from less than 0.01 troy ounces of gold per ton to over 1.00 troy ounces of gold per ton. Those test results reportedly show an average of 0.06 opt. Arrakis reported that the grades were similar to other grades that have been reported in the area on similar mine sites.

Based on their review of the existing reports and a field visit to the Red Mountain Project site, Arrakis has recommended that we proceed with an exploration program to verify the reported gold grades in RMM’s studies and to test the recoverability in order to assess the economic viability of the Red Mountain Project.

CURRENT EXPLORATION

Our exploration and development program for the Red Mountain Project currently consists of a drilling and sampling program. Currently the Red Mountain Project is not in active development. We have set a budget of $100,000 for the Red Mountain Project for the 12 months ending December 31, 2012.

ITEM 3.

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

We were not a party to any material legal proceedings during the period covered by this Annual Report.

ITEM 4.

MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.

The information concerning mine safety violations or other regulatory matters required by Section 1503(a) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and Item 104 of Regulation S-K is included in Exhibit 95.1 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

PART II

ITEM 5.

MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.

MARKET INFORMATION

Quotations of our common stock are entered on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol “IRLD.” The following is the high and low bid information for our common stock during each fiscal quarter of our last two fiscal years.

		2011				2010
		High		Low		High		Low
First quarter ended March 31	$	0.33	$	0.17	$	1.15	$	0.45
Second quarter ended June 30	$	0.6975	$	0.17	$	0.955	$	0.25
Third quarter ended September 30	$	0.86	$	0.17	$	0.55	$	0.32
Fourth quarter ended December 31	$	0.58	$	0.25	$	0.55	$	0.25

Quotations entered on the OTC Bulletin Board reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, markdown or commission and may not represent actual transactions.

PENNY STOCK RULES

The SEC has adopted rules that regulate broker-dealer practices in connection with transactions in penny stocks. Penny stocks are generally equity securities with a price of less than $5.00, other than securities registered on certain national securities exchanges or quoted on the NASDAQ system, provided that current price and volume information with respect to transactions in such securities is provided by the exchange or system. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document prepared by the SEC, which:

	(a)	contains a description of the nature and level of risk in the market for penny stocks in both public offerings and secondary trading;

	(b)	contains a description of the broker's or dealer's duties to the customer and of the rights and remedies available to the customer with respect to a violation of such duties or other requirements of securities laws;

	(c)	contains a brief, clear, narrative description of a dealer market, including bid and ask prices for penny stocks and the significance of the spread between the bid and ask price;

	(d)	contains a toll-free telephone number for inquiries on disciplinary actions;

	(e)	defines significant terms in the disclosure document or in the conduct of trading in penny stocks; and

	(f)	contains such other information and in such form as the SEC shall require by rule or regulation.

The broker-dealer also must, prior to effecting any transaction in a penny stock, provide the customer with:

	(a)	bid and offer quotations for the penny stock;

	(b)	the compensation of the broker-dealer and its salesperson in the transaction;

	(c)	the number of shares to which such bid and ask prices apply, or other comparable information relating to the depth and liquidity of the market for such stock; and

	(d)	monthly account statements showing the market value of each penny stock held in the customer's account.

In addition, the penny stock rules require that, prior to a transaction in a penny stock that is not otherwise exempt from those rules, the broker-dealer must:

	(a)	make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser; and

	(b)	receive from the purchaser his or her written acknowledgement of receipt of the determination and a written agreement to the transaction.

These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the trading activity in the secondary market for our common stock and therefore stockholders may have difficulty selling those securities.

REGISTERED HOLDERS OF OUR COMMON STOCK

As of March 26, 2012, there were 215 registered holders of record of our common stock. We believe that a large number of stockholders hold stock on deposit with their brokers or investment bankers registered in the name of stock depositories.

DIVIDENDS

We have not declared any dividends on our common stock since our inception and we do not expect to declare any dividends in the foreseeable future. We expect to spend any funds legally available for the payment of dividends on the development of our mineral properties. There are no provisions in our Articles of Incorporation or bylaws that limit our ability to pay dividends on our common stock. Chapter 78 of the Nevada Revised Statutes (the “NRS”), does provide certain limitations on our ability to declare dividends. Section 78.288 of Chapter 78 of the NRS prohibits us from declaring dividends where, after giving effect to the distribution of the dividend:

	(a)	we would not be able to pay our debts as they become due in the usual course of business; or

	(b)	except as may be allowed by our Articles of Incorporation, our total assets would be less than the sum of our total liabilities plus the amount that would be needed, if we were to be dissolved at the time of the distribution, to satisfy the preferential rights upon dissolution of stockholders who may have preferential rights and whose preferential rights are superior to those receiving the distribution.

RECENT SALES OF UNREGISTERED SECURITIES

All unregistered equity sales during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011 have been previously disclosed in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K.

ITEM 7.

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATION.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this report. This discussion and analysis may contain forward-looking statements based on assumptions about our future business. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including but not limited to those set forth under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report.

This discussion presents management’s analysis of our results of operations and financial condition as of and for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2011. The discussion should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and the notes related thereto which appear elsewhere in this report.

Executive Overview

During the next twelve months, we intend to proceed with our exploration and development program for the Columbus Project, while the Red Mountain Project remains not in active development.

The Columbus Project

The technical program for the Columbus Project has two primary objectives: (a) to identify the mineral resources and (b) to determine the feasibility of mining and extracting precious metals from the project.

(a)	Mineral Resources: Exploration and development work to date has identified three different host materials (sand, clay, brine) each of which could potentially contain commercial quantities of gold and silver mineralization within the project area. The sand zones outcrop on the western side of the Columbus basin and dip gently eastward. The clay zones also outcrop and overlay the sand zones. The brine zone occurs as an aquifer at some 400 feet depth underlying the sand/clay zones. Our exploration efforts to date have focused on drilling both the sand and clay zones within the approximately 5,000 acre Columbus Project Area of Interest outlined by previous geochemical exploration work. Our recent work has focused on the North Sand Zone.

	To date, 34 holes have been drilled in the North Sand Zone. Analyses of drill samples have outlined a deposit covering approximately 0.67 square miles, to a depth of 200 feet beneath the surface of the Columbus Marsh Basin, with a weight mean average head grade of 0.038 opt AuE. We estimate the drill- inferred tonnage of mineralized sands within this zone at approximately 145 million (MM) tons. In addition, the drill-inferred tonnage of the mineralized sands within the South Sand Zone, to a depth of 100 feet, is currently estimated at approximately 29 MM tons of 0.041 opt AuE, resulting in a total of 174MM tons. Previous drilling has indicated that the mineralized sands in both North and South Sand Zones extend below 200 feet in depth.

	We have been granted the permit for our 2012 drill program, which will consist of 31 drill holes to a depth of at least 200 feet. The drill program will cover an additional 0.48 square miles adjacent to the North Sand Zone. The goal of this program is to expand the boundaries of the North and South Sand Zones. Following completion of the 2012 drill program, the Company will re-evaluate the boundaries of the sand zones and the quantity of the tonnage contained therein and the quality of the mineralization estimates within these areas.

(b)	Feasibility Study/Mining and Recovery Methodology: The Company currently has a production permit for the Columbus Project. The production permit allows for the extraction of precious metals and the production of calcium carbonate on the 378 acre site (320 acre mine site and 58-acre mill site) at a mine rate of up to 792,000 tons per year. During the period from 2008-2011 the Company developed a dredge mine, constructed a pilot plant and began operations to develop and prove the extractive metallurgy for the Columbus Project. Initial metallurgical testing was primarily focused on extracting gold and silver from the clay material. As previously reported, problems with organic material interfered with the extraction of precious metals from the clays, and this has led Ireland to focus on extraction of precious metals from the sands.

	We recently announced the results of tests completed by AuRIC Metallurgical Laboratories of Salt Lake City, Utah. AuRIC completed three bulk tests (194 lb., 220 lb., 3,000 lb.) of sand material collected from a single site within the North Sand Zone using a new gravity concentration circuit. These test results all exceeded our 75% gold extraction rate goals for the Columbus Project. The weight mean average results on the tests were as follows: 13:1 concentration ratio; 121% Au recovery; and 42% Ag recovery (0.100 opt AuE³, 0.084 opt Au and 0.642 opt Ag).

	The purpose of these bulk tests was to determine the net recovery of gold and silver from the Columbus sands. The focus has been on optimizing the new gravity concentration circuit developed specifically for these sands. Readers are cautioned not to place undue weight on the metal grades reported in these tests. The recent gravity concentration tests were completed on material that was probably significantly higher in head grade than the overall average head grade of the North Sand Zone. The area from which these samples were taken may represent an anomaly within the North Sand Zone and may not be representative of the entire zone. The head grade of the sands tested has varied, and will probably continue to vary, at each sample location. The varied head grade of the sands has little relevance, because the contained gold and silver has the same concentrating characteristics. Based on the limited bulk test results, to date, we can make no new assumptions or assertions regarding the overall head grade of the North Sand Zone. Additional gravity concentration tests on bulk samples from different sites within the North Sand Zone are planned.

^{_____________________________________
3}AuE opt = Au opt + 0.025 Ag opt

These gravity concentration tests also indicated that more gold was extracted by leaching concentrates derived from large head samples (88,330 g – 1,363,636 g) than was predicted by the many caustic fusion assays performed on small head samples (5 g each). These results are consistent with the ‘nugget effect’ common in alluvial deposits such as those discovered at the Columbus Project and continue to indicate the need to process large samples and extract the gold and silver in order to best determine the head grade.

Readers are cautioned that, although we believe that the results of our exploration activities to date are sufficiently positive to proceed with the installation and operation of a pilot production circuit for the Columbus Project, we have not yet established any probable or proven reserves. There is no assurance that we will be able to establish that any commercially extractable ore reserves exist on the Columbus Project or that we will enter into commercial production.

We anticipate spending approximately $5,390,000 on our exploration and development program and $280,000 on our capital expenditures for the Columbus Project from January 1, 2012 until December 31, 2012.

The Red Mountain Project

Sampling and Drilling Program: Our exploration and development program for the Red Mountain Project currently consists of a Drilling and Sampling program. Currently the Red Mountain Project is not in active development. We have set a budget of $100,000 for property payments and maintenance costs for the Red Mountain Project for the year ending December 31, 2012. We have reallocated funds originally budgeted towards the Red Mountain Project in order to provide us with maximum flexibility in achieving our technical milestones at our lead project.

Critical Accounting Policies

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Our management routinely makes judgments and estimates about the effects of matters that are inherently uncertain.

We have identified certain accounting policies, described below, that are most important to the portrayal of our current financial condition and results of operations. Our significant accounting policies are also disclosed in the notes to our audited consolidated financial statements for the period ended December 31, 2011 included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Use of estimates – The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. By their nature, these estimates are subject to measurement uncertainty and the effect on the financial statements of changes in such estimates in future periods could be significant. Significant areas requiring estimates and assumptions include the valuation of stock-based compensation, impairment analysis of long-lived assets, accrued reclamation and remediation costs and realizability of deferred tax assets. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Mineral Rights - We capitalize acquisition and option costs of mineral property rights. The amount capitalized represents fair value at the time the mineral rights are acquired. We capitalize acquisition and option costs of mineral rights as tangible assets. Upon commencement of commercial production, the mineral rights will be amortized using the unit-of-production method over the life of the mineral rights. If we do not continue with exploration after the completion of a feasibility study, the mineral rights will be expensed at that time.

Mineral Property Acquisition Costs - Costs of acquiring mining properties are capitalized upon acquisition. Mine development costs incurred either to develop new ore deposits, expand the capacity of mines, or to develop mine areas substantially in advance of current production are also capitalized once proven and probable reserves exist and the property is a commercially mineable property. Costs incurred to maintain current production or to maintain assets on a standby basis are charged to operations. Costs of abandoned projects are charged to operations upon abandonment. We evaluate the carrying value of capitalized mining costs and related property and equipment costs to determine if these costs are in excess of their recoverable amount whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amounts may not be recoverable. The periodic evaluation of carrying value of capitalized costs and any related property and equipment costs are based upon expected future cash flows and/or estimated salvage value in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 360-10-35-15, Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets.

Mineral Exploration and Development Costs - Exploration expenditures incurred prior to entering the development stage are expensed and included in “Mineral exploration and evaluation expenses”.

Property and Equipment – Property and equipment is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is principally provided on the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which are generally 3 to 39 years. The cost of repairs and maintenance is charged to expense as incurred. Expenditures for property betterments and renewals are capitalized. Upon sale or other disposition of a depreciable asset, cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any gain or loss is reflected in other income (expense).

Impairment of long-lived assets – We review and evaluate our long-lived assets for impairment at each balance sheet date due to our planned exploration stage losses and document such impairment testing. Mineral properties in the exploration stage are monitored for impairment based on factors such as our continued right to explore the property, exploration reports, drill results, technical reports and continued plans to fund exploration programs on the property.

The tests for long-lived assets in the exploration, development or producing stage that would have a value beyond proven and probable reserves would be monitored for impairment based on factors such as current market value of the mineral property and results of exploration, future asset utilization, business climate, mineral prices and future undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use of the related assets. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to the estimated future net undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the asset, including evaluating its reserves beyond proven and probable amounts.

Our policy is to record an impairment loss in the period when it is determined that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable either by impairment or by abandonment of the property. The impairment loss is calculated as the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds its fair value. To date, no such impairments have been identified.

Reclamation and Remediation Costs (Asset Retirement Obligation) - For our exploration stage properties, we accrue the estimated costs associated with environmental remediation obligations in the period in which the liability is incurred or becomes determinable. Until such time that a project life is established, our records the corresponding cost as an exploration stage expense. The costs of future expenditures for environmental remediation are not discounted to their present value unless subject to a contractually obligated fixed payment schedule. As reclamation work is performed or liabilities are otherwise settled, the recorded amount of the liability will be reduced.

Future reclamation and environmental-related expenditures are difficult to estimate in many circumstances due to the early stage nature of the exploration project, the uncertainties associated with defining the nature and extent of environmental disturbance, the application of laws and regulations by regulatory authorities and changes in reclamation or remediation technology. We periodically review accrued liabilities for such reclamation and remediation costs as evidence indicating that the liabilities have potentially changed becomes available. Changes in estimates are reflected in the consolidated statement of operations in the period an estimate is revised.

We are in the exploration stage and are unable to determine the estimated timing of expenditures relating to reclamation accruals. It is reasonably possible that the ultimate cost of reclamation and remediation could change in the future and that changes to these estimates could have a material effect on future operating results as new information becomes known.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our financial position was as follows at December 31, 2011:

		2011		2010

Cash	$	521,660	$	1,602,179
Short-term investments	$	-	$	878,608
Current liabilities	$	214,554	$	227,138
Accrued reclamation costs	$	572,338	$	275,338
Stockholders' equity	$	33,899,968	$	33,824,589

During 2011, our liquidity position was affected by the following:

Continued exploration stage losses of $3,888,629. Significant non-cash expenses included depreciation of $821,891 and share based compensation of $1,180,667. Significant non-cash income included the income tax benefit of $2,590,393.
Purchases of new equipment in the amount of $118,558.
Purchase of restricted investments held for reclamation bonding of $275,285.
Net proceeds from the completion of a private placement offering of $2,757,554.
Short-term investments were reclassified to restricted investments held for reclamation bonds.

During 2010, liquidity position was affected by the following:

Continued exploration stage losses of $4,691,054. Significant non-cash expenses included depreciation of $553,791 and share based compensation of $1,232,927. Significant non-cash income included income tax benefit of $1,965,945.
Purchases of new equipment in the amount of $872,493.
Purchase of short-term investments of $879,553.
Net proceeds from the completion of a private placement offering of $4,792,007.
Proceeds for the exercise of stock options of $25,000.

Looking Forward

We have budgeted for the following cash expenditures for the period from January 1, 2012 until December 31, 2012:

Columbus Project
	Property Payments	$	180,000
	Drilling Program and Mineralization Estimates		1,317,000
	Pilot Plant / Project Feasibility		2,001,000
	Total for Columbus Project	$	3,498,000
Red Mountain Project
	Property Acquisition and Maintenance Costs	$	100,000
	Sampling Exploration Program
	Total for Red Mountain Project	$	100,000
General and Administration
	Total for General and Administration	$	1,792,000
Total Expected Expenses		$	5,390,000
Total Expected Capital Expenditures		$	280,000
Total Expected Cash Expenditures		$	5,670,000

In 2012, we will continue to focus our efforts on developing the Columbus Project, resulting in the following expectations for 2012:

Our management anticipates that the minimum cash requirements for funding our proposed exploration programs and our continued operations through December 31, 2012 will be approximately $5,670,000. As of March 21, 2012, we had cash reserves in the amount of approximately $4,300,000. Our current financial resources are not expected to be sufficient to allow us to meet the anticipated cash expenditures for the year ended December 31, 2012. We anticipate that our current financial resources will be sufficient only to pay for the anticipated costs of our exploration and development activities to October 31, 2012. We will require additional financing to complete our planned exploration and development plans. If we are unable to obtain additional financing, we will adjust our operating plan depending upon our existing financial resources.
Subsequent to our fiscal year end we sold an aggregate of 9,560,000 Units under our US and Offshore Private Placements for total gross proceeds of $4,780,000. We do not have any additional financing agreements in place.
Our 2012 budget includes capital expenditures of $280,000; however, we do not have any commitments for capital expenditures.

Certain key factors will affect our future financial and operating results. These include, but are not limited to the following:

We have not yet earned any operational revenues since our inception. We may not generate sufficient revenues from our proposed business plan in the future to achieve profitable operations. If we are not able to achieve profitable operations at some point in the future, we eventually may have insufficient working capital to maintain our operations as we presently intend to conduct them or to fund our expansion plans. Our current financial resources may not be sufficient to allow us to meet our anticipated cash expenditures during 2012 and we may require additional financing. We do not currently have any financing arrangements in place, and there are no assurances that we will be able to obtain additional financing in an amount sufficient to meet our needs or on terms that are acceptable to us.
Obtaining additional financing is subject to a number of factors, including the market prices for base and precious metals, investor interest in our mineral projects, and the performance of equity market in general. These factors may make the timing, amount, terms or conditions of additional financing unavailable to us. If adequate funds are not available or if they are not available on acceptable terms, our ability to fund our business plan could be significantly limited and we may be required to suspend our business operations.

For these reasons, our financial statements filed herewith include a statement that these factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our ability to continue as a going concern will be dependent on our raising of additional capital and the success of our business plan.

Results of Operations

Revenue

We have not earned any operational revenues since our inception and we do not anticipate earning revenues until our mineral properties enter into commercial production, of which there are no assurances. Our pilot production plant at the Columbus Project is currently being operated for pre-feasibility testing purposes only. We are currently in the exploration stage of our business and we can provide no assurances that we will be able to establish the existence of probable or proved mineral reserves on our properties, or if such reserves are established, that we will be able to enter into commercial production.

Operating Expenses

Mineral exploration and evaluation expenses increased by 4.31% to $2,704,545 during the year ended December 31, 2011 from $2,592,912 during the year ended December 31, 2010. The increase was primarily the result of an increase made to the accrued reclamation and remediation costs.

Mineral exploration and evaluation expenses – related party decreased by 2.70% to 521,478 for the year ended December 31, 2011 from $535,974 during the year ended December 31, 2010. These amounts represent fees and reimbursement of expenses to Nanominerals Corp. related to exploration work conducted on the Columbus and Red Mountain Projects. Nanominerals Corp. is our largest shareholder.

General and administrative expenses decreased by 18.45% to $2,385,695 during the year ended December 31, 2011 from $2,925,358 during the year ended December 31, 2010. General and administrative expenses decreased primarily as a result of decreases in consulting, legal, travel, liability insurance accrual, and stock based vesting expenses.

Other Income and Expenses. Total other income and expenses increased by 6.18% to $34,087 during the year ended December 31, 2011 from $32,102 during the year ended December 31, 2010. The increase was primarily due to no interest expense incurred in 2011 as a result of not financing certain insurance policies as was done in 2010.

Income Tax Benefit. Income tax benefit increased by 31.76% to $2,590,393 during the year ended December 31, 2011 from $1,965,945 during the year ended December 31, 2010. The increase was primarily a result of updating our estimate of the realization of deferred tax assets related to stock based compensation as of December 31, 2011.

Net Loss. The aforementioned factors resulted in a net loss of $3,888,629, or $0.03 per common share, for the year ended December 31, 2011, as compared to a net loss of $4,691,054, or $0.04 per common share, for the year ended December 31, 2010.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have no significant off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that is material to stockholders.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) that are adopted by us, as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, management believes that the impact of recently issued standards did not or will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements upon adoption.

In May 2011, the FASB issued additional guidance regarding fair value measurement and disclosure requirements. The most significant change relates to Level 3 fair value measurements and requires disclosure of quantitative information about unobservable inputs using a description of the valuation processes used, and a qualitative discussion about the sensitivity of the measurements. The guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2011. We do not expect adoption of the additional fair value measurement and disclosure requirements to have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.

In June 2011, the FASB issued amended standards to increase the prominence of items reported in other comprehensive income. These amendments eliminate the option to present components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of changes in stockholders’ equity and require that all changes in stockholders’ equity, except investments by, and distributions to, owners, be presented either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. In addition, these amendments require presentation, on the face of the financial statements, of reclassification adjustments for items that are reclassified from other comprehensive income to net income. These new standards are effective beginning in the first quarter of 2012 and are to be applied retrospectively. These amended standards will impact the presentation of other comprehensive loss but will not impact our financial position or results of operations.

ITEM 8.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.

Index to Financial Statements:

Audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2011, including:

1.	Report of Independent Registered Accounting Firm (Brown Armstrong Accountancy Corporation);

2.	Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2011 and 2010;

3.	Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 and the period on February 20, 2001 (date of inception) to December 31, 2011;

4.	Consolidated Statement of Stockholders’ Equity for the period from February 20, 2001 (date of inception) through December 31, 2011; and

5.	Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 and the period on February 20, 2001 (date of inception) to December 31, 2011;

6.	Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

BROWN ARMSTRONG
ACCOUNTANCY CORPORATION

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and
Stockholders of Ireland Inc.

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Ireland Inc. (An Exploration Stage Company) as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2011, including inception cumulative data prospectively from February 20, 2001 through December 31, 2011. Ireland Inc.’s management is responsible for these financial statements. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. The company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. Our audit included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, based on our audits, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Ireland Inc. (An Exploration Stage Company) as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, and the results of its operations, stockholders’ equity, and its cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2011, including inception cumulative data prospectively from February 20, 2001 through December 31, 2011, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming Ireland Inc. will continue as a going concern. As described in Note 1 to the financial statements, Ireland Inc.’s operating losses raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern, unless Ireland Inc. attains future profitable operations and/or obtains additional financing. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

	BROWN ARMSTRONG
	ACCOUNTANCY CORPORATION

March 30, 2012
Bakersfield, California

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

		December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010

ASSETS

Current assets
Cash	$	521,660		$	1,602,179
Short-term investments		-			878,608
Other receivables		6,482			30,000
Prepaid expenses		227,163			258,095
Deposits - related party		195,000			-

Total current assets		950,305			2,768,882

Property and equipment, net		3,378,487			4,081,820
Mineral properties		31,948,053			31,948,053
Restricted investments held for reclamation bonds		1,193,567			-
Reclamation bonds		40,000			908,368
Deposits		2,200			22,200

Total non-current assets		36,562,307			36,960,441

Total assets	$	37,512,612		$	39,729,323

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

Current liabilities
Accounts payable	$	81,408		$	90,783
Accounts payable - related party		42,181			67,190
Accrued payroll and related taxes		67,675			45,875
Due to related party		23,290			23,290

Total current liabilities		214,554			227,138

Long-term liabilities
Accrued reclamation and remediation costs		572,338			275,338
Deferred income taxes		2,825,752			5,402,258

Total long-term liabilities		3,398,090			5,677,596

Total liabilities		3,612,644			5,904,734

Commitments and contingencies - Note 9		-			-

Stockholders' equity
Common stock, $0.001 par value; 400,000,000 shares
authorized, 127,452,641 and 122,434,442
shares, respectively, issued and outstanding		127,452			122,434
Additional paid-in capital		52,233,054			48,299,851
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)		25,173			(614	)
Accumulated deficit during exploration stage		(18,485,711	)		(14,597,082	)

Total stockholders' equity		33,899,968			33,824,589

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$	37,512,612		$	39,729,323

See Accompanying Notes to these Consolidated Financial Statements

F-1

IRELAND INC. (AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE) CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

								For the period from
								February 20, 2001
								(date of inception)
		For the Year Ended			For the Year Ended			through
		December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010			December 31, 2011

Revenue	$	-		$	-		$	-

Operating expenses
Mineral exploration and evaluation expenses		2,704,545			2,592,912			12,031,697
Mineral exploration and evaluation expenses - related party		521,478			535,974			3,104,597
General and administrative		2,385,695			2,925,358			8,823,669
General and administrative - related party		2,000			21,066			23,066
Depreciation		821,891			553,791			1,441,674
Mineral and property holding costs		77,500			60,000			548,000
Mineral and property holding costs - reimbursed to related party		-			-			295,000
Write-off of mineral rights		-			-			14,000

Total operating expenses		6,513,109			6,689,101			26,281,703

Loss from operations		(6,513,109	)		(6,689,101	)		(26,281,703	)

Other income (expense)
Interest income		34,087			35,830			352,977
Interest expense		-			(3,728	)		(5,983	)

Total other income (expense)		34,087			32,102			346,994

Loss before income taxes		(6,479,022	)		(6,656,999	)		(25,934,709	)

Income tax benefit		2,590,393			1,965,945			7,448,998

Net loss	$	(3,888,629	)	$	(4,691,054	)	$	(18,485,711	)

Loss per common share - basic and diluted	$	(0.03	)	$	(0.04	)

Weighted average common shares outstanding -
basic and diluted		125,424,507			121,600,223

See Accompanying Notes to these Consolidated Financial Statements

F-2

IRELAND INC. (AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE) CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

										Accumulated			Accumulated
							Common			Other			Deficit During			Total
	Common Stock				Additional		Stock			Comprehensive			Exploration			Stockholders'
	Shares		Amount		Paid-in Capital		Subscribed			Loss			Stage			Equity
Balance, February 20, 2001	-	$	-	$	-	$	-		$	-		$	-		$	-
Issuance of common stock for cash, net	70,459,355		70,459		18,871,208		(63,000	)		-			-			18,878,667
Issuance of common stock for mineral properties	40,440,087		40,440		20,184,560		-			-			-			20,225,000
Issuance of warrants for mineral properties	-		-		1,359,351		-			-			-			1,359,351
Common stock subscribed	-		-		-		225,000			-			-			225,000
Share-based compensation	-		-		1,684,333		-			-			-			1,684,333
Net loss for the years ended December 31, 2001 through 2009	-		-		-		-						(9,906,028	)		(9,906,028	)
Balance, December 31, 2009	110,899,442		110,899		42,099,452		162,000			-			(9,906,028	)		32,466,323
Share-based compensation	-		-		1,232,927		-			-			-			1,232,927
Issuance of common stock for cash, net	11,535,000		11,535		4,967,472		(162,000	)		-			-			4,817,007
Unrealized loss on short-term investments, net of $331 deferred tax	-		-		-		-			(614	)		-			(614	)
Net loss, December 31, 2010	-		-		-		-			-			(4,691,054	)		(4,691,054	)
Balance, December 31, 2010	122,434,442	$	122,434	$	48,299,851	$	-		$	(614	)	$	(14,597,082	)	$	33,824,589
Share-based compensation	-		-		1,180,667		-			-			-			1,180,667
Issuance of common stock for cash, net	5,018,199		5,018		2,752,536		-			-			-			2,757,554
Unrealized gain on investments, net of deferred tax $13,887	-		-		-		-			25,787			-			25,787
Net loss, December 31, 2011	-		-		-		-			-			(3,888,629	)		(3,888,629	)
Balance, December 31, 2011	127,452,641	$	127,452	$	52,233,054	$	-		$	25,173		$	(18,485,711	)	$	33,899,968

See Accompanying Notes to these Consolidated Financial Statements

F-3

IRELAND INC. (AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE) CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

								For the period from
								February 20, 2001
								(date of inception)
		For the Year Ended						through
		December 31, 2011			December 31, 2010			December 31, 2011
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net loss	$	(3,888,629	)	$	(4,691,054	)	$	(18,485,711	)
Adjustments to reconcile loss from operating to net cash used in operating activities:
Depreciation		821,891			553,791			1,441,674
Write-off of mineral rights		-			-			14,000
Stock-based expenses		1,180,667			1,232,927			4,072,990

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Other receivables		23,518			(30,000	)		(6,482	)
Prepaid expenses and deposits		(164,068	)		(167,811	)		(572,237	)
Reclamation bonds and other deposits		888,368			-			(10,940	)
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		(12,584	)		(45,705	)		87,662
Deferred income taxes		(2,590,393	)		(1,965,945	)		(7,448,998	)
Accrued reclamation and remediation costs		297,000			-			572,338

Net cash used in operating activities		(3,444,230	)		(5,113,797	)		(20,335,704	)

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Purchase of property and equipment		(118,558	)		(872,493	)		(4,694,315	)
Purchase of restricted investments held for reclamation bonds		(275,285	)		(879,553	)		(1,154,838	)

Net cash used in investing activities		(393,843	)		(1,752,046	)		(5,849,153	)

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Proceeds from stock issuance		2,760,009			4,828,750			27,240,719
Proceeds from option exercises		-			-			20,000
Stock issuance costs		(2,455	)		(11,743	)		(562,492	)
Proceeds from borrowings - related party		-			-			8,290

Net cash provided by financing activities		2,757,554			4,817,007			26,706,517

NET CHANGE IN CASH		(1,080,519	)		(2,048,836	)		521,660

CASH AT BEGINNING OF PERIOD		1,602,179			3,651,015			-

CASH AT END OF PERIOD	$	521,660		$	1,602,179		$	521,660
		-
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

Interest paid	$	-		$	3,728		$	5,983

Income taxes paid	$	-		$	-		$	-

Non-cash investing and financing activities:

Assets acquired for common stock and warrants issued for mineral properties	$	-		$	-		$	21,584,351

Net deferred tax liability assumed	$	-		$	-		$	10,261,194

See Accompanying Notes to these Consolidated Financial Statements

F-4

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1.	DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS, HISTORY AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT POLICIES

	Description of business - Ireland Inc. (the “Company”) is considered an exploration stage company since its formation and the Company has not yet realized any revenues from its planned operations. The Company is primarily focused on the acquisition and exploration of mining properties. Upon identification of commercially minable reserves, the Company expects to actively prepare the site for its extraction and enter the development stage.

	History - The Company was incorporated on February 20, 2001 under the laws of the State of Nevada under the name Merritt Ventures Corp. On December 19, 2005, the Company changed its name to Ireland Inc.

	Basis of presentation - The financial statements present the consolidated balance sheets, statements of operations, stockholders’ equity and comprehensive income, and cash flows of the Company. These consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) and in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). In the opinion of management, all adjustments and disclosures necessary for the fair presentation of these statements have been included. All such adjustments are, in the opinion of management, of a normal recurring.

	Going concern - The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern.

	Since its formation, the Company has incurred comprehensive cumulative net losses of $18,460,538 as of December 31, 2011. This amount is comprised of net loss from operations of $18,485,711 and other comprehensive income of $25,173. The Company has not commenced its commercial mining and mineral processing operations; rather, it is still in the exploration stage, raising substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The Company will seek additional sources of capital through the issuance of debt or equity financing, but there can be no assurance the Company will be successful in accomplishing its objectives.

	The ability of the Company to continue as a going concern is dependent on additional sources of capital and the success of the Company’s plan. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might be necessary if the Company is unable to continue as a going concern.

	Principles of consolidation - The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Columbus Minerals Inc. (“CMI”) (including its wholly- owned single-member LLC subsidiary Columbus Salt Marsh LLC (“CSM”)) and Rand Metals LLC (“Rand”). Intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

	Use of estimates - The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. By their nature, these estimates are subject to measurement uncertainty and the effect on the financial statements of changes in such estimates in future periods could be significant. Significant areas requiring management’s estimates and assumptions include the valuation of stock-based compensation, impairment analysis of long-lived assets, accrued reclamation and remediation costs and the realizability of deferred tax assets. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

F-5

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1.	DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS, HISTORY AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT POLICIES (continued)

	Fair value of financial instruments - Fair value accounting establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs of valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:

	Level 1	Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities;

	Level 2	Quoted prices in markets that are not active, or inputs that are observable, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability; and

	Level 3	Prices or valuation techniques that require inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable (supported by little or no market activity).

The Company’s financial instruments consist of restricted investments in U.S. Treasury Notes and certificates of deposit. These investments are classified within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy as their fair value is determined using quoted prices in active markets.

Restricted investments held for reclamation bonds - Restricted investments serve as collateral for reclamation bonding. The investments are classified as available for sale and are recorded at fair value based on quoted market prices with the unrealized gains and losses reflected in accumulated other comprehensive income until realized. Realized gains and losses are determined on a specific identification method and are recognized in the consolidated statement of operations.

The Company evaluates unrealized losses, if any, in its investment securities for other-than temporary impairment using both qualitative and quantitative criteria. In the event that an investment is determined to be other-than-temporarily impaired, the Company recognizes the loss in the consolidated statement of operations.

Mineral properties - Costs of acquiring mineral properties are capitalized upon acquisition. Exploration costs and costs to maintain mineral properties are expensed as incurred while the project is in the exploration stage. Development costs and costs to maintain mineral properties are capitalized as incurred while the property is in the development stage. When a property reaches the production stage, the related capitalized costs are amortized using the units-of-production basis over the proven and probable reserves.

Mineral exploration and development costs - Exploration expenditures incurred prior to entering the development stage are expensed and included in “Mineral exploration and evaluation expenses”.

Property and equipment - Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is provided principally on the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which range from 3 to 39 years. The cost of repairs and maintenance is charged to expense as incurred. Expenditures for property betterments and renewals are capitalized. Upon sale or other disposition of a depreciable asset, cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any gain or loss is reflected in other income (expense).

F-6

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1.	DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS, HISTORY AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT POLICIES (continued)

	Impairment of long-lived assets - The Company reviews and evaluates its long-lived assets for impairment at each balance sheet date due to its planned exploration stage losses and documents such impairment testing. Mineral properties in the exploration stage are monitored for impairment based on factors such as the Company’s continued right to explore the property, exploration reports, drill results, technical reports and continued plans to fund exploration programs on the property. To date, no such impairments have been identified.

	The tests for long-lived assets in the exploration, development or producing stage that have a value beyond proven and probable reserves will be monitored for impairment based on factors such as current market value of the mineral property and results of exploration, future asset utilization, business climate, mineral prices and future undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use of the related assets. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to the estimated future net undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the asset, including evaluating its reserves beyond proven and probable amounts.

	The Company's policy is to record an impairment loss in the period when it is determined that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable either by impairment or by abandonment of the property. The impairment loss is calculated as the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds its fair value. While the Company incurred losses from operations, these losses have not been in excess of planned expenditures on the specific mineral properties in order to ultimately realize their value.

	Reclamation and remediation costs (asset retirement obligation) - For its exploration stage properties, the Company accrues the estimated costs associated with environmental remediation obligations in the period in which the liability is incurred or becomes determinable. Until such time that a project life is established, the Company records the corresponding cost as an exploration stage expense. The costs of future expenditures for environmental remediation are not discounted to their present value unless subject to a contractually obligated fixed payment schedule. As reclamation work is performed or liabilities are otherwise settled, the recorded amount of the liability will be reduced.

	Future reclamation and environmental-related expenditures are difficult to estimate in many circumstances due to the early stage nature of the exploration project, the uncertainties associated with defining the nature and extent of environmental disturbance, the application of laws and regulations by regulatory authorities and changes in reclamation or remediation technology. The Company periodically reviews accrued liabilities for such reclamation and remediation costs as evidence indicating that the liabilities have potentially changed becomes available. Changes in estimates are reflected in the consolidated statement of operations in the period an estimate is revised.

	The Company is in the exploration stage and is unable to determine the estimated timing of expenditures relating to reclamation accruals. It is reasonably possible that the ultimate cost of reclamation and remediation could change in the future and that changes to these estimates could have a material effect on future operating results as new information becomes known.

F-7

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1.	DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS, HISTORY AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT POLICIES (continued)

	Per share amounts - Basic earnings (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. In computing diluted earnings per share, the weighted average number of shares outstanding is adjusted to reflect the effect of potentially dilutive securities, such as stock options and warrants. In these financial statements, stock options and warrants are not considered in the computation of diluted earnings per share as their inclusion would be anti-dilutive for the periods presented. Excluded stock options and warrants amounted to 39,821,553 and 36,925,346 as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

	Stock-based compensation - Stock-based compensation awards are recognized in the financial statements based on the grant date fair value of the award which is estimated using the Binomial Lattice option pricing model. The Company believes that this model provides the best estimate of fair value due to its ability to incorporate inputs that change over time, such as volatility and interest rates, and to allow for the actual exercise behavior of option holders. The compensation cost is recognized over the requisite service period which is generally equal to the vesting period. Upon exercise, shares issued will be newly issued shares from authorized common stock.

	The fair value of performance-based stock option grants is determined on their grant date through use of the Binomial Lattice option pricing model. The total value of the award is recognized over the requisite service period only if management has determined that achievement of the performance condition is probable. The requisite service period is based on management’s estimate of when the performance condition will be met. Changes in the requisite service period or the estimated probability of achievement can materially affect the amount of stock-based compensation recognized in the financial statements.

	The fair value of market-based stock option grants is determined on their grant date through use of an option pricing model which uses a combination of Monte Carlo simulation and a Trinomial Lattice function. The requisite service period for market-based awards is derived from the model. Achievement of the market condition earlier than estimated can materially affect the amount of stock- based compensation recognized in the financial statements.

	Income taxes - The Company follows the liability method of accounting for income taxes. This method recognizes certain temporary differences between the financial reporting basis of liabilities and assets and the related income tax basis for such liabilities and assets. This method generates either a net deferred income tax liability or asset as measured by the statutory tax rates in effect. The effect of a change in tax rates is recognized in operations in the period that includes the enactment date. The Company records a valuation allowance against any portion of those deferred income tax assets when it believes, based on the weight of available evidence, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred income tax asset will not be realized.

	For acquired properties that do not constitute a business, a deferred income tax liability is recorded on GAAP basis over income tax basis using statutory federal and state rates. The resulting estimated future income tax liability associated with the temporary difference between the acquisition consideration and the tax basis is computed in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 740-10-25-51, Acquired Temporary Differences in Certain Purchase Transactions that Are Not Accounted for as Business Combinations, and is reflected as an increase in the total purchase price which is then applied to the underlying acquired assets in the absence of there being a goodwill component associated with the acquisition transactions.

F-8

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1.	DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS, HISTORY AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT POLICIES (continued)

	Recent accounting standards - From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) that are adopted by the Company as of the specified effective date. The Company has evaluated all the recent accounting pronouncements and unless otherwise discussed, believes they will not have a material effect on the financial statements.

	In May 2011, the FASB issued additional guidance regarding fair value measurement and disclosure requirements. The most significant change relates to Level 3 fair value measurements and requires disclosure of quantitative information about unobservable inputs used a description of the valuation processes used, and a qualitative discussion about the sensitivity of the measurements. The guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2011. The Company does not expect adoption of the additional fair value measurement and disclosure requirements to have a material impact on its financial position or results of operations.

	In June 2011, the FASB issued amended standards to increase the prominence of items reported in other comprehensive income. These amendments eliminate the option to present components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of changes in stockholders’ equity and require that all changes in stockholders’ equity, except investments by, and distributions to, owners, be presented either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. In addition, these amendments require presentation, on the face of the financial statements, of reclassification adjustments for items that are reclassified from other comprehensive income to net income. These new standards are effective beginning in the first quarter of 2012 and are to be applied retrospectively. These amended standards will impact the presentation of other comprehensive loss but will not impact our financial position or results of operations.

F-9

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

2.	PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT

	Property and equipment consisted of the following:

		December 31, 2011							December 31, 2010
				Accumulated			Net book				Accumulated			Net book
		Cost		depreciation			value		Cost		depreciation			value

Furniture and fixtures	$	20,854	$	(7,355	)	$	13,499	$	20,854	$	(4,376	)	$	16,478
Computers and equipment		45,370		(33,800	)		11,570		41,165		(29,154	)		12,011
Land		30,000		-			30,000		30,000		-			30,000
Site improvements		2,925,731		(911,898	)		2,013,833		2,934,409		(365,718	)		2,568,691
Site equipment		1,274,609		(388,769	)		885,840		1,151,578		(175,401	)		976,177
Vehicles		23,595		(16,517	)		7,078		23,595		(11,798	)		11,797
Building		500,000		(83,333	)		416,667		500,000		(33,334	)		466,666

	$	4,820,159	$	(1,441,672	)	$	3,378,487	$	4,701,601	$	(619,781	)	$	4,081,820

	Depreciation expense was $821,891 and $553,791 for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

3.	MINERAL PROPERTIES

	Columbus Project - As of December 31, 2007, the Company had earned a 15% interest in the Columbus Project by satisfying its option agreement requirements and had the right to merge with the corporation holding the remaining 85% interest in the Columbus Project in Esmeralda County, Nevada.

	Pursuant to the option assignment agreement dated March 30, 2007, as amended August 8, 2007, the Company granted a 5% net smelter return royalty to Nanominerals Corp (“NMC”), one of the principal stockholders of the Company.

	On February 20, 2008, the Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary CMI, acquired a 100% interest in the Columbus Project, including an option for additional mining claims, by way of merger with the owner of the Columbus Project, Columbus Brine Inc. (“CBI”). Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, the Company issued an aggregate of 10,440,087 shares of its common stock and 5,220,059 share purchase warrants to the former shareholders of CBI. Each share purchase warrant issued by the Company entitles the holder to purchase one additional share of the Company’s common stock at a price of $2.39 per share for a period of 5 years. This acquisition supersedes the option agreement.

	The Company believes that the acquisition of the Columbus Project was beneficial because it provides for 100% ownership of the properties and fosters greater opportunity to finance and further develop the project.

	This merger was treated as a statutory merger for tax purposes whereby CMI was the surviving merger entity.

F-10

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

3.	MINERAL PROPERTIES (continued)

	The Company applied ASC 805-10-25-1 (formerly Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) 98-03) with regard to the acquisition of the Columbus Project. The Company determined that the acquisition of the Columbus Project did not constitute an acquisition of a business, as that term is defined in ASC 805-10-55-4, and the Company recorded the acquisition as a purchase of assets.

	As required by ASC 930-805-30, Mining – Business Combinations – Initial Recognition, and ASC 740-10-25-49-55, Income Taxes – Overall – Recognition – Acquired Temporary Differences in Certain Purchase Transactions that Are Not Accounted for as Business Combinations, the purchase price of $32 million was allocated to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their respective fair values at the date of acquisition. The purchase price allocated to the real properties was based on fair market values determined using an independent real estate appraisal firm (Arden Salvage Company), and the fair value of the remaining assets acquired and liabilities assumed were based on management’s best estimates taking into account all available information at the time.

	Pursuant to the terms of the acquisition of CBI, the Company issued an aggregate of 10,440,087 shares of common stock and 5,220,059 share purchase warrants to the former shareholders of CBI. Each share purchase warrant issued by the Company entitles the holder to purchase one additional share of the Company’s common stock at a price of $2.39 per share for a period of 5 years. Each warrant provides the holder with a cashless right of exercise. If the holder chooses to utilize this cashless exercise right, the total number of shares that the holder will be entitled to exercise will be determined by the following formula: [( A – B ) C ] ÷ A where:

	A = the average closing price of the Company’s common stock during the five trading days prior to exercise.

	B = the exercise price of $2.39.

	C = the maximum number of shares of the Company’s common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants.

	If the holder chooses to utilize the cashless exercise right, the holder must do so with respect to all of the unexercised warrants held by him.

	The Company will have the right to accelerate the expiration date of the warrants at any time after August 19, 2010 if the average closing price of the Company’s common stock over any 20 consecutive trading days is equal to or greater than 150% of the exercise price. If the Company exercises this acceleration right, the expiration date for the warrants will be accelerated to 30 days after the Company sends out notice that it is exercising the acceleration right.

	The Company estimated the fair value of warrants issued in connection with the acquisition of CBI using the Binomial Lattice pricing model.

F-11

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

3.	MINERAL PROPERTIES (continued)

	The following table reflects the recorded purchase consideration for the Columbus Project:

Purchase price:
Common stock issued	$	20,000,000
Fair value of warrants issued		1,359,351
Acquisition costs		600,000

Total purchase price		21,959,351

Net deferred income tax liability assumed		10,261,194

Total	$	32,220,545

The following table reflects the components of the Columbus Project:

Allocation of acquisition cost:
Mineral properties (including deferred tax liability assumed of $10,261,194)	$	31,948,053
Property, plant and equipment		202,430
Deposits		44,720
Cash		6,570
Prepaid expenses		24,925
Accounts payable		(6,153	)

Total	$	32,220,545

Red Mountain Project – On July 20, 2011, the Company entered into an Amended and Restated Option Agreement (the “Amendment”) on the Red Mountain Project. The Amendment acknowledged that the Company had earned an undivided 30.6% interest in the original Red Mountain Claims and amended the terms of the original Letter Agreement as follows:

		a)	To maintain the buyout option, the Company is required to pay $8,000 per month effective July 1, 2011 until December 31, 2016 and spend an aggregate of $600,000 in additional qualifying expenditures by December 31, 2016. For each $2,000 in qualifying expenditures, the Company will earned 0.1% interest in in the Red Mountain Claims, up to a maximum of an additional 29.4% interest.

		b)	The Company may at any time during the life of the Red Mountain Project earn a 100% interest by paying $200,000 and by issuing shares with an aggregate value of $2,800,000 if the option is exercised prior to March 31, 2012 or $3,800,000 if the option is exercised after March 31, 2012. The share price will be equal to the volume weighted average trading price during the 20 trading days immediately prior to the date of the notice of exercise.

Pursuant to the option assignment agreement the Company granted a 5% net smelter return royalty to NMC.

F-12

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

3.	MINERAL PROPERTIES (continued)

	Reclamation bonds - The Company maintains required reclamation bonding with the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”). Reclamation bonding consists of cash bonding held with the BLM and restricted investments held by the Company. Restricted investments consist of U.S. Treasury Notes and certificates of deposit. At December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, cash bonding amounted to $40,000 and $908,368, respectively. At December 31, 2011, restricted investments amounted to $1,193,567 and exceeded bonding requirements by $43,567. The Company anticipates using the excess amount for future collateral requirements.

	The following is a summary of investments classified as available-for-sale securities:

				Gross		Gross		Aggregate
		Amortized		Unrealized		Unrealized		Estimated
		Cost		Gains		Losses		Fair Value
December 31, 2011
US Treasury Notes	$	879,553	$	38,729	$	-	$	918,282
Certificates of deposit		275,285		-		-		275,285

Total available-for-sale securities	$	1,154,838	$	38,729	$	-	$	1,193,567

December 31, 2010
US Treasury Notes	$	879,553	$	-	$	945	$	878,608

Total available-for-sale securities	$	879,553	$	-	$	945	$	878,608

Unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities are included as a component of other comprehensive income net of deferred taxes. The gross unrealized gains and (losses) recognized in other comprehensive income (loss) for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 were $39,674 and $(945), respectively.

The US Treasury Notes mature in July 2015. The Company has two certificates of deposit. One matures in April 2016 and the second matures in June 2012 but will be automatically renewed for one year periods until the Company or the financial institution elect not to renew.

Reclamation and remediation activities - Changes in the Company’s accrued reclamation and remediation costs for the years ended December 31 are as follows:

		2011		2010
Accrued reclamation and remediation - opening balance	$	275,338	$	275,338
Adjustment reflecting updated estimates		297,000		-
Accrued reclamation and remediation - ending balance	$	572,338	$	275,338

The balance of accrued reclamation and remediation costs relates to the Columbus Project. The adjustment to the reclamation and remediation accrual made during the year ended December 31, 2011 resulted from additional equipment and housing at the Columbus Project site.

F-13

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

4.	STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Issuance of common stock - For the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company issued common stock as follows:

On June 8, 2011, the Company completed a private placement offering of up to 5,500,000 units at a price of $0.55 per unit. Under the private placement, the Company issued a total of 5,018,199 units for gross proceeds of $2,760,009. Fees related to this private placement were $2,455.

Each unit consisted of one share of the Company’s common stock and one-half of one share purchase warrant. Each whole share purchase warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional share of the Company’s common stock at a price of $0.80 per share expiring June 30, 2014. After November 30, 2011, the Company may accelerate the expiration date for the warrants if the volume weighted average price for its common stock on its principal trading market exceeds $2.80 per share for 20 consecutive trading days, and the average trading volume on that market during that 20 day period is not less than 0.2% of the Company's free float. The Company also agreed to make certain adjustments to the common stock and warrants if during the remainder of 2011, it approved another offering of its securities.

The Company determined that the warrants were not afforded equity classification because the warrants are not freestanding and are not considered to be indexed to the Company’s own stock due to the anti-dilution provisions. Accordingly, if material, the warrants would be treated as a derivative liability. The Company determined that the fair value of the derivative warrant liability was not material and therefore the fair value of the warrants was not reclassified from equity. The Company did not approve another offering of its securities during 2011 and the anti-dilution provision expired on December 31, 2011.

For the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company issued common stock as follows:

		a)	On October 27, 2010, the Company issued 500,000 shares of common stock from the exercise of stock options. The options were issued for directors compensation, had an exercise price of $0.05 per share and an expiration date of March 30, 2012.

		b)	On January 14, 2010, the Company completed a private placement offering for gross proceeds of $90,000 to non-US persons in reliance of Regulation S promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933. A total of 200,000 units were issued at a price of $0.45. Each unit sold consisted of one share of the Company’s common stock and one-half of one share purchase warrant. Each whole share purchase warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional share of the Company’s common stock at a price of $0.75 per share for a period expiring June 30, 2013. The Company incurred commissions payable to agents in connection with the private placement offering in the amount of $6,300 in cash and issued warrants to purchase up to 6,000 shares of common stock. The warrants have an expiration date of June 30, 2013 and an exercise price of $0.75 per share. Financing costs related to this offering were $99.

F-14

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

4.	STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (continued)

		c)	On January 14, 2010, the Company completed a private placement offering for gross proceeds of $4,875,750 to US accredited investors pursuant to Rule 506 of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933. A total of 10,835,000 units were issued at a price of $0.45. Each unit sold consisted of one share of the Company’s common stock and one-half of one share purchase warrant. Each whole share purchase warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional share of the Company’s common stock at a price of $0.75 per share for a period expiring June 30, 2013. Financing costs related to this offering were $5,344.

	For the year ended December 31, 2009, the Company issued common stock as follows:

		a)	On November 14, 2009, the Company completed a private placement offering for gross proceeds of $315,000 to non-US persons in reliance of Regulation S promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933. A total of 700,000 units were issued at a price of $0.45. Each unit sold consisted of one share of the Company’s common stock and one-half of one share purchase warrants. Each whole share purchase warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional share of the Company’s common stock at a price of $0.75 per share for a period expiring June 30, 2013. The Company incurred commissions payable to agents in connection with the Offering private placement in the amount of $22,050 in cash and issued warrants to purchase up to 21,000 shares of common stock. The warrants have an expiration date of June 30, 2013 and an exercise price of $0.75 per share. Financing costs related to this offering were $627.

		b)	On November 14, 2009, the Company completed a private placement offering for gross proceeds of $1,500,500 to US accredited investors pursuant to Rule 506 of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933. A total of 3,334,444 units were issued at a price of $0.45. Each unit sold consisted of one share of the Company’s common stock and one-half of one share purchase warrants. Each whole share purchase warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional share of the Company’s common stock at a price of $0.75 per share for a period expiring June 30, 2013. The Company incurred commissions payable to agents in connection with the Offering private placement in the amount of $17,150 in cash and issued warrants to purchase up to 16,333 shares of common stock. The warrants have an expiration date of June 30, 2013 and an exercise price of $0.75 per share. Financing costs related to this offering were $2,995. As of December 31, 2009, $63,000 of proceeds from this private placement offering was recorded as subscriptions receivable. This subscription is due from Mark Brennan, one of the Company’s independent directors. Subsequent to year end, the subscription was paid in full.

		c)	On October 9, 2009, the Company completed a private placement offering for gross proceeds of $2,661,750 to non-US persons in reliance of Regulation S promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933. A total of 5,915,000 units were issued at a price of $0.45. Each unit sold consisted of one share of the Company’s common stock and one-half of one share purchase warrants. Each whole share purchase warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional share of the Company’s common stock at a price of $0.75 per share for a period expiring June 30, 2013. The Company incurred commissions payable to agents in connection with the Offering private placement in the amount of $174,983 in cash and issued warrants to purchase up to 166,650 shares of common stock. The warrants have an expiration date of June 30, 2013 and an exercise price of $0.75 per share. Financing costs related to this offering were $5,313.

F-15

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

4.	STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (continued)


		d)	On October 9, 2009, the Company completed a private placement offering for gross proceeds of $328,500 to US accredited investors pursuant to Rule 506 of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933. A total of 730,000 units were issued at a price of $0.45. Each unit sold consisted of one share of the Company’s common stock and one-half of one share purchase warrants. Each whole share purchase warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional share of the Company’s common stock at a price of $0.75 per share for a period expiring June 30, 2013. The Company incurred commissions payable to agents in connection with the Offering private placement in the amount of $16,695 in cash and issued warrants to purchase up to 15,900 shares of common stock. The warrants have an expiration date of June 30, 2013 and an exercise price of $0.75 per share. Financing costs related to this offering were $656.

		e)	On September 2, 2009, the Company completed a private placement offering for gross proceeds of $695,750 to non-US persons in reliance of Regulation S promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933. A total of 1,546,111 units were issued at a price of $0.45. Each unit sold consisted of one share of the Company’s common stock and one-half of one share purchase warrants. Each whole share purchase warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional share of the Company’s common stock at a price of $0.75 per share for a period expiring June 30, 2013. The Company incurred commissions payable to agents in connection with the Offering private placement in the amount of $35,000 in cash and issued warrants to purchase up to 33,333 shares of common stock. The warrants have an expiration date of June 30, 2013 and an exercise price of $0.75 per share. Financing costs related to this offering were $4,107.

		f)	On September 2, 2009, the Company completed a private placement offering for gross proceeds of $180,000 to US accredited investors pursuant to Rule 506 of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933. A total of 400,000 units were issued at a price of $0.45. Each unit sold consisted of one share of the Company’s common stock and one-half of one share purchase warrants. Each whole share purchase warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional share of the Company’s common stock at a price of $0.75 per share for a period expiring June 30, 2013. There was no commission paid to agents in connection with this offering. Financing costs related to this offering were $1,062.

		g)	On August 14, 2009, the Company completed a private placement offering for gross proceeds of $180,000 to non-US persons in reliance of Regulation S promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933. A total of 400,000 units were issued at a price of $0.45. Each unit sold consisted of one share of the Company’s common stock and one-half of one share purchase warrants. Each whole share purchase warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional share of the Company’s common stock at a price of $0.75 per share for a period expiring June 30, 2013. The warrants have an expiration date of June 30, 2013 and an exercise price of $0.75 per share. There was no commission paid or payable to agents in connection with this offering. Financing costs related to this offering were $1,063.

F-16

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

4.	STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (continued)


	h)	On August 14, 2009, the Company completed a private placement offering for gross proceeds of $388,710 to US accredited investors pursuant to Rule 506 of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933. A total of 863,800 units were issued at a price of $0.45. Each unit sold consisted of one share of the Company’s common stock and one-half of one share purchase warrants. Each whole share purchase warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional share of the Company’s common stock at a price of $0.75 per share for a period expiring June 30, 2013. The Company incurred commissions payable to agents in connection with the Offering private placement in the amount of $20,648 in cash and issued warrants to purchase up to 19,665 shares of common stock. Financing costs related to this offering were $2,292.

For the year ended December 31, 2008, the Company issued common stock as follows:

	a)	On January 28, 2008, the Company issued 20,000 shares of common stock from the exercise of stock options. The options had an exercise price of $0.05 per share and an expiration date of March 28, 2009.

	b)	On February 20, 2008, the Company issued an aggregate of 10,440,087 shares of its common stock, and 5,220,059 share purchase warrants to the former shareholders of CBI in connection with the acquisition. Each share purchase warrant issued by the Company entitles the holder to purchase one additional share of the Company’s common stock at a price of $2.39 per share of 5 years.

Warrants associated with the 2010, 2009 and 2008 equity issuances do not constitute a registration payment arrangement.

During the year ended December 31, 2007, the Company issued common stock as follows:

	a)	The Company completed four tranches of a US and foreign private placement offering. A total of 8,188,000 unites at a price of $0.65 per unit were issued under the foreign private placement offering to non-US persons as contemplated under Regulation S of the Securities Act of 1933. The Company paid commissions totaling $106,925 and the agent also received warrants to purchase 70,500 shares of its common stock. Also, the Company issued 11,812,000 units at a price of $0.65 per unit under the US private placement offering to US accredited investors as defined in Rule 506 of Regulation D of the Securities Act. The Company paid commissions totaling $136,728 and the agent also received warrants to purchase 90,150 shares of its common stock.

	b)	On April 25, 2007, the Company affected a forward stock split on the basis of four new common shares for the cancellation of one old common share. Authorized capital was increased from 100,000,000 common shares, par value $0.001 each, to 400,000,000 common shares, par value $0.001 each. All authorized and issued shares have been retroactively adjusted.

	c)	Pursuant to the Columbus and Red Mountain Projects option assignment agreement entered into on March 30, 2007, the Company issued 30,000,000 common shares to NMC and, in return, received a deed of assignment to the option interests in the Columbus Project and to the Red Mountain Project.

F-17

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

4.	STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (continued)

Private Placement Warrants - A summary of investor warrant activity for years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 was as follows:

				Weighted
				Average
				Remaining
				Contractual
	Number of		Exercise	Life
	Shares		Price	(Years)
Outstanding and exercisable, December 31, 2009	22,598,357	$	0.75 - 2.39	2.30

Granted	5,523,500		0.75	2.50
Forfeited/expired	-		-	-

Outstanding and exercisable, December 31, 2010	28,121,857	$	0.75 - 2.39	2.43
Granted	2,509,100		0.80	2.50
Forfeited/expired	-		-	-

Outstanding and exercisable, December 31, 2011	30,630,957	$	0.75 - 2.39	1.52

The table above does not include warrants issued to employees, non-employee directors and consultants as they are included under “Stock-Based Compensation” in Note 5.

F-18

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

5.	STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

	Stock-based compensation includes grants of stock options and purchase warrants to eligible directors, employees and consultants as determined by the Board of Directors.

	Stock option plans - On March 27, 2007, the Board of Directors adopted the 2007 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Plan”). Under the terms of the Plan, options to purchase up to 6,000,000 shares of the common stock of the Company, subject to an increase each quarter equal to 15% of the increase in the total number of outstanding shares during the previous quarter, may be granted to officers, directors, employees and eligible consultants. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had granted 7,904,416 options under the Plan, of which, 7,087,197 were outstanding.

	Stock warrants – From time to time the Company grants stock warrants to consultants for services performed. These grants are on an individual transaction basis and issued upon approval of the Board of Directors.

	Valuation of awards - At December 31, 2011, the Company had options outstanding that vest on three different types of vesting schedules:

	1.	Service-based;

	2.	Performance-based; and

	3.	Market-based.

For service-based and performance-based stock option grants the Company utilizes the Binomial Lattice pricing model to estimate the fair values of options and warrants granted in exchange for services. The Company used the following assumptions to estimate the fair value of the options granted:

	2011	2010

Dividend yield	-	-
Expected volatility	68.66% - 83.36%	116 .8 - 118.7%
Risk-free interest rate	0.33% -2.31%	1.69 - 3.33 %
Expected life (years)	2.75 -7.88	2.75- 8.0

For market-based stock option grants the Company utilizes a combination of a Monte Carlo simulation and a Trinomial Lattice function to estimate the fair values of options in exchange for services. The Company used the following assumptions to estimate the fair value of market-based options granted:

	2011	2010

Dividend yield	-	-
Expected volatility	83.36%	116 .8%
Risk-free interest rate	2.23%	2.96%
Expected life (years)	4.75	8.0

F-19

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

5.	STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION (continued)

	The expected life represents the weighted-average period the awards are expected to remain outstanding and is a derived output of the option pricing models. The expected life is impacted by all of the underlying assumptions and calibration of the Company’s models. The models estimate the probability of exercise as a function of these variables based on the history of exercises and cancellations on past grants made by the Company. The requisite service period for market-based stock option awards is a derived output of the hybrid Monte Carlo-Trinomial Lattice model.

	For grants awarded during 2011 and 2010 the expected volatility is based on the average historical volatility levels of a representative peer group. The risk-free interest rate is based on the implied yield available on U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issues over the equivalent contractual lives of the options.

	Stock-based compensation activity - During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company granted and modified stock-based awards as follows:

		a)	On December 13, 2011, the Company extended the expiration date of 3,200,000 stock options from March 20, 2012 to March 30, 2017. The options were originally granted on March 30, 2007, were immediately vested and had an exercise price of $0.05 per share. The Company calculated the fair value of the stock options before and after the modification. The fair value of the stock options was unchanged and accordingly, no additional expense was recognized.

		b)	On October 4, 2011, the Company granted stock options under the Plan for the purchase of 37,500 shares of common stock at $0.75 per share. The options were granted to an employee, are fully vested and expire on September 30, 2014.

		c)	On August 24, 2011, the Company granted stock options under the Plan for the purchase of 975,000 shares of common stock at $0.75 per share. The options were granted to officers and employees. 343,750 of the options were immediately vested. 631,250 of the options vest at various dates through December 31, 2013. All of the options expire five years after the date that they vest.

		d)	On August 24, 2011, the Company granted stock options under the Plan for the purchase of 300,000 shares of common stock at $0.75 per share to officers of the Company. The options vest upon completion of defined events and milestones. The options expire on the fifth anniversary of the date that they vest, but in no event later than the tenth anniversary of the agreement. At December 31, 2011, management determined that achievement of the performance conditions was probable.

		e)	On August 24, 2011, the Company granted stock options under the Plan for the purchase of 300,000 shares of common stock at $0.75 per share to officers of the Company. The options vest upon the Company’s stock achieving certain market- based targets. The options expire on the fifth anniversary of the date that they vest, but in no event later than the tenth anniversary of the agreement.

		f)	On August 9, 2011, the Company granted stock warrants for the purchase of 500,000 shares of common stock at $0.75 per share to a consultant. 25% of the warrants were immediately vested and the remaining warrants vest 25% on September 20, 2011, December 31, 2011 and March 31, 2012. The warrants expire on June 30, 2014.

F-20

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

5.	STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION (continued)


	g)	On April 8, 2011, the Company granted stock options under the Plan for the purchase of 200,000 shares of common stock at $0.36 per shares to a director. 50,000 of the options were immediately vested with the remaining options vesting 50,000 each on June, 30, 2011, September 30, 2011 and December 30, 2011. The options expire five years after the date that they vest.

	h)	On March 21, 2011, the Company granted stock options under the Plan for the purchase of 100,000 shares of common stock at $0.23 per share. The options were granted to a consultant of the Company, are fully vested and expire on March 20, 2016. The exercise price of the stock options was less than the closing price of the Company’s common stock which was $0.26 on the grant date.

During the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company granted stock options and warrants as follows:

	a)	On July 22, 2010, the Company granted nonqualified stock options for the purchase of 200,000 shares of common stock to each of its two independent directors. The options are exercisable at $0.53 per share and vest as follows: 100,000 on the grant date, 50,000 on September 30, 2010 and 50,000 on December 31, 2010. The options expire five years after the particular vesting date.

	b)	On July 22, 2010, the Company granted nonqualified stock options for the purchase of 300,000 shares of common stock at $0.75 per share to the CEO. The options vest as follows: 50,000 on the grant date, 50,000 on December 31, 2010 and 50,000 every six months thereafter commencing on December 31, 2012. The options expire five years after the particular vesting date.

	c)	On July 22, 2010, the Company granted nonqualified stock options for the purchase of 100,000 shares of common stock at $0.75 per share to the CFO. The options vest as follows: 16,667 on the grant date, 16,667 on December 31, 2010 and 16,667 every six months thereafter. The final group of 16,665 options, vest on December 31, 2012. The options expire five years after the particular vesting date.

	d)	On July 22, 2010, the Company granted nonqualified market-based stock options for the purchase of 150,000 and 50,000 shares of common stock at $0.53 per share to the CEO and CFO, respectively. The options vest on the first date after the grant date that the closing price of the Company’s common stock exceeds $1.00 per share for twenty consecutive trading days. The options expire five years after the date that they vest. The requisite service periods for these stock option awards, as derived from the Monte Carlo - Trinomial Lattice model was determined to be one year.

F-21

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

5.	STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION (continued)


		e)	On July 22, 2010, the Company granted nonqualified performance-based stock options for the purchase of 150,000 and 50,000 shares of common stock at $0.53 per share to the CEO and CFO, respectively. The options vest upon the Board of Directors determining, by resolution, that the Company has, from the date of grant, made adequate and sufficient progress on the Company’s technical and feasibility programs for the Columbus Mineral Project. The options expire five years after the date that they vest.

			On the grant date, the Company determined that achievement of the performance condition was probable. The Company’s best estimate of the requisite service period was determined to be eight months. The Company reviewed and confirmed these determinations at December 31, 2010.

		f)	On March 8, 2010, the Company granted 200,000 options to an officer. The options are exercisable at $0.82 per share, vest at a rate of 25,000 options per fiscal quarter, beginning on March 31, 2010, and expire five years after the particular vesting date.

		g)	On March 3, 2010, the Company granted nonqualified stock options for the purchase of 67,197 shares of common stock at $0.81 per share to a director. The options were immediately vested and expire March 3, 2015.

		h)	On February 19, 2010, the Company granted 500,000 warrants to a consultant. The warrants are exercisable at $0.75 per share and expire on June 30, 2013. The warrants vest 25% at each quarter end from March 31, 2010 through December 31, 2010.

		i)	On January 7, 2010, the Company granted 3,300,000 warrants to a consultant. The warrants have an expiration date of June 30, 2013 and an exercise price of $0.75 per share. The warrants vest 25% on June 30, 2010, 25% on December 31, 2010, 25% on June 30, 2011 and 25% on December 31, 2011. The Company determined that sufficient consulting services had not been received during 2010 to satisfy the vesting requirements for the second tranche of warrants. The Company anticipates receipt of such services during 2011. After June 30, 2010, the Company will have the right to accelerate the expiration date of the vested warrants if the volume weighted average trading price for the shares is above $4.50 per share for twenty consecutive trading days.

Total expense for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 related to the granting, vesting and modification of all stock-based compensation awards was $1,180,667 and $1,232,927, respectively. Such expenses are included in general and administrative expense and mineral exploration and evaluation expense.

F-22

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

5.	STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION (continued)

The following table summarizes the Company’s stock-based compensation activity for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010:

					Weighted
					Average
				Weighted	Remaining
	Number of			Average	Contractual Life
	Shares			Exercise Price	(Years)

Balance, December 31, 2009	4,724,719		$	0.23	2.72
Options/warrants granted	5,267,197			0.72	3.57
Options/warrants exercised	(500,000	)		0.05	-
Options/warrants expired	(79,719	)		1.36	-
Options/warrants cancelled	-			-	-

Balance, December 31, 2010	9,412,197		$	0.50	2.79
Options/warrants granted	2,412,500			0.70	5.70
Options/warrants exercised	-			-	-
Options/warrants expired	(37,500	)		1.88	-
Options/warrants cancelled	(200,000	)		0.53	-

Balance, December 31, 2011	11,587,197		$	0.54	3.93

The following table summarizes the changes of the Company’s stock-based compensation awards subject to vesting for the years ended December 31, 2011:

				Weighted Average
	Number of			Grant Date
	Shares			Fair Value

Unvested, December 31, 2010	3,411,666		$	0.40
Granted	1,806,250			0.26
Vested	(1,242,084	)		0.27
Forfeited	-			-

Unvested, December 31, 2011	3,975,832		$	0.37

As of December 31, 2011, there was $394,670 of total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested stock options and warrants. This cost is expected to be fully recognized as follows:

2012	$	263,029
2013		131,641
Total	$	394,670

F-23

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

6.	WARRANTS AND OPTIONS

The following table summarizes all of the Company’s stock option and warrant activity for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, including private placement warrants and stock options and warrants granted for compensation:

					Weighted
					Average
					Remaining
				Weighted	Contractual
	Number of			Average	Life
	Shares			Exercise Price	(Years)

Balance, December 31, 2009	27,323,076		$	0.97	3.30
Options/warrants granted	10,790,697			0.74	2.52
Options/warrants exercised	(500,000	)		0.05	-
Options/warrants expired	(79,719	)		1.36	-

Balance, December 31, 2010	37,534,054			0.92	2.52
Options/warrants granted	4,921,600			0.75	3.82
Options/warrants cancelled	(200,000	)		0.53	-
Options/warrants expired	(37,500	)		1.88	-

Balance, December 31, 2011	42,218,154		$	0.90	2.18

F-24

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

7.	INCOME TAXES

	The Company is a Nevada corporation and is subject to federal income taxes. Nevada does not impose a corporate income tax.

Significant components of the Company’s net deferred income tax assets and liabilities at December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010 were as follows:

		December 31,			December 31,
		2011			2010
Deferred income tax assets:

Net operating loss carryforward	$	7,105,330		$	5,541,704
Option compensation		1,333,021			940,019
Property, plant & equipment		307,376			122,898
Unrealized losses on investments		-			331
Reclamation and remediation costs		200,318			96,368

Gross deferred income tax assets		8,946,045			6,701,320
Less: valuation allowance		(691,050	)		(1,036,387	)

Net deferred income tax assets		8,254,995			5,664,933

Deferred income tax liabilities:

Unrealized gains on investments		13,556			-
Acquisition related liabilities		11,067,191			11,067,191

Net deferred income tax liabilities	$	2,825,752		$	5,402,258

A valuation allowance was established for deferred tax assets related to certain option compensation and accrued reclamation and remediation costs due to the uncertainty of realizing these deferred tax assets based on conditions existing at December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

The realizability of deferred tax assets are reviewed at each balance sheet date. The majority of the Company’s deferred tax liabilities are depletable. Such depletion will begin with the processing of mineralized material once production has commenced. Therefore, the deferred tax liabilities will reverse in similar time periods as the deferred tax assets. The Company assesses both positive and negative evidence to determine whether it is more likely than not that such reversal will occur to realize the deferred tax assets prior to their exploration. The reversal of the deferred tax liabilities is sufficient to support the net deferred tax assets.

The acquisition related liabilities are a result of the estimated future federal income tax liability associated with the temporary difference between the acquisition consideration and the tax basis. The deferred tax liabilities were reflected as an increase to the total purchase price which has been applied to the underlying mineral and Columbus project assets in the absence of there being a goodwill component associated with the acquisition transactions.

F-25

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

7.	INCOME TAXES (continued)

A reconciliation of the tax benefit for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 at US federal tax rates to the actual tax provision recorded in the financial statements consisted of the following components:

		December 31,			December 31,
		2011			2010

Income tax benefit based on statutory tax rate	$	2,267,658		$	2,329,950

Reconciling items:
Non-deductible items		(22,602	)		2,792
Change in valuation allowance		345,337			(366,797	)

Income tax benefit	$	2,590,393		$	1,965,945

The Company had cumulative net operating losses of approximately $20,300,944 and $15,833,440 as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively for federal income tax purposes. Cumulative net operating losses from December 31, 2006 and previous years are effectively nil due to the annual limitation imposed by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as a result of the ownership percentage change limitations. The net operating loss carryforwards will expire between 2027 and 2031.

The Company and its subsidiary file income tax returns in the United States. These tax returns are subject to examination by taxation authorities provided the years remain open under the relevant statues of limitations, which may result in the payment of income taxes and/or a decrease in the net operating losses available for carryforwards. The Company is no longer subject to income tax examinations by US federal tax authorities for years prior to 2007. While the Company believes that its tax filings do not include uncertain tax positions, the results of potential examinations or the effect of changes in tax law cannot be ascertained at this time. The Company currently has no tax years under examination.

F-26

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

8.	PROPERTY RENTAL AGREEMENTS AND LEASES

	The Company, through its subsidiary CMI, has a lease agreement for mining claims with DDB Syndicate, an entity owned by related parties, including Douglas D.G. Birnie, Chief Executive Officer of the Company; Mr. Chizmar, a former director of the Company; three former officers and directors of CBI; Geotech Mining Inc., Jack Corp. and Wiser Corp. Geotech Mining Inc., Jack Corp. and Wiser Corp. are affiliates of Nanominerals Corp.

	The DDB Syndicate has leased the DDB Claims to CSM, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. The mining lease agreement (the “DDB Agreement”), between the DDB Syndicate and CSM, provides CSM with a lease, extending for approximately 5 years, with an option to purchase the DDB Claims at any time during the lease period. To maintain the lease rights, CSM paid the DDB Syndicate $130,000 by June 30, 2008, with annual rental payments thereafter of $30,000 per year, payable on June 30, 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively. CSM may exercise its option to purchase the DDB Claims by paying a purchase price of $400,000, less any rental payments made by CSM prior to exercising the option, or paying the DDB Syndicate $10, plus the grant of a 2% royalty of net smelter returns on the DDB Claims.

	The Company paid the $30,000 rental payments due on June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The annual rental payment consists of $3,651 in payments to each of the eight owners of DDB Syndicate and reimbursement of expenses of $792 to a company controlled by Douglas D.G. Birnie.

9.	COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

	Lease obligations – The Company rents office space in Henderson, Nevada. The lease terms expired on September 1, 2008 and the Company continues to rent the existing space under month-to-month terms. Rental expense for office space was $71,700 and $67,650 for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

	Columbus Project – Pursuant to the option assignment agreement dated March 30, 2007, as amended August 8, 2007, the Company granted a 5% net smelter return royalty to NMC, one of the principal stockholders of the Company. The Columbus Project is further discussed in Note 3.

	Red Mountain Project – Pursuant to the option assignment agreement the Company granted a 5% net smelter return royalty to NMC, one of the principal stockholders of the Company. The Red Mountain Project is further discussed in Note 3.

	Stand-by letter of credit – In June 2011, a financial institution issued a stand-by letter of credit to the BLM for up to $175,000 on behalf of the Company. The stand-by letter of credit was issued to guarantee the Company’s compliance with reclamation bonding requirements. The letter of credit expires on June 24, 2012 and will be automatically renewed for one year periods unless either party elects not to renew. The Company is required to maintain a $175,000 certificate of deposit with the financial institution which is included in “restricted investments held for reclamation bonds” on the balance sheet. The Company is also required to pay an annual fee of 2% of the total value of the letter of credit. As of December 31, 2011, no draws have been made on the letter of credit.

F-27

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

10.	CONCENTRATIONS

	Concentration of credit risk - The Company maintains its cash accounts in financial institutions. Cash accounts are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) for up to $250,000 per financial institution. Additionally, all non-interest bearing transactional accounts are fully insured by the FDIC through December 31, 2012. The Company has never experienced a material loss or lack of access to its cash accounts; however, no assurance can be provided that access to the Company’s cash accounts will not be impacted by adverse conditions in the financial markets. At December 31, 2011, the Company did not have any deposits in excess of FDIC insured limits.

	Concentration of activity - The Company currently utilizes a metallurgical consulting firm to perform significant portions of its exploration work programs. A change in the lead metallurgical consulting firm could cause a delay in the progress of the Company’s exploration programs and would cause the Company to incur significant transition expense and may affect operating results adversely.

11.	RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

	Pursuant to option assignment agreements related to both the Columbus and Red Mountain projects, the Company granted a 5% net smelter return royalty to NMC. NMC is the Company’s largest shareholder, owning approximately 33% of the Company’s outstanding common stock. The Columbus Project and the Red Mountain Project are further discussed in Note 3.

	During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company utilized the services of NMC to provide technical assistance and financing related activities. These services related primarily to the Columbus Project and the Red Mountain Project. In addition to the above services, NMC provided dedicated use of its laboratory, instrumentation, milling equipment and research facilities. NMC provided invoices for these fees plus expenses.

	For the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company incurred total fees and reimbursements of expenses to NMC of $420,000 and $101,478, respectively. Additionally, the Company paid NMC $195,000 as a deposit on equipment purchases. At December 31, 2011, the Company had an outstanding balance due to NMC $42,181.

	For the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company incurred total fees and reimbursements of expenses to NMC of $420,000 and $115,974, respectively. At December 31, 2010, the Company had an outstanding balance due to NMC $43,657.

	For the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company also had an outstanding balance for accrued compensation to Douglas D.G. Birnie, its executive officer, of $9,375. The amount is payable to a company wholly owned by Douglas D.G. Birnie. The Company also had an outstanding balance for accrued director fees to Michael Steele of $14,158.

	Due to related parties includes amounts due to former officers of the Company. At December 31, 2011 and 2010, the remaining amount of due to related parties was $23,290, respectively.

	For the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company incurred fees of $2,000 for services performed by one of its independent directors, Mark Brennan.

F-28

IRELAND INC.
(AN EXPLORATION STAGE ENTERPRISE)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

12.	SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

	On February 23, 2012, the Company issued an aggregate of 5,530,000 units at a price of $0.50 per unit in separate concurrent private placement offerings for aggregate proceeds of $2,765,000 as described below. Each unit is comprised of one share of common stock and one share purchase warrant, with each warrant entitling the holder to purchase an additional share of common stock at an exercise price of $0.80 per share for a period expiring March 31, 2015. After September 30, 2012, the Company may accelerate the expiration date of the warrants if the volume weighted average price for our common stock exceeds $2.40 per share for 20 consecutive trading days.

	US Private Placement - The Company issued 5,230,000 Units to U.S. persons for gross proceeds of $2,615,000 pursuant to the provisions of Rule 506 of Regulation D of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Each U.S. subscriber represented that they were an accredited investor as defined under Regulation D of the Securities Act.

	Offshore Private Placement - The Company issued 300,000 Units to non-U.S. persons for gross proceeds of $150,000 pursuant to the provisions of Regulation S of the Securities Act. Each of the subscribers represented that they were not “US persons” as defined in Regulation S of the Securities Act and that they were not acquiring the shares for the account or benefit of a US person.

	The Company paid a finder’s fee of $6,000 in cash and 12,000 share purchase warrants related to the Offshore Private Placement. In addition, the Company will pay the finder an additional cash fee of 4% of the exercise price of any warrants exercised by subscribers introduced by the finder. The finder is a registered broker dealer pursuant to Section 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. There were no finder’s fees paid in respect of the U.S. Private Placement.

	On March 15, 2012, the Company issued an aggregate of 4,030,000 units at a price of $0.50 per unit in private placement offerings for aggregate proceeds of $2,015,000. All units were issued to US persons pursuant to the provisions of Rule 506 of Regulation D of the Securities Act. Each unit is comprised of one share of common stock and one share purchase warrant with each warrant entitling the holder to purchase an additional share of common stock at an exercise price of $0.80 per share for a period expiring March 31, 2015. After September 30, 2012, the Company may accelerate the expiration date of the warrants if the volume weighted average price for our common stock exceeds $2.40 per share for 20 consecutive trading days.

F-29

ITEM 9.

CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE.

None.

ITEM 9A.

CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act) as of December 31, 2011 (the “Evaluation Date”). This evaluation was carried out under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the Evaluation Date.

Management's Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act, for the Company.

Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that: (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, management conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, as of the Evaluation Date, based on the framework set forth in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Based on its evaluation under this framework, management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of the Evaluation Date.

This annual report does not include an attestation report of our registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management's report was not subject to attestation by our registered public accounting firm pursuant to rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission that permit us to provide only management's report in this annual report.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

As of the Evaluation Date, there were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011 that have materially affected, or that are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Limitations on the Effectiveness of Controls and Procedures

Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, do not expect that the our controls and procedures will prevent all potential error and fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met.

ITEM 9B.

OTHER INFORMATION.

None.

PART III

ITEM 10.

DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.

Directors and Executive Officers

Name	Age	Positions
Douglas D.G. Birnie	41	President, Chief Executive Officer, Secretary and Director
Robert D. McDougal	79	Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Director
David Z. Strickler, Jr.	46	Vice President of Finance and Administration
Mark H. Brennan	52	Director

Douglas D.G. Birnie. Mr. Birnie was appointed as our Chief Executive Officer, President and a member of our Board of Directors on June 29, 2007. Mr. Birnie was also appointed as our Secretary on March 30, 2007. Mr. Birnie was appointed as our President and Secretary, and as one of our directors pursuant to the terms of our assignment agreement with Nanominerals. Mr. Birnie graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia in 1994. In 1995, Mr. Birnie was a founder of Columbus Group Communications Inc., a privately held internet solutions company. In 1998, Mr. Birnie received the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award and the Business Development Bank of Canada Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. During his tenure at Columbus Group, Mr. Birnie held the positions of CFO and COO until the company was acquired by TELUS Corp. in 2001. Mr. Birnie continued to work for TELUS Corp. as Director – Strategic Planning with the e.Solutions department until 2003.

Robert D. McDougal. Mr. McDougal was appointed as our Chief Financial Officer on March 30, 2007 and has served as a member of our Board of Directors since December 14, 2007. Mr. McDougal was also appointed as our Treasurer on January 23, 2008. Mr. McDougal was appointed as our Chief Financial Officer pursuant to the terms of our assignment agreement with Nanominerals. Mr. McDougal is a Certified Public Accountant. He began practicing public accounting in 1973 and established his own practice in 1981. The majority of his practice is focused on mining and mining related clients including public companies, private companies’ partnerships and individuals. Mr. McDougal was a Director and Officer of GEXA Gold Corporation, a publicly traded mining company, from 1985 to 2001. Mr. McDougal was one of the founders of Millennium Mining Corporation, which was subsequently merged into Gold Summit Corporation, a publicly traded company. He is the managing partner of GM Squared, LLC, which holds numerous mining claims. He served on the Nevada Society of Certified Public Accountants Committee on Natural Resources for seven years, four years as chairman. Prior to this time Mr. McDougal spent 20 years in the United States Air Force, retiring with the rank of Major. Mr. McDougal is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Searchlight Minerals Corp.

David Z. Strickler, Jr. Mr. Strickler was appointed as our Vice President of Finance and Administration on March 8, 2010. Mr. Strickler has worked in the construction and real estate industries for 15 years with expertise in both finance and operations. During the last 8 years, he served as the Executive VP Finance for a leading luxury homebuilder in Las Vegas, with operations involving between 80 and 120 employees. In addition, he owned and operated an accounting services business and was an owner of a snowboard manufacturing business. Mr. Strickler has a bachelor's degree in Accounting and an MBA, with a concentration in Finance from the Pennsylvania State University.

Mark H. Brennan. Mr. Brennan was appointed as a member of our Board of Directors on June 24, 2009. Mr. Brennan has served as the president of his own consulting firm, the Brennan Consulting Group, through which he has managed a number of long-term, multi-year management and operations consulting engagements in various business sectors. In addition to his ongoing management consulting practice, Mr. Brennan has also founded and operated a number of private companies beginning in the early 1990’s. Mr. Brennan is the founding chairman of the Vegas Valley Angels, a non-profit organization of accredited investors whose purpose is to search out, invest in, mentor and foster the development of new and developing companies located in the southwestern United States. Mr. Brennan is also an active member of the board of advisors for both the Nevada Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (NCET) and the University of Nevada Las Vegas Center for Entrepreneurship. Mr. Brennan holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a MA in Management from National University. Early in Mr. Brennan’s career he served his country for eight years as a fighter pilot and instructor pilot with the United States Air Force after earning his BS degree from the United States Air Force Academy.

TERMS OF OFFICE

Our directors are appointed for a one-year term to hold office until the next annual general meeting of our stockholders or until removed from office in accordance with our bylaws. Our officers are appointed by our Board of Directors and hold office until removed by the Board.

SIGNIFICANT EMPLOYEES AND CONSULTANTS

Nanominerals Corp. Nanominerals Corp. (“Nanominerals”) is a private company controlled by its sole officer and director Dr. Charles A. Ager. Nanominerals is our largest shareholder and acts as a consultant to us on technical exploration and financial matters. In addition, Nanominerals owns a 5% royalty interest on any net smelter returns from either the Columbus Project or the Red Mountain Project.

Dr. Ager is an accomplished geophysical engineer with over forty years experience in the mining industry, combining an extensive academic background with international business development experience in the founding of several successful mining enterprises. Dr. Ager earned a PhD in Geophysics and a Master of Science (M.Sc) in Geophysics from the University of British Columbia. Dr. Ager attended California State University in Sacramento, California for his Bachelor of Arts in Math/Physics. He graduated with honors in 1968.

Throughout his career, Dr. Ager has been a trailblazer in the mining industry. Dr. Ager has discovered and/or participated in the discovery of numerous metal deposits throughout Canada and the United States. He is also the developer and owner of a number of patents and intellectual property rights for technological innovations in the mining field. Through Nanominerals, Dr. Ager developed ways of using nanotechnology to discover several precious metal deposits. Dr. Ager is also responsible for inventing the satellite/electron microscope technology that has led to the identification of a new class of gold deposits in the Southwestern United States. Some of the mineral deposits that Dr. Ager was critically involved in as either developer or discoverer include the Jamestown Gold Deposit & Mine in the Mother Lode District in Jamestown, California; the Glendale Gold Deposits in the N. Glendale Basin in Clark County, Nevada; the Eldorado Gold Deposit in the Eldorado Valley in Clark County, Nevada; the Pine Tree Gold Deposit in the Mother Lode District in Mariposa County, California; and the Rich Gulch Gold Deposit in the Mother Lode District in Plumas County, California.

The Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Douglas D.G. Birnie, owns a 3.5% interest in Nanominerals.

AUDIT COMMITTEE

Our audit committee is composed of Mark H. Brennan and Robert D. McDougal. Mr. Brennan and Mr. McDougal are “audit committee financial experts” as defined by the applicable rules of the SEC. Mr. Brennan is currently the sole independent member of our audit committee. Mr. McDougal is not independent as he also acts as our Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer.

CODE OF ETHICS

We adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our officers and directors which is a "code of ethics" as defined by applicable rules of the SEC. If we make any amendments to our Code of Ethics other than technical, administrative, or other non-substantive amendments, or grant any waivers, including implicit waivers, from a provision of our Code of Ethics to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, or certain other finance executives, we will disclose the nature of the amendment or waiver, its effective date and to whom it applies in a current report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC. A copy of our Code of Ethics was attached as an exhibit to our Annual Report filed with the SEC on September 28, 2004.

SECTION 16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our executive officers and directors, and persons who beneficially own more than 10% of our equity securities (collectively, the “Reporting Persons”), to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC. Reporting Persons are required by SEC regulation to furnish us with copies of all forms they file pursuant to Section 16(a). Based on our review of the copies of such forms received by us, other than as described below, no other reports were required for those persons.

During our 2011 fiscal year, no Reporting Persons failed to file, on a timely basis, the reports required by Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act.

ITEM 11.

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION.

COMPENSATION TO EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The following table sets forth the total compensation paid or accrued to our named executive officers, as that term is defined in Item 402(m)(2) of Regulation S-K during our last two completed fiscal years.

SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE
Name & Principal Position	Year	Salary ($)	Bonus ($)	Stock Awards ($)	Option Awards ($)	Non- Equity Incentive Plan Compen- sation ($)	Nonqualified Deferred Compen- sation Earnings ($)	All Other Compen- sation ($)	Total ($)
Douglas D.G. Birnie, CEO, President, Secretary, Director	2011 2010	$225,000⁽¹⁾ $225,000⁽¹⁾	$0 $0	$0 $0	$104,478 (2) $58,094⁽²⁾	$0 $0	$0 $0	$3,719 $3,719	$333,197 $286,813
Robert D. McDougal, CFO, Treasurer, Director	2011 2010	$84,000 $84,000	$0 $0	$0 $0	$33,792 ⁽³⁾ $19,366⁽³⁾	$0- $0	$0- $0	$0- $0	$117,792 $103,366
David Z. Strickler, Jr., Vice President of Finance and Administration	2011 2010	$150,000 $115,981	$0 $0	$0 $0	$70,559 ⁽⁴⁾ $56,239⁽⁴⁾	$0 $0	$0 $0	$0 $0	$220,559 172,220

	(1)	Represents consulting fees paid or accrued to a limited liability company of which Mr. Birnie is the sole member for services provided by Mr. Birnie as an executive officer and director of Ireland.

	(2)	On August 24, 2011, Mr. Birnie was granted options to purchase an aggregate of 600,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.75 per share, expiring 5 years after the vesting date as described below. 150,000 of the options will vest and become exercisable on the first date after the grant date that the closing price of our common stock exceeds $1.50/share for 20 consecutive trading days. A further 150,000 options will vest and become exercisable upon our Board of Directors determining that we have, from the grant date, made adequate and sufficient progress on our technical and feasibility programs for our Columbus Project. Of the remaining 300,000 options, 50,000 options were vested upon granting, with an additional 50,000 options vesting on December 31, 2011. An additional 50,000 options will vest on each of June 30 and December 31 of 2012 and 2013, provided that Mr. Birnie continues to act as one of our executive officers through that period. All 600,000 options will immediately vest and become exercisable upon a change in control of the Company.

		On December 13, 2011, our Board of Directors agreed to extend the expiration date for 2,200,000 options exercisable at a price of $0.05 per share, granted to Mr. Birnie in 2007, from March 30, 2012 to March 30, 2017.

		In 2010, Mr. Birnie was granted options to purchase 300,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.75 per share and options to purchase an additional 300,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.53 per share. The 300,000 options exercisable at $0.75 per share vest and become exercisable at a rate of 50,000 shares every six months, beginning on June 30, 2010. 150,000 of the options exercisable at $0.53 per share will vest and become exercisable on the first date that our shares trade at or above $1.00 per share for 20 consecutive trading days. The remaining 150,000 options exercisable at $0.53 per share were to vest and become exercisable upon our Board of Directors determining that we have made adequate and sufficient progress on our technical and feasibility programs for our Columbus Project. On March 31, 2011, our Board of Directors determined that sufficient progress had been made on our feasibility programs and resolved that these options should be deemed vested and exercisable, with an expiration date of March 30, 2016. All 600,000 options granted will immediately vest and become exercisable in the event of a change in control of the Company. Each option expires 5 years after the particular grant date.

		Mr. Birnie is also a 1/8 owner in the DDB Syndicate, which owns the DDB Claims at our Columbus Project. Mr. Birnie receives 1/8 of any payment made to the DDB Syndicate.

	(3)	On August 24, 2011, Mr. McDougal was granted options to purchase an aggregate of 300,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.75 per share, expiring 5 years after the vesting date as described below. 75,000 of the options will vest and become exercisable on the first date after the grant date that the closing price of our common stock exceeds $1.50/share for 20 consecutive trading days. A further 75,000 options will vest and become exercisable upon our Board of Directors determining that we have, from the grant date, made adequate and sufficient progress on our technical and feasibility programs for our Columbus Project. Of the remaining 150,000 options, 25,000 options were vested upon granting, with an additional 25,000 options vesting on December 31, 2011. An additional 25,000 options will vest on each of June 30 and December 31 of 2012 and 2013, provided that Mr. McDougal continues to act as one of our executive officers through that period. All 300,000 options will immediately vest and become exercisable upon a change in control of the Company.

		On December 13, 2011, our Board of Directors agreed to extend the expiration date for 500,000 options exercisable at a price of $0.05 per share, granted to Mr. McDougal in 2007, from March 30, 2012 to March 30, 2017.

		In 2010, Mr. McDougal was granted options to purchase 100,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.75 per share and options to purchase an additional 100,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.53 per share. The options exercisable at $0.75 per share vest and become exercisable in equal increments every six months. 50,000 of the options exercisable at $0.53 per share will vest and become exercisable on the first date that our shares trade at or above $1.00 per share for 20 consecutive trading days. The remaining 50,000 options exercisable at $0.53 per share were to vest and become exercisable upon our Board of Directors determining that we had made adequate and sufficient progress on our technical and feasibility programs for our Columbus Project. On March 31, 2011, our Board of Directors determined that sufficient progress had been made on our feasibility programs and resolved that these options should be deemed vested and exercisable, with an expiration date of March 30, 2016. All 200,000 options granted will immediately vest and become exercisable in the event of a change in control of the Company. Each option expires 5 years after the particular grant date.

	(4)	On August 24, 2011, Mr. Strickler was granted options to purchase an aggregate of 300,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.75 per share, expiring 5 years after the vesting date as described below. 75,000 of the options will vest and become exercisable on the first date after the grant date that the closing price of our common stock exceeds $1.50/share for 20 consecutive trading days. A further 75,000 options will vest and become exercisable upon our Board of Directors determining that we have, from the grant date, made adequate and sufficient progress on our technical and feasibility programs for our Columbus Project. Of the remaining 150,000 options, 25,000 options were vested upon granting, with an additional 25,000 options vesting on December 31, 2011. An additional 25,000 options will vest on each of June 30 and December 31 of 2012 and 2013, provided that Mr. Strickler continues to act as one of our executive officers through that period. All 300,000 options will immediately vest and become exercisable upon a change in control of the Company.

		Mr. Strickler was granted options to purchase 200,000 share of our common stock at a price of $0.82 per share. The options granted to Mr. Strickler vest at a rate of 25,000 options per fiscal quarter, beginning March 31, 2010 and expire 3 years after the particular vesting date. All 200,000 options granted will immediately vest and become exercisable in the event of a change of control of the Company.

OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL YEAR-END

The following table provides information concerning unexercised options for each of our named executive officers, as that term is defined in Item 402(m)(2) of Regulation S-K as of our fiscal year end of December 31, 2011.

Name and Principal Position	Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Exercisable	Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Unexercisable	Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Unearned Options	Option Exercise Price	Option Expiration Date
Douglas D.G. Birnie CEO, President, Secretary & Director	2,200,000 50,000 50,000 150,000 100,000 100,000 -- -- -- -- -- -- --	-- -- -- -- -- -- 100,000 100,000 50,000 50,000 150,000 150,000 150,000	-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --	$0.05 $0.75 $0.75 $0.53 $0.75 $0.75 $0.75 $0.75 $0.75 $0.75 $0.53 $0.75 $0.75	Mar. 30, 2017 Jun. 29, 2015 Dec. 30, 2015 Mar. 30, 2016 Jun. 30, 2016 Dec. 30, 2016 Jun. 29, 2017 Dec. 30, 2017 Jun. 29, 2018 Dec. 30, 2018 See Note (1) See Note (1) *See Note (1)
Robert D. McDougal CFO, Treasurer & Director	500,000 16,667 16,667 50,000 41,667 41,667 -- -- -- -- -- -- --	-- -- -- -- -- -- 41,667 41,665 25,000 25,000 50,000 75,000 75,000	-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --	$0.05 $0.75 $0.75 $0.53 $0.75 $0.75 $0.75 $0.75 $0.75 $0.75 $0.53 $0.75 $0.75	Mar. 30, 2017 Jun. 29, 2015 Dec. 30, 2015 Mar. 30, 2016 Jun. 29, 2016 Dec. 30, 2016 Jun. 29, 2017 Dec. 30, 2017 Jun. 30, 2018 Dec. 30, 2018 See Note (2) See Note (2) See Note (2)
David Z. Strickler, Jr., Vice President of Finance and Administration	25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 -- -- -- -- -- --	-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 75,000 75,000	-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --	$0.82 $0.82 $0.82 $0.82 $0.82 $0.75 $0.82 $0.82 $0.75 $0.82 $0.75 $0.75 $0.75 $0.75 $0.75 $0.75	Mar. 30, 2015 Jun. 29, 2015 Sept. 29, 2015 Dec. 30, 2015 Mar. 30, 2016 Jun. 29, 2016 Jun. 29, 2016 Sept. 29, 2016 Dec. 30, 2016 Dec. 30, 2016 Jun. 29, 2017 Dec. 30, 2017 Jun. 30, 2018 Dec. 30, 2018 See Note (3) See Note (3)

Notes:

(1)

150,000 options exercisable at a price of $0.53 per share will vest and become exercisable on the first date that our shares trade at or above $1.00 per share for 20 consecutive trading days. 150,000 options exercisable at a price of $0.75 per share will vest and become exercisable on the first date that our shares trade at or above $1.50 per share for 20 consecutive trading days. 150,000 options exercisable at a price of $0.75 per share will vest and become exercisable upon our Board of Directors determining that we have, from the grant date, made adequate and sufficient progress on our technical and feasibility programs for our Columbus Project. Each of the options described in this note will expire 5 years after the particular vesting date. All unvested options will immediately vest and become exercisable upon a change in control of our Company.

	(2)	50,000 options exercisable at a price of $0.53 per share will vest and become exercisable on the first date that our shares trade at or above $1.00 per share for 20 consecutive trading days. 75,000 options exercisable at a price of $0.75 per share will vest and become exercisable on the first date that our shares trade at or above $1.50 per share for 20 consecutive trading days. 75,000 options exercisable at a price of $0.75 per share will vest and become exercisable upon our Board of Directors determining that we have, from the grant date, made adequate and sufficient progress on our technical and feasibility programs for our Columbus Project. Each of the options described in this note will expire 5 years after the particular vesting date. All unvested options will immediately vest and become exercisable upon a change in control of our Company.

	(3)	75,000 options exercisable at a price of $0.75 per share will vest and become exercisable on the first date that our shares trade at or above $1.50 per share for 20 consecutive trading days. 75,000 options exercisable at a price of $0.75 per share will vest and become exercisable upon our Board of Directors determining that we have, from the grant date, made adequate and sufficient progress on our technical and feasibility programs for our Columbus Project. Each of the options described in this note will expire 5 years after the particular vesting date. All unvested options will immediately vest and become exercisable upon a change in control of our Company.

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION CONTRACTS

We currently pay $225,000 per year to a limited liability company controlled by Mr. Birnie for his services. We do not have a written compensation contract with Mr. Birnie or his limited liability company. With respect to the options granted to Mr. Birnie, any unvested options will immediately become vested and exercisable upon a change in control of our Company. We do not have any other change in control arrangements with Mr. Birnie.

We currently pay Mr. McDougal $84,000 per year for his services. We do not have a written compensation contract with Mr. McDougal. With respect to the options granted to Mr. McDougal, any unvested options will immediately vest and become exercisable upon a change in control of our Company. We do not have any other change in control arrangements with Mr. McDougal.

Mr. Strickler’s employment contract entitles him to a salary of $150,000 per year. With respect to the options granted to Mr. Strickler, any unvested options will immediately vest and become exercisable upon a change in control of our Company. We do not have any other change in control arrangements with Mr. Strickler.

DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

The following table sets forth the compensation paid to our directors during our December 31, 2011 fiscal year, other than directors who were also named executive officers as that term is defined in Item 402(m)(2). Compensation paid to directors who were also named executive officers during our December 31, 2011 fiscal year is set out in the tables above.

Name	Fees Earned or Paid in Cash⁽¹⁾ ($)	Stock Awards ($)	Option Awards ($)	Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($)	Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings ($)	All Other Compensation ($)	Total ($)
Mark H. Brennan	$36,000	$0	$40,615	$0	$0	$0	$76,615

Notes:

	(1)	Since January 1, 2009, we have compensated our independent directors at a rate of $3,000 per month.

	(2)	On April 8, 2011, we granted Mr. Brennan options to purchase 200,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.36 per share. Each of these options has vested. As of the end of our fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, Mr. Brennan had options to purchase up to 717,197 shares of our common stock. Each of these options is vested and exercisable and these options have various exercise prices and expiration dates.

ITEM 12.

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS.

EQUITY COMPENSATION PLANS

The following table sets forth certain information concerning all equity compensation plans previously approved by stockholders and all previous equity compensation plans not previously approved by stockholders, as of the most recently completed fiscal year.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

Plan Category	Number of Securities to be Issued Upon Exercise of Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights (a)	Weighted-Average Exercise Price of Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights (b)	Number of Securities Remaining Available for Future Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans (Excluding Securities Reflected in column (a)) (c)
Equity Compensation Plans Approved By Security Holders	None	Not Applicable	None
Equity Compensation Plans Not Approved By Security Holders	11,587,197⁽¹⁾	$0.54	11,910,699 ⁽²⁾

	(1)	Includes options and warrants to purchase an aggregate of 4,900,000 shares of our common stock issued to consultants outside of our 2007 Stock Incentive Plan (see below).
	(2)	Our 2007 Stock Incentive Plan contains provisions that automatically increase the number of shares available for issuance (see below).

2007 Stock Incentive Plan

On March 27, 2007, we established our 2007 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2007 Plan”). The purpose of the 2007 Plan is to enhance the long-term stockholder value of the Company by offering opportunities to our directors, officers, employees and eligible consultants and any entity that directly or indirectly is in control of or is controlled by the Company (a “Related Company”) to acquire and maintain stock ownership in the Company in order to give these persons the opportunity to participate in our growth and success, and to encourage them to remain in our service or in the service of a Related Company.

The 2007 Plan is administered by our Board of Directors or by a committee of two or more directors appointed by our Board of Directors (the "Plan Administrator"). Subject to the provisions of the 2007 Plan, the Plan Administrator has full and final authority to grant the awards of stock options and to determine the terms and conditions of the awards and the number of shares to be issued pursuant thereto. The 2007 Plan authorizes the grant of options that are intended to qualify as “incentive stock options” under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or nonqualified stock options.

All of our employees and members of our Board of Directors are eligible to be granted options. Individuals who have rendered or are expected to render advisory or consulting services to us are also eligible to receive options so long as they do not provide capital raising services or promote or maintain a market for our securities. Upon adoption, the maximum number of shares of our common stock with respect to which options or rights could be granted under the 2007 Plan to any participant was 6,000,000 shares. The 2007 Plan contains an automatic adjustment provision where the number of shares authorized to be subjected to option grants increases on the first day of each quarter beginning with the fiscal quarter commencing July 1, 2007 by the lesser of the following amounts: (1) 15% of the total number of outstanding shares of the Company’s Common Stock, less any shares that were previously available under the 2007 Plan and any shares available under any other stock option plan that we may adopt; or (2) a lesser number of shares of Common Stock as may be determined by our Board of Directors, subject to certain adjustments to prevent dilution.

The exact terms of the option granted are contained in an option agreement between us and the person to whom such option is granted. Eligible employees are not required to pay anything to receive options. The exercise price for options intending to qualify as incentive stock options must be no less than 100% of the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant. The exercise price for nonqualified stock options is determined by the Plan Administrator but may not be less than 75% of the fair market value of our common stock on the date of the grant. Fair market value for purposes of the 2007 Plan is calculated based on the price of our common stock during the 10 trading days prior to the grant date. An option holder may exercise options from time to time, subject to vesting. Options will vest immediately upon death or disability of a participant and upon certain change of control events.

The Plan Administrator may amend the 2007 Plan at any time and in any manner, however no recipient of any award may, without his or her consent, be deprived thereof or of any of his or her rights thereunder or with respect thereto as a result of such amendment or termination.

The 2007 Plan terminates on March 27, 2017 unless sooner terminated by action of our Board of Directors. No option is exercisable by any person after such expiration. If an award expires, terminates or is canceled, the shares of our Common Stock not purchased thereunder may again be made available for issuance under the 2007 Plan.

Options and Warrants Granted to Consultants Outside of 2007 Plan

At the end of our 2011 fiscal year, we had the following outstanding options and warrants that had been issued outside of our 2007 Plan to certain consultants in exchange for their services:

(a)	Options to purchase 100,000 shares of our common stock exercisable at a price of $1.75 per share, expiring on August 15, 2017.

(b)	Warrants to purchase up to 200,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.55 per share, expiring on December 17, 2012.

(c)	Warrants to purchase up to 300,000 shares of our common stock exercisable at a price of $0.75 per share, expiring on December 31, 2014. We may accelerate the expiration date of these warrants at any time after June 30, 2010 if:

	(i)	the volume weighted average price (“VWAP”) for our shares on the principal market on which they trade is above $4.50 per share for twenty consecutive trading days; and

	(ii)	the average daily trading volume for our shares on the principal market on which they trade during those twenty consecutive trading days is equal to or greater than 0.2% of our free float.

(d)	Warrants to purchase up to 3,300,000 shares of our common stock exercisable at a price of $0.75 per share, expiring on June 30, 2013. Pursuant to their terms, the warrants were to have vested at a rate of 825,000 per share every six months beginning June 30, 2010 and ending December 31, 2011, provided that the warrant holder continued to provide the contracted services without interruption through the particular vesting date. . As of December 31, 2011, all warrants had vested. We may accelerate the expiration date of these warrants at any time after June 30, 2010 if:

	(i)	the VWAP for our shares on the principal market on which they trade is above $4.50 per share for twenty consecutive trading days; and

	(ii)	the average daily trading volume for our shares on the principal market on which they trade during those twenty consecutive trading days is equal to or greater than 0.2% of our free float.

(e)	Warrants to purchase 500,000 shares of our common stock, exercisable at a price of $0.75 per share and expiring on June 30, 2014. We may accelerate the expiration date of these warrants at any time after June 30, 2010 if:

	(i)	the volume weighted average price (“VWAP”) for our shares on the principal market on which they trade is above $4.50 per share for twenty consecutive trading days; and

	(iii)	the average daily trading volume for our shares on the principal market on which they trade during those twenty consecutive trading days is equal to or greater than 0.2% of our free float.

(f)	Warrants to purchase 500,000 shares of our common stock, exercisable at a price of $0.75 per share and expiring on June 30, 2013. As of the date of this Annual Report, 375,000 warrants were vested and exercisable. The remaining 125,000 warrants will vest and become exercisable on March 31, 2012 provided that the consultant continues to provide the contracted services to us without interruption through that date.

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following table sets forth certain information concerning the number of shares of our common stock owned beneficially as of March 26, 2012 by: (i) each person (including any group) known to us to own more than five percent (5%) of any class of our voting securities, (ii) each of our directors and each of our named executive officers (as defined under Item 402(m)(2) of Regulation S-K), and (iii) officers and directors as a group. Unless otherwise indicated, the shareholders listed possess sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares shown.

Title of Class	Name and Address of Beneficial Owner	Number of Shares of Common Stock	Percentage of Common Stock⁽¹⁾
DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
Common Stock	Douglas D.G. Birnie Chief Executive Officer, President, Secretary and Director	4,800,000⁽²⁾ (direct and indirect)	3.4%
Common Stock	Robert D. McDougal Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Director	1,866,668⁽³⁾ (direct)	1.4%
Common Stock	David Z. Strickler, Jr. Vice President of Finance and Administration	271,150⁽⁴⁾ (direct)	*
Common Stock	Mark H. Brennan Director	952,197⁽⁵⁾ (direct)	*
Common Stock	All Officers and Directors as a Group (4 persons)	7,890,015	5.6%
5% STOCKHOLDERS
Common Stock	Nanominerals Corp. 3500 Lakeside Court, Suite 206 Reno, NV 89509	40,150,000⁽⁶⁾ (direct)	29.3%
Common Stock	Charles A. Ager 3500 Lakeside Court, Suite 206 Reno, NV 89509	42,550,000⁽⁶⁾ (direct and indirect)	31.1%

* Less than 1%.

(1)

Under Rule 13d-3, a beneficial owner of a security includes any person who, directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship, or otherwise has or shares: (i) voting power, which includes the power to vote, or to direct the voting of shares; and (ii) investment power, which includes the power to dispose or direct the disposition of shares. Certain shares may be deemed to be beneficially owned by more than one person (if, for example, persons share the power to vote or the power to dispose of the shares). In addition, shares are deemed to be beneficially owned by a person if the person has the right to acquire the shares (for example, upon exercise of an option) within 60 days of the date as of which the information is provided. In computing the percentage ownership of any person, the amount of shares outstanding is deemed to include the amount of shares beneficially owned by such person (and only such person) by reason of these acquisition rights. As a result, the percentage of outstanding shares of any person as shown in this table does not necessarily reflect the person’s actual ownership or voting power with respect to the number of shares of common stock actually outstanding. As of March 26, 2012, there were 137,012,641 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding.

(2)	The shares listed as beneficially owned directly by Mr. Birnie consists of: (i) 1,900,000 shares of our common stock held by Mr. Birnie; (ii) warrants to acquire 100,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.75 per share; (iii) options to acquire 2,200,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.05 per share; (iv) options to acquire 300,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.75 per share; and (v) options to acquire 150,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.53 per share. The shares listed as beneficially owned indirectly by Mr. Birnie consists of (i) 100,000 shares of our common stock held by Dosa Consulting, LLC (“Dosa”), a limited liability company controlled by Mr. Birnie; and (ii) warrants held by Dosa to acquire 50,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.75 per share. Mr. Birnie also owns a 3.5% interest in Nanominerals Corp. The shares listed as beneficially owned by Mr. Birnie do not include any part of the shares of our common stock owned by Nanominerals as Mr. Birnie does not have any voting or investment power over the shares owned by Nanominerals. Mr. Birnie also directly owns additional options to acquire shares of our common stock that are not currently exercisable and will not become exercisable within the next 60 days. As such, the shares underlying these options have not been included in the number of shares beneficially owned by Mr. Birnie. A description of the exercisable and unexercisable options held by Mr. Birnie is provided in Item 11 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

(3)	The shares listed as beneficially owned by Mr. McDougal consists of: (i) 1,200,000 shares of our common stock held by Mr. McDougal; (ii) options to acquire 500,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.05 per share; (iii) options to acquire 116,668 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.75 per share; and (iv) options to acquire 50,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.53 per share. Mr. McDougal also owns additional options to acquire shares of our common stock that are not currently exercisable and will not become exercisable within the next 60 days. As such, the shares underlying these options have not been included in the number of shares beneficially owned by Mr. McDougal. A description of the exercisable and unexercisable options held by Mr. McDougal is provided in Item 11 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

(4)	The shares listed as beneficially owned by Mr. Strickler consist (i) 16,600 shares of our common stock held by Mr. Strickler; (ii) warrants to acquire 4,550 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.80 per share; (iii) options to acquire 200,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.82 per share; and (iv) options to acquire 50,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.75 per share. Mr. Strickler also owns additional options that are not currently exercisable and will not become exercisable within the next 60 days. As such, the shares underlying these options have not been included in the number of shares beneficially owned by Mr. Strickler. A description of the exercisable and unexercisable options held by Mr. Strickler is provided in Item 11 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

(5)	The shares listed as beneficially owned by Mr. Brennan consists of: (i) 165,000 shares of our common stock held by Mr. Brennan; (ii) warrants to purchase 70,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.75 per share; (iii) options to acquire 250,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.48 per share; (iv) options to acquire 200,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.53 per share; (v) options to acquire 67,197 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.81 per share; and (vi) options to acquire 200,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.36 per share.

(6)	The sole officer and director of Nanominerals is Dr. Charles A. Ager. In addition, pursuant to a shareholders agreement, Dr. Ager has control over a majority of the shareholder voting power of Nanominerals. As such, Dr. Ager has voting and dispositive power over the 40,150,000 shares of our common stock listed as beneficially owned by Nanominerals and we have listed those shares as being indirectly beneficially owned by him. Individually, Dr. Ager owns 2,100,000 shares of our common stock. Also included in the number of shares listed as being indirectly beneficially owned by Dr. Ager are 300,000 shares of our common stock owned by Dr. Ager’s wife. The shares owned by Dr. Ager and Mrs. Ager have not been included in the shares beneficially owned by Nanominerals. Mr. Birnie also owns a 3.5% interest in Nanominerals Corp. The shares listed as beneficially owned by Mr. Birnie have not been included in the shares beneficially owned by Nanominerals.

CHANGES IN CONTROL

We are not aware of any arrangement which may result in a change in control in the future.

ITEM 13.

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE.

Except as disclosed below, none of the following parties has, during our December 31, 2011 fiscal year, had any material interest, direct or indirect, in any transaction with us or in any presently proposed transaction that has or will materially affect us:

	(a)	Any of our directors or officers;
	(b)	Any person proposed as a nominee for election as a director;
	(c)	Any person who beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, more than 5% of our outstanding common stock; or
	(d)	Any child, stepchild, parent, stepparent, spouse, sibling, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law of any person listed in (a) to (c), above, or any person (other than a tenant or employee) who shares the household of any person listed in (a) to (c), above.

DDB Claims

A limited liability company controlled by Douglas D.G. Birnie, our CEO, President and Secretary, and a member of our Board of Directors, is the owner of a 1/8 interest in the mining syndicate known as the DDB Syndicate. The former officers and directors of CBI, and an affiliate of one of those former officers and directors of CBI, collectively own a 3/8 interest in the DDB Syndicate. A 3/8 interest in the DDB Syndicate is collectively owned by affiliates of Nanominerals Corp. (“Nanominerals”). One of our former directors is the owner of the remaining 1/8 interest in the DDB Syndicate. Mr. Birnie is also the owner of a 3.5% interest in Nanominerals. Mr. Birnie, Nanominerals and Nanominerals’ affiliates acquired their respective interests in the DDB Syndicate and the DDB Claims prior to his and their involvement with the Company. Mr. Birnie acquired his interest in Nanominerals prior to their involvement with the Company.

On November 30, 2007, the DDB Syndicate leased the DDB Claims to Columbus S.M. LLC (“CSM”), formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of CBI, and now a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. To date, we have paid the DDB Syndicate $220,000 under the terms of the DDB Agreement. Under the option rights provided under the DDB Agreement, we may purchase the DDB Claims at any time by either:

	(a)	paying the DDB Syndicate a purchase price of $400,000 (with all previously made rental payments credited against such purchase price); or

	(b)	paying the DDB Syndicate $10, plus the grant of a 2% royalty of net smelter returns on the DDB Claims.

As the owners of a 1/8 interest each in the DDB Syndicate, Mr. Birnie is entitled to 1/8 of any amounts paid by us under the DDB Agreement. Under the terms of the DDB Agreement, we paid a total of $30,000 to the DDB Syndicate during each of the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2011.

Nanominerals Corp.

Nanominerals Corp. (“Nanominerals”) is the owner of 40,150,000 shares, or 29.3%, of our common stock. Nanominerals acts as a consultant to us on technical exploration and financial matters. In addition, Nanominerals has provided dedicated use of its laboratory, instrumentation, milling and research equipment and facilities. Nanominerals invoices us for services provided plus expenses incurred in connection with providing those services.

		Year Ended Dec. 31, 2011		Year Ended Dec. 31, 2010
Consulting Fees	$	420,000	$	420,000
Reimbursement of Expenses	$	101,478	$	115,974
Purchases of Equipment	$	22,500		--
Advance on Purchase of Equipment	$	195,000
	$	738,978	$	535,974

Purchased equipment was for multiple 40’ storage containers and the advance on equipment purchases was for circuit equipment as well as lab equipment. A purchase price of $230,630 for the equipment was agreed to on March 9, 2012.

As of the year ended December 31, 2011, we had an outstanding balance due to Nanominerals of $42,181.

Mr. Birnie is the owner of a 3.5% interest in Nanominerals. Mr. Birnie acquired his interest in Nanominerals prior to his and their involvement with our Company. Affiliates of Nanominerals are also the owners of a 3/8 interest in the DDB Syndicate, which owns the DDB Claims as described above.

DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

Our common stock is quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board interdealer quotation system, which does not have director independence requirements. In determining whether any of our directors are independent directors, we have applied the definition for independence set out in NASDAQ Rule 5605(a)(2). In applying this definition, we have determined that Mark H. Brennan is an independent director. Neither of Douglas D.G. Birnie nor Robert D. McDougal qualifies as an independent member of our Board of Directors.

ITEM 14.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES.

The aggregate fees billed for the two most recently completed fiscal years for professional services rendered by the principal accountant for the audit of our annual financial statements and review of the financial statements included in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and services that are normally provided by the accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements for those fiscal periods were as follows:

		Year Ended December 31, 2011		Year Ended December 31, 2010
Audit Fees	$	38,885	$	61,218
Audit-Related Fees		Nil		Nil
Tax Fees		Nil		Nil
All Other Fees		Nil		Nil
Total	$	38,885	$	61,218

Our audit committee reviewed the qualifications of Brown Armstrong Accountancy Corporation, prior to engaging them as our auditors in accordance with Rule 2-01(c)(7)(i)(A).

ITEM 15.

EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.

The following exhibits are either provided with this Annual Report or are incorporated herein by reference:

Exhibit
Number	Description of Exhibit
3.1	Articles of Incorporation.⁽¹⁾
3.2	Certificate of Amendment to Articles - Name Change from Merritt Ventures Corp. to Ireland Inc.⁽²⁾
3.3	Certificate of Change – 4-for-1 Stock Split.⁽³⁾
3.4	Bylaws.⁽¹⁾
10.1	2007 Stock Incentive Plan.⁽⁴⁾
10.2	Consulting Agreement between the Company and RJ Falkner & Company, Inc., dated for reference as of November 5, 2007.⁽⁵⁾
10.3	Consultant Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement between the Company and R. Jerry Falkner, dated effective as of November 5, 2007.⁽⁵⁾

Exhibit
Number	Description of Exhibit
10.4	Mining Lease Agreement dated November 30, 2007 between DDB Syndicate and Columbus S.M., LLC.⁽⁷⁾
10.5	Management Employment Agreement for David Z. Strickler.
10.6	Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement for Douglas D.G. Birnie.⁽⁹⁾
10.7	Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement for Robert D. McDougal.⁽⁹⁾
10.8	Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement for Michael A. Steele.⁽⁹⁾
10.9	Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement for Mark H. Brennan.⁽⁹⁾
10.10	Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement for David Z. Strickler, Jr.⁽¹⁰⁾
10.11	Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement dated April 8, 2011 for Mark H. Brennan.⁽¹¹⁾
10.12	Amended and Restated Option Agreement dated July 20, 2011 between Sierra Mineral Management Inc. and Ireland Inc.⁽¹²⁾
10.13	Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement for Douglas D.G. Birnie.⁽¹³⁾
10.14	Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement for Robert D. McDougal.⁽¹³⁾
10.15	Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement for David Z. Strickler, Jr.⁽¹³⁾
14.1	Code of Ethics.⁽⁶⁾
21.1	List of Subsidiaries.⁽¹⁰⁾
23.1	Consent of Brown Armstrong Accountancy Corporation
31.1	Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
31.2	Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.1	Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.2	Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
95.1	Mine Safety Disclosures
101.INS	XBRL Instance Document.
101.SCH	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema.
101.CAL	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase.
101.DEF	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase.
101.LAB	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase.
101.PRE	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase.

(1)	Filed as an exhibit to our Registration Statement on Form SB-2 originally filed on April 18, 2002, as amended.
(2)	Filed as an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 2005 filed on April 12, 2006.
(3)	Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 30, 2007.
(4)	Filed as an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 2006 filed on April 5, 2007.
(5)	Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 9, 2007.
(6)	Filed as an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 2003 filed on September 28, 2004.
(7)	Filed as an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 filed on March 31, 2008.
(8)	Filed as an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009 filed on April 15, 2010.
(9)	Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 28, 2010.
(10)	Filed as an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 filed on March 30, 2011.
(11)	Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 13, 2011.
(12)	Filed as an exhibit to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2011 filed on August 19, 2011.
(13)	Filed as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 26, 2011.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

			IRELAND INC.



Date:	March 30, 2012	By:	/s/ Douglas D.G. Birnie
			DOUGLAS D.G. BIRNIE
			Chief Executive Officer, President and Secretary
			(Principal Executive Officer)



Date:	March 30, 2012	By:	/s/ Robert D. McDougal
			ROBERT D. MCDOUGAL
			Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
			(Principal Financial Officer)

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Date:	March 30, 2012	By:	/s/ Douglas D.G. Birnie
			DOUGLAS D.G. BIRNIE
			Chief Executive Officer, President and Secretary
			Director



Date:	March 30, 2012	By:	/s/ Robert D. McDougal
			ROBERT D. MCDOUGAL
			Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
			Director



Date:	March 30, 2012	By:	/s/ Mark H. Brennan
			MARK H. BRENNAN
			Director

Attached files

IRELAND INC. Reports

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