“Over the past six years,
Donegal County Council’s Thatch Repair Grant Scheme has
supported over 130 thatch repair projects throughout the
county” said Joseph Gallagher, County Donegal Heritage
Officer.
“These grants have enabled people to keep these
buildings in use or to bring them back into use, often
providing accommodation for residents and visitors
alike. There are over 300 known thatched buildings in
County Donegal but the rate of loss of our historic
thatch is a cause of concern. Preliminary audit results
from the Inishowen Municipal District show that 27% of
the historic thatch properties in that area have been
lost in the past 15 years and a further 10% of them are
in a poor or very poor conditions. Sadly, this seems to
be symptomatic of the decline in historic thatch
throughout the county. A particular cause of concern is
the replacement of historic thatch by some homeowners
with slate when only repairs are required to save and
conserve the historic thatch. Homeowners are reminded
that permission is required from Donegal County Council
to replace an historic thatched roof as it constitutes a
material alteration to the structure.”
An increasing number of supports are being put in place
to support thatch homeowners. A new annual grant scheme
under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme was
introduced for the first time two years ago and this is
funding ten rethatch projects in County Donegal this
year. The Department has also issued a free booklet on
‘Fire Safety in Thatched Properties’ that provides
advice to homeowners on reducing the fire risk in their
properties and offers a free one-to-one on-site visit
with an engineer on how to apply the published guidance
to your property. Discussions are also taking place at a
national level with insurance companies to improve the
availability of, and reduce the cost of, thatch
insurance.”
“The new Donegal Thatching School, based at the Dolmen
Centre in Kilclooney in west Donegal, opened its doors
last year and is offering short courses in thatching”
said Collette Beattie, Architectural Conservation
Officer with Donegal County Council. “Thatching is a
skilled trade and it takes approximately four years to
train in this area so there is a real urgency for
thatchers, and especially rope thatchers, in Donegal.”
Copies of the ‘Fire Safety in Thatched Properties’
booklet is available free-of-charge from the County
Donegal Heritage Office.
Applications forms
for the Thatch Repair Grant Scheme are available at:
•
www.donegalculture.ie
or
• By contacting Joseph Gallagher, Heritage Officer or
Collette Beattie, Conservation Officer on 074 91 53900
or
• By e-mail at
thatch@donegalcoco.ie . |
