Hands on Traditional skills and where to learn them

Thatching

How is it done?Many of the tools and skills that modern thatchers use are very similar to those used in past generations. The majority of thatchers will use "scolds" to make staples.

These are bent in the middle, and then fixed on to an old roof, and used to pin down a new layer of thatch. The reeds used are mostly imported from countries such as Turkey or Poland where the quality is often better and cheaper than Irish reeds. Methods of thatching vary, as thatcher Philip Doran points out: “The tools remain the same for thatching, but what has changed are the methods and the fixings that are used to fix thatch on roofs. In the past they may have used hazel to keep a roof thinned down, but these days thatchers are using slender reinforced steel. There are different styles of thatching. For example, the slice or fletch type is very popular in the southeast and the midlands where oat and straw is available and used.”

How long does it take?For a standard 40ft cottage, it would take about five to six weeks to thatch a roof. The reeds used will generally last 25-40 years, once they are maintained and repaired at regular intervals and depending on location and climate. An average-sized cottage would cost about €15,000 to thatch.

Where do I sign up?It's not easy to gain thatching experience in Ireland. One option is for trainees to get experience with one of the estimated 30 full-time professional thatchers operating here. Alternatively, there are many more part-time thatchers, but in general numbers have declined, particularly since the 1950s. With only a limited stock of houses to be thatched in the country (about 1,500), there was a danger that thatching skills were being lost. In recognition of this, Fás (soon to be Solas) established a 51-week thatcher traineeship course in recent years, run by experienced thatchers. There is some uncertainty over the future of this course.

Some Irish thatchers avail of training in the UK, at Knuston Hall in Northampton, which runs both residential and non-residential courses.

Thatcher Philip Doran is demonstrating old-style thatching at the Traditional Building and Conservation Skills in Action exhibition at Farmleigh in Phoenix Park on August 13th and 14th. The programme runs from 10am until 5pm. See igs.ie