Ireland's only thatching school 'getting great results'

Ireland's only purpose-built thatching school said it is "getting great results" from people seeking to learn an iconic trade that underpins part of the country's heritage.

Chairperson of the Donegal Thatching School Conal Shovlin said that people were a "little afraid" whether the school may succeed when it started in October 2024.

A new generation of thatchers is learning the endangered craft from established thatchers at the training facility near the Dolmen Centre in Portnoo, Co Donegal.

The indoor thatching school offers intensive training courses in rope thatching, flax thatching and reed thatching - all associated with different regions of Ireland.

Mr Shovlin said participants include people who wish to maintain their own thatched houses and others who wish to become thatching contractors.

"Our objective is to preserve as many thatched roofs as possible and train younger people because the current thatchers, who we're lucky to have, are all my age.

"The training programmes can vary [in duration]; but the main thing is that we're getting great results from younger people," he said.

Mr Shovlin, who was born in a thatched house, enrolled in a local FÁS thatching training programme along with two friends John Masters and Norman Doherty in 1980.

The three men are at the centre of the thatching school activities, a facility that receives support from a range of State bodies and agencies.

A five-day training programme earlier this month attracted students from the United States and Northern Ireland, alongside local participants.

Ian Carr, a roofing contractor in New York said his interest grew in the "art and trade," of thatching after visiting Árainn Mhór, the birthplace of his grandfather.

"I got to see the old home, so I've always had a desire to get my hands on this and give this a go. It's a very hands-on way to connect and I'm excited about it.

"I don't know that there's much of a call for this where I'm going back home, but you never know, I may come back here and put a shingle up," he said.

Rory McClernan, who owns a thatch cottage in the north west, travelled from Omagh, Co Tyrone, to west Donegal to attend the course.

"I hope to thatch it myself; there's not many thatchers left. It's so I can do it from start to finish and maybe pass that on to my kids as well," he said.

A Department of Housing estimates that there are approximately 2,000 older vernacular thatched houses in Ireland. It is thought Donegal is home to approximately 300 thatched structures.

Council Architectural Conservation Officer Collette Beattie said rope thatch cottages, traditionally associated with the north west have declined in recent years.

Ms Beattie said a number of council support measures are helping to conserve rope thatch cottage, aided by the National Build Heritage Service and the Heritage Council.

She said that a thatching property scheme, a thatch repair scheme and a thatch apprenticeship scheme, complement the work of the thatching school.

"With the supports in place for homeowners, hopefully we'll be able to keep the beautiful Donegal rope thatch cottage in the landscape for a lot longer," Ms Beattie said.

A short distance from the thatching school, Francis Boyle, who is in his 30s, is renovating a two centuries old thatched cottage that has passed through generations of his family.

Ms Beattie describes his story as "one of the wins" - a thatching school student, planning to make a traditional cottage, a permanent home with the support of a council scheme.

Mr Boyle sought the help of local thatcher Hugh Gallagher to thatch his home, assisting him where possible, during the work.

"I'm hoping to make this my primary residence. I want to keep it as authentic as possible. It's one of the few left in the county. If I could learn the trade, it would be it would be great to keep this tradition alive," he said.