Getting the job finished

Comments and faves

1. ★

   Atreus added this photo to his favorites. (93 months ago)

2. 

   SarahLee [deleted] (93 months ago | reply)

   This is truly awesome work! Thanks again for sharing such neat pictures!

3. 

   Benjamin Postlewait (93 months ago | reply)

   How old would you say a house like this is, Joe? Love the satellite dish!

4. 

   Joe Cashin Photography (93 months ago | reply)

   This house is at least 200 years old Benny. I will try and get an exact date. You will see other pictures in my windows album, of another old house in my village and this dates back to 1795.

5. ★

   Yogi Zen Dude added this photo to his favorites. (93 months ago)

6. 

   Kelsana (92 months ago | reply)

   Is the thatch place over the wood roof or can you see the thatch when you are inside and look up? I know it is an art to do passed on over the generations. It is beautiful.

7. ★

   cindy47452 added this photo to her favorites. (90 months ago)

8. 

   cindy47452 (90 months ago | reply)

   How often do they have to change the thatch? It's amazing. Thank you for posting this in the If These Walls Could Talk pool.

9. ★

   vintage people added this photo to her favorites. (90 months ago)

10. 

    Joe Cashin Photography (90 months ago | reply)

    cindy47452: The thatch lasts for about 15-20 years. But those days it cost a lot to have it done.

11. 

    Joe Cashin Photography (90 months ago | reply)

    kelsana: In some of the old homes, you can see the rafters inside with the thatch as well. In some of the homes, there is a small upstairs as well, even though the houses look small.

12. 

    cindy47452 (89 months ago | reply)

    That's a long time for it to last. Looks like it's pretty airtight (and waterproof.) Do people still use peat fires a lot for heat?

13. 

    Joe Cashin Photography (89 months ago | reply)

    cindy47452: Yes, we use peat as well as coal and timber for home heating. The thatched houses are real warm.
    The new thatched houses being built at the moment have galvanised sheeting under the thatch in case of fire. I think this is a must for insurance purposes.
    Methods of Thatching
    In Ireland there are three methods of securing thatch to the roof and each method is traditionally associated with a well defined area.

    Roped Thatch. With this method the thatch is not secured directly to the roof underneath. Instead it is laid over the roof and held down in position by a network of ropes fastened to the tops of the walls, or to weights at the eaves. Sometimes a network of ropes runs lengthwise from gable to gable as well. This method is confined to the area on the Atlantic coast. With this method there is always a sod layer underneath. When a house is being rethatched the ropes are removed and a new layer of the thatching material is laid starting at the eaves and working upwards overlapping all the time for rain water to run off. A loose layer of straw is then spread along the ridge and over the rest of the roof to prevent the ropes from cutting into the thatch. Then the roping is completed. This method of thatching is only seen on houses with gable roofs.

    Pinned thatch. This is the most popular method of securing thatch. For a large area of the country it is the only method used except in south-east Ulster, north-east Leinster, south Carlow, south Wexford and small areas of the west coast. In this method the thatch is pinned to the roof underneath with slender rods called scollops.

    Work is started at the right hand side working towards the left and completing a strip about 60 cms wide from eave to ridge. The strips are continued until each side is completed, including the ends in the case of hipped houses. A small bundle of straw is prepared and laid at the eave. This is then fastened by placing over it a scollop and securing this with two or three other scollops bent into staples. The next portion of straw is placed a little higher up so that it covers the scollop and work continues in this way to the ridge. In many areas the ridge is decoratively finished with rows of bobbins. These are wisps of straw shaped around a rod fitted along the ridges and the free ends of the wisps are pinned down on each side with scollops.

    Thrust Thatch. This is the method used in most of Leinster and in parts of east Ulster. Firstly a layer of thatch is stitched to the roof timbers directly or over a sod layer according to the tradition of the locality. Then the thatcher takes a handful of straw, twists the ear end into a knot and thrusts it tightly into the straw layer already on the roof. He brings a strip about 60 cms from eave to ridge and continues until the roof is completed. Unlike the other methods the straw must be well damped and beaten down until it lies flat. The ridge may be finished with bobbins or ridge-board, usually embellished in an artistic manner.
    Read more at:
    www.askaboutireland.ie/show_narrative_page.do ?page_id=224

14. 

    Anduze traveller (89 months ago | reply)

    WOW! What a fantastic lesson on thatching! Fascinating! I never realised there were such different methods. Does the sod layer have to be replaced often? Are the differnt mathods more or less long-lasting before having to redo them?

15. 

    cindy47452 (89 months ago | reply)

    Thank you, that was facinating! I will read more about it, thanks for the link.

    I've always been facinated with the peat bogs, also. How they can burn underground for years and such. Ireland is just a facinating and unique place! I'd love to visit.

    Thank you for posting this in the If These Walls Could Talk pool.

16. 

    Lil Leroy [deleted] (88 months ago | reply)

    i had no idea about thatching.. thanks for posting all that info! very interesting.. =)

17. ★

    violaviola added this photo to her favorites. (87 months ago)

18. 

    Peter Ellis (84 months ago | reply)

    The new roof certainly looks nice!

19. ★

    Peter Ellis, gnkidd, and kaktata1 added this photo to their favorites.

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