The thatched home has long been a symbol of poverty, and, along with the horse and cart, the subject of every olde-worlde postcard depicting a bygone Ireland. So it’s ironic that these days it has become a status symbol, sparking a modern-day trend towards thatching new-build properties.
Yet for most of the past 50 years, who would have believed it? The traditional thatched house seemed in permanent decline.
A report by the Department of the Environment late last year lamented the decline of the iconic “historic” thatch — straw-roofed structures more than 100 years old. It says only between 1,300 and 1,500 vernacular thatches now stand on Irish soil.
But it also admits new versions are much sought-after now, saying: “. . . outside of folk museums, very little historic thatch will soon be left. This is ironic, considering thatch in new house construction is fast becoming a status symbol.”
Department heads favour conservation over revival, believing that the “out with the old, in with the new” trend is a threat to our vernacular heritage.
But revivalists — the many house- hunters, developers and even thatchers bringing the good old thatch back into the mainstream — disagree.
According to Kyran O’Grady, a master thatcher in Co Wicklow, the number of “virgin” thatches being placed on properties has doubled since the early 1990s.
“Twenty years ago you could probably count on one hand the number of people putting a new thatch on,” says O’Grady. “By the early 1990s, that figure was about 15 to 20 annually, and now that developers are getting in on the act, there are roughly 35 to 40 new thatches a year.”
This means the trend for thatching has doubled in a decade. Despite the Department of the Environment’s report, O’Grady says the industy is holding its own.
He estimates that between 60% and 70% of his business involves thatching new homes or fitting new thatches on existing houses. The balance of work is maintaining thatched roofs he fitted up to 25 years ago.
One of the more high-profile, prettier schemes to lend new prestige to the thatch is a development of 14 upmarket homes near Stradbally, Co Wexford. The four-bedroom, all-mod-con properties were priced from €820,000 to €895,000.
Agents also say people are willing to pay more for a thatch, and that having a straw-top home can add to the value of a property. “It’s the uniqueness factor that accounts for this,” says Roseanne De Vere Hunt of Ganly Walters. “When we put one at Kildavin, Co Wexford, on the market, people were pulling over just to take a look at it. It’s worth about 7% more than a similar dormer-style building with a slate roof in the same area. A thatch also tends to gets more viewers, which means more bidders.”
A number of thatched holiday-home schemes have also sprouted up near Killarney in Co Kerry and in Co Cork, and further schemes are at the planning stages. Property developers have become the unlikely saviours of thatch, albeit often using what are considered by conservationists to be undesirable materials.
The two main materials used in thatching today are water reed — Irish or imported from Hungary, Turkey or Poland — and straw, considered the traditional, preferable material.
O’Grady cultivates his own water reed in Co Wexford, but many thatchers in Ireland today use imported reed, which is often considered as good as — if not better than — straw. Turkish reed in particular is considered by some thatchers to be more cost-effective, more easily available and of higher durability than Irish straw, which is sometimes oversoftened by nutrients and can prove unsuitable for longevity. However, the Department of the Environment’s report takes a purist view, disparaging the use of such materials in vernacular structures.
The report lists 108 thatchers working in Ireland today, but remarks that far fewer than this are actually plying their trade and that little or no formal or accredited training is available. FAS and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) began an apprenticeship scheme for about 10 trainees this year. But a large number of properly trained and working thatchers in Ireland, like O’Grady, learnt their craft in the UK.
As a natural roofing material, thatch is considered one of the most energy- efficient available. It has a Thermos-like effect, keeping the house cool in summer and warm in winter, while also allowing it to breathe. The main body of a reed-thatched roof also has a long life — as much as 50 years — if properly maintained, although its ridge will need attention every decade or so. Straw roofs can also reach double digits in age, but only if properly cultivated and well “thrashed” — or fitted.
Contrary to popular belief, properly fitted thatch will not attract vermin, and thatchers insist that since it is so densely packed, fire risk is not the issue most insurers believe it to be. Despite this, Irish insurers remain cautious.
Hibernian Insurance says it considers the risk too high compared with slate or tile, and Allianz Direct is just as nervous. A spokesman for FBD, one of the few insurers listed in the DoE report, says: “We wouldn’t insure every thatch in Ireland, but we will seriously consider every application.”
The spokesman added that FBD must be satisfied there is no prior fire history and good levels of fire-treated insulation. FBD has several thatches already on its books, but admits that premiums are “three times the normal rate”.
Thatch is also one of the most expensive ways to roof in Ireland. The cost ranges from €8,000 for a 300-sq-ft, two-room cottage, to upwards of €50,000 for the 3,000-sq-ft, bells-and-whistles, chocolate-box two-storey.
For those considering rethatching an existing structure, a number of grants are available. Bodies involved in funding vernacular structures in Ireland include the Department of the Environment, the Department of Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs, local authority heritage departments, the Heritage Council and the Irish Georgian Society, which, despite its name, has a remit to conserve all vernacular Irish buildings, including thatch.
The Department of Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs assists only Irish-speaking households and covers 75% of the cost up to €7,000 on the mainland, or €10,500 on the islands. The Department of the Environment awards €3,800, or two-thirds of the costs in most cases; more for a medical card holder. Local authorities award the lesser of 50% of the total cost, or €13,500, and the Heritage Council will also cover roughly half.
Under the 2006 Buildings at Risk grant awards, the Heritage Council has given more than €130,000 to the owners of almost 20 thatched houses in 11 different counties.
O’Grady recommends that those looking to employ a thatcher seek out previous examples of their work, but adds: “There’s no point inspecting a thatch that’s only a couple of years old. Look at something done 10 or 12 years ago to see how well it’s wearing.” Signs of poor thatching are those that look permanently blackened, damp or loose. Ask the owner how much maintenance his thatcher has carried out.
Thatching is not as simple as laying a layer of straw or reed on the rafters. The optimum angle of a roof for proper drainage is 45 degrees, so you may choose to reconstruct your gable-end accordingly. Ask your thatcher how much groundwork he’ll carry out for you, or whether you will need a tradesman to make your roof thatch-ready. If you live in a very sheltered spot, consider cutting down some trees to allow fresh air to circulate — crucial for drying out after rainfall. And remove overhanging branches that may drop leaves onto the thatch and rot.
If you opt for traditional straw roofing, choose it carefully. O’Grady recommends avoiding straw that has been through a combine harvester as it can be too short or may have been fed a lot of nitrogen, which softens it. Older varieties are longer and more suitable for thatch; newer cultivations, while producing a higher yield of corn, also produce a lower yield of thatch-suitable straw.
Reed between the lines
Thatched cottage, White Mills, Kildavin, Co Wexford, €350,000
This chocolate-box house, set on almost an acre, has three bedrooms, solid wood flooring and a detached garage. Ganly Walters, 01 662 3255, www.ganlywalters.ie
Thatch Cottage, Monasteraden, Co Sligo, €490,000
Set on 10 acres including a five-acre island, this four-bed house has 100 yards of shoreline on Lough Gara. Countryside Properties, 071 965 0555, www.countrysideproperties.ie
Thatch Cottage, Carraroe, Williamstown, Co Galway, €300,000
A two-bed, traditional-style cottage on a half-acre with an open fireplace, utility room and garage. Michael O’Toole Auctioneers, 091 557 711, www.michaelotoole.ie
Kyran O’Grady, 0404 69846, www.reed-thatching.com
