Building dry stone walls might sound like hard work, but there is no shortage of people interested in learning the skill. Olive Keogh reports

Pat McAfee is a stonemason, expert on dry stone walls, teacher and author of the best selling book, Irish Stone Walls. Originally apprenticed to his father, a Scottish stonemason who came to live in Ireland, McAfee has been working at his craft for over 30 years. The craze for building with concrete blocks all but put paid to the stonemason's craft, but McAfee says there is a revival in the use of stone in building projects and interest in the ancient art of dry stone walling has never been stronger.

McAfee trains aspiring dry stone wallers for FÁS and he also runs courses that are open to anyone with an interest in learning the craft. Irish people have been building dry stone walls for more than 5,000 years and this island boasts around a quarter of a million miles of walls in different styles made from different types of stone. McAfee also teaches people how to work with traditional lime mortars and how to repair stone buildings and walls using the correct techniques.

"We have a very rich heritage, which needs to be taken care of," he says.

"It is a shame when walls are repaired with the wrong materials because it undermines their structure. These walls need to be flexible and permeable to survive and if they are repaired with cement, for example, they can no longer breathe and move. Many of the people who attend McAfee's courses (which he runs around the country depending on the demand) are interested in starting a new life and a new career for themselves away from the major conurbations. Others have bought old properties and want to restore them properly. A third group use the techniques they learn to build features in their gardens. McAfee believes in packing lots of hands-on experience into his courses, and even on day one participants find themselves getting to grips with building a five-foot wall.

The four-week FÁS course is only open to those who qualify under the normal FÁS entry requirements, i.e. those who are unemployed. But the three-day courses are open to all and the next course starts on February 26th. The cost per day is €120. For more information, contact Pat McAfee on 087 263 1872. Information about the FÁS-run course is available from the FÁS Training Centre in Tallaght, telephone (01) 404 5200.