Jennifer Sheahan: Traditional Irish building methods still practised today

The Home of the Year winner looks at vernacular architecture and where we can still learn traditional construction methods

The Gallery Cottage in Adare, Co Limerick. Picture: Joseph Mischyshyn

During a recent trip to the United States, I was asked whether my Irish cottage had a thatched roof. On reflection, it wasn’t as ridiculous a question as it originally seemed, given that my cottage was built in the 1800s. 

It did make me start thinking about what architectural features are perceived as “traditionally Irish”, where those traditional building methods have disappeared, and whether they are still in practice anywhere today.