THE future of thatch in Donegal has reached a “critical point” according to the county’s heritage officer.
Joseph Gallagher made the comments during the launch of this year’s Thatch Repair Grant Scheme.
Now in its third year, the scheme assists owners and occupiers of thatched dwellings and businesses with their maintenance and repair.
The grant scheme provides advice on the conservation of thatched roofs, allocates funding for small-scale thatch repairs and helps homeowners carry out necessary repairs under conservation supervision.
Since 2019 the scheme has supported 38 repair projects in Donegal.
“The future of historic thatch in County Donegal is at a critical point now,” said Mr Gallagher.
“Training and employment opportunities exist in the conservation of traditional buildings but it’s surprising that over a decade after the publication of the All-Ireland Traditional Building Craft Skills report by the National Heritage Training Group that highlighted the dearth in availability of traditional building skills that little has been done to address the skills shortage.
“Opportunities also exist for local farmers to grow thatch materials to support the local industry. We find that the availability of appropriate thatch materials is a serious impediment to the survival of our historic thatch. We also heard from homeowners about the lack of appropriate and affordable insurance for thatch structures.
Rope thatching a cottage in Straboy, Glencolmcille / Gleann Cholm Cille with support from the Thatch Repair Grant Scheme. West and north Donegal is one of the few areas where rope thatching is still practiced in Ireland.
“County Donegal is home to one of the largest surviving concentrations of thatch structures in Ireland but if the insurance issue is not addressed, then the decline in the number of thatched structures seen in recent years will continue.
“The lack of insurance companies in the Republic of Ireland willing to provide quotes for historic thatch and the inability to get affordable insurance in some instances means that new generations of possible owners cannot live under thatch because insurance is required in order to take out a mortgage.
“Insurance companies in Northern Ireland, Britain and many other European countries seem better informed about historic thatch structures and can provide appropriate and more affordable insurance cover.
“It’s not clear why the situation in the Republic of Ireland is more prohibitive.”
The repair scheme is open for applications until noon on April 12 and is funded by Donegal County Council and The Heritage Council.
Go to http://www.donegalcoco.ie/heritage or contact Joseph Gallagher or Collette Beattie at (074) 915 3900. Alternatively email them at thatch@donegalcoco.ie.
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