Thatching is an integral part of our national DNA and must be preserved

With fewer than 3,000 still in existence, communities must be supported in their efforts to repair, preserve, and restore the built heritage

Ní hé lá na gaoithe lá na scolb (a windy day is not a day for thatching) is a wise Irish seanfhocail that has recently been given a new focus against a background of house insulation, climate change, and other issues.

Thatched houses were once a large part of the rural landscape. They were warm in winter, cool in summer but are now a fragile part of the country’s build heritage with fewer than 3,000 of them still in existence.