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Extra.ie
13 hours ago
- General
- Extra.ie
Is this the last straw for thatched cottages? Skills not being passed down
The Irish craft of thatching is at risk of dying out unless greater investment is made into training a new generation of craftspeople, stakeholders have warned. However, there is hope for the old art form yet after Donegal Thatching School opened in Portnoo in October 2024, running free government-funded weekend courses with 'lots of demand', according to an organiser. Conal Shovlin was born in a Donegal thatched cottage, which he owns to this day. The 74-year-old was inspired to take up the trade by his father and is now one of the thatching school's three coordinators. Conal Shovlin was born in a Donegal thatched cottage, which he owns to this day. The 74-year-old was inspired to take up the trade by his father and is now one of the thatching school's three coordinators. 'We did some exploratory research to try to gauge interest on a national level, and we were surprised by how many were interested,' Mr Shovlin said, adding that ten new thatchers are now in training. He continued: 'Some are as young as their twenties. People my age think young people aren't capable, or don't want to work with their hands any more. That's a foolish mindset. Not everyone wants to be a computer whizz-kid.' The trainees will have their work cut out for them, as these roofs need to be re-thatched every ten to 15 years, and there are upwards of 300 that urgently need repair work carried out. A stock image of a new thatched roof. Pic: Shutterstock Senator Manus Boyle yesterday said courses must be provided through Educational Training Boards (ETBs) to ensure a pipeline of accredited craftspeople, including thatchers, can exist. It's estimated that fewer than 25 trained thatchers still practise the craft in Ireland, a figure Senator Boyle warned was 'an alarming statistic' when compared to the 2,000 thatched buildings across the country that need constant upkeep. The senator's native county of Donegal has over 300 thatched buildings, which the county council has warned are being lost 'at a concerning rate'. Donegal Thatching School isn't alone, though. The Heritage Council established a course in thatching in conjunction with the Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board (ETB) this year, the first of its kind in over 15 years. Brian Lafferty, Conor Farren, Sean McDevitt and Conal Shovlin of Donegal Thatching School. The 42-week course is led by expert trainer and thatcher, Brian Simpson and includes a six-week work placement with an experienced thatcher. Mr Shovlin said he's hopeful the Donegal Thatching School will also become full-time and that other parts of the country will develop their own courses or schools. He said: 'Different areas have their own traditions and techniques of thatching based on the local material available to them. This is about preserving heritage. Having thatched cottages in museums is fine but we want to see them lived in and kept alive all across the landscape.' Mr Shovlin noted that it's a tough task but he's hopeful, and said: 'We are in our 70s running this school, but we are training up ten thatchers, who could each train ten more and so on. This is just the beginning of a long career for them. We have the heavy lifting done now, the modules for the school have been developed, and we have the workshop built.' The Donegal man said it is also essential that local materials are used, as is the tradition. He added: 'People are now getting straw and reeds from the other side of Europe. We used to, and we still can, grow that all here. A stock image of a new thatch roof. Pic: Shutterstock 'It'll be a lost art if we don't train people up to do it. I was at Muckross Folk Park in Killarney and they have a lovely thatched cottage but had to get thatchers from Poland to work on it.' As a boy, Mr Shovlin would pass by over two dozen thatched cottages on his trip to school. Now, along the same road, there are just three thatched buildings. He used the ancestral home of actress Grace Kelly as an example. 'That was a thatched cottage in Co. Mayo. She visited a few times starting in 1961,' Mr Shovlin explained, saying the trips to her ancestors' homeland gave a huge profile to the quaint and traditional thatched cottage. 'If you look at the place now, it's a ruin because it wasn't maintained,' he said. The thatcher praised the Government's Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS), which offers dedicated funding for historic thatched buildings, providing grants of up to €20,000 for thatching or conservation work on buildings built before 1970. Additionally, a Thatching Grant provides support for necessary works to renew or repair thatched roofs of owner-occupied houses, offering a grant of up to €3,810. Senator Boyle added: 'The thatched house has become symbolic of rural Ireland, but the traditional skill is at a critical point, with a huge shortage of thatchers to look after these buildings.' He said the demand for the course proved the need for the provision of a thatching course in the Donegal ETB. 'More broadly speaking, plans must be put in place to ensure other traditional craftworkers, such as stone masons and blacksmiths, also prevail,' he added.
The Star
10-05-2025
- General
- The Star
Saving Ireland's ‘straw crowns'
A NEW school in Ireland is training up a fresh generation of thatchers in a bid to save the country's disappearing thatched roofs, an iconic feature of the Irish landscape. In a hall in Portnoo, students at the Donegal Thatching School clamber over practice roofs under the watchful eye of Brian Lafferty, one of Ireland's last master thatchers. 'That's it, start at the eaves and work from there,' said the 72-year-old, peering upwards as a student laid and fixed batches of flax straw on top of a purpose-built model house. 'The tradition has almost died out, it's crucial to pass it on to the younger ones,' says the still spritely Lafferty. Lafferty's expertise was handed down to him by his father. He grew up in County Donegal, the part of Ireland with the highest number of surviving thatched cottages. 'When I'm up on a roof I can almost hear the music that was played inside in years past, I think of the lives that were lived below,' he said. Kilpatrick working on the roof of a thatched cottage in Bunbeg. — AFP But he lamented that younger people don't have his 'deep well of lived experience to draw from'. That makes it less painful to pull down a thatched house and build a modern one up with slate or tiled roofs, said Lafferty. 'It could have taken three years to gather up the stones to build a thatch house, but you could toss it in 10 minutes with a machine,' he said with a tear in his eye. Perched on a ladder halfway up a roof, Fidelma Toland, a novice thatcher determined to keep the ancient way alive, listened keenly to Lafferty's guidance. The 43-year-old barworker and farmer still lives in the thatched house where her grandfather and mother were born. 'I want to learn how to maintain it,' Toland said with a smile. The school, 260km northwest of Dublin near Ireland's scenic western coast, opened in October, and runs free, government-funded weekend courses on different styles and methods. Lafferty showing a thatching rope; and a closeup of a thatching rope. — AFP Open days have drawn packed houses while 20 beginners have signed up to learn so far, some travelling large distances, according to Conal Shovlin, one of the founders. 'There's a new appreciation for this iconic part of Irish culture, most rural people lived in thatched houses up to around 70 or 80 years ago,' said Shovlin. The bespectacled 74-year-old, who was born in a cottage thatched with bent grass from nearby sand dunes, said his father's passion for thatching rubbed off on him. 'The density of the thatch keeps the home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, they're practical as well as beautiful,' he said, his hand resting on tied flax bundles. And 'rain runs off a thatched roof like off a duck's back', he added with a smile. Breathing life into an endangered craft 'is like nurturing a small plant,' said Shovlin, who would like to see certified 25-week courses become part of college curricula nationwide. Lafferty showing a thatching rope; and a closeup of a thatching rope. — AFP He estimates there are around 300 to 400 remaining cottages around Ireland that need urgent repair work. And there are only an estimated 10 full-time thatchers left in the country, with reports of thatchers from Poland being brought in to help. A recent audit revealed a 30% decline in the number of thatched houses in Donegal during the last decade. 'They're disappearing, but they're not big houses and aren't that hard to fix,' said Shovlin, adding when he was a boy there were 25 thatched roofs on his route to school. Now there were only three. As well as a dearth of skilled workers, a lack of raw materials – straw, flax and water-reed – is also an obstacle. A closeup showing how rope thatching is made; and rope thatching attached to a wall. — AFP Reed was previously harvested in Ireland, but is now imported from countries like Romania and Turkiye. It is the most durable material, lasting around 20 years, whereas flax needs replacing after about 10 and straw after five. Shovlin points enviously at neighbouring England where thatched roofs are more common than in Ireland. 'They have a great supply network for their thatchers while we've neglected it completely,' said Shovlin. Farmers should be incentivised to plant so-called 'heritage' crops like flax which could also be grown at agricultural colleges, he said. Ivor Kilpatrick, a master thatcher and one of the few flax growers in Ireland, regularly takes the students on renovation projects. Kilpatrick learnt the skill aged 16 from his father and now runs a thatching business with his own son. 'There is too much work and too few people to carry it out as they retire,' said the 58-year-old while sprucing up the roof on a holiday cottage beside the Atlantic Ocean. Hauling fresh batches of straw with a student from a van to the house he said, 'Hopefully more people will realise these are cherished symbols of Ireland.' — AFP
Jordan Times
12-04-2025
- General
- Jordan Times
Irish school trains thatchers to save iconic roofs
PORTNOO, Ireland — A new school in Ireland is training up a fresh generation of thatchers in a bid to save the country's disappearing thatched roofs, an iconic feature of the Irish landscape. In a hall in Portnoo students at the Donegal Thatching School clamber over practice roofs under the watchful eye of Brian Lafferty, one of Ireland's last master thatchers. "That's it, start at the eaves and work from there," said the 72-year-old, peering upwards as a student laid and fixed batches of flax straw on top of a purpose-built model house. "The tradition has almost died out, it's crucial to pass it on to the younger ones," the still spritely Lafferty told AFP. Lafferty's expertise was handed down to him by his father. He grew up in County Donegal, the part of Ireland with the highest number of surviving thatched cottages. "When I'm up on a roof I can almost hear the music that was played inside in years past, I think of the lives that were lived below," he said. But he lamented that younger people don't have his "deep well of lived experience to draw from". That makes it less painful to pull down a thatched house and build a modern one up with slate or tiled roofs, said Lafferty. "It could have taken three years to gather up the stones to build a thatch house, but you could toss it in ten minutes with a machine," he said with a tear in his eye. 'Passion for thatching' Perched on a ladder halfway up a roof, Fidelma Toland, a novice thatcher determined to keep the ancient way alive, listened keenly to Lafferty's guidance. The 43-year-old barworker and farmer still lives in the thatched house where her grandfather and mother were born. "I want to learn how to maintain it," Toland said with a smile. The school -- 260 kilometres northwest of Dublin near Ireland's scenic western coast -- opened in October, and runs free, government-funded weekend courses on different styles and methods. Open days have drawn packed houses while 20 beginners have signed up to learn so far, some travelling large distances, according to Conal Shovlin, one of the founders. "There's a new appreciation for this iconic part of Irish culture, most rural people lived in thatched houses up to around 70 or 80 years ago," Shovlin told AFP. The bespectacled 74-year-old, who was born in a cottage thatched with bent grass from nearby sand dunes, said his father's passion for thatching rubbed off on him. "The density of the thatch keeps the home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, they're practical as well as beautiful," he said, his hand resting on tied flax bundles. And "rain runs off a thatched roof like off a duck's back", he added with a smile. Breathing life into an endangered craft "is like nurturing a small plant", said Shovlin, who would like to see certified 25-week courses become part of college curricula nationwide. He estimates there are around 300 to 400 remaining cottages around Ireland that need urgent repair work. And there are only an estimated 10 full-time thatchers left in the country, with reports of thatchers from Poland being brought in to help. A recent audit revealed a 30 per cent decline in the number of thatched houses in Donegal during the last decade. "They're disappearing, but they're not big houses and aren't that hard to fix," said Shovlin, adding when he was a boy there were 25 thatched roofs on his route to school. Now there were only three. Obstacles As well as a dearth of skilled workers a lack of raw materials -- straw, flax, and water-reed -- is also an obstacle. Reed was previously harvested in Ireland, but is now imported from countries like Romania and Turkey. It is the most durable material, lasting around 20 years, whereas flax needs replacing after about 10 and straw after five. Shovlin points enviously at neighbouring England where thatched roofs are more common than in Ireland. "They have a great supply network for their thatchers while we've neglected it completely," said Shovlin. Farmers should be incentivised to plant so-called "heritage" crops like flax which could also be grown at agricultural colleges, he said. Ivor Kilpatrick, a master thatcher and one of the few flax growers in Ireland, regularly takes the students on renovation projects. Kilpatrick learned the skill aged 16 from his father and now runs a thatching business with his own son. "There is too much work and too few people to carry it out as they retire," the 58-year-old told AFP sprucing up the roof on a holiday cottage beside the Atlantic Ocean. Hauling fresh batches of straw with a student from a van to the house he said "hopefully more people will realise these are cherished symbols of Ireland".
South China Morning Post
09-04-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Cherished Irish tradition of roof thatching is dying out but a new school aims to fix that
A new school in Ireland is training up a fresh generation of thatchers in a bid to save the country's disappearing thatched roofs, an iconic feature of the Irish landscape. Advertisement In a hall in Portnoo, students at the Donegal Thatching School clamber over practice roofs under the watchful eye of Brian Lafferty, one of Ireland's last master thatchers. 'That's it, start at the eaves and work from there,' says the still sprightly 72-year-old, peering upwards as a student lays and fixes batches of flax straw on top of a purpose-built model house. 'The tradition has almost died out,' he adds. 'It is crucial to pass it on to the younger ones.' Brian Lafferty is one of Ireland's last master thatchers. Photo: AFP Lafferty, whose expertise was learned from his father, grew up in County Donegal, the part of Ireland with the highest number of surviving thatched cottages. Advertisement
