These are some pictures related to thatched roofs. I was born and brought-up in the thatched farmhouse shown in these pictures -- at Castletown, St. Johnston, Co. Donegal, Ireland.

It is one and a half stories, is about 70 feet long by about 20 feet. (I know the length is 70 feet because I used to have a cricket pitch (66 feet pre-metric) along the side of it!)

It dates from about 1730--1750. The walls are stone and mortar/mud and are about 3 feet thick.

The thatch is of flax. Only when flax was hard to obtain, was wheat or barley straw used. Reeds are never used in this locality. A flax roof needs significant reroofing about every 14 years; if straw is used, this reduces to five years.

Soaking in `blue-stone' (Copper Sulphate) helps preserve the thatch -- at least it discourages insects, which in turn attract birds, and the birds do damage scratching for the insects.

The thatching process involves securing the flax with long canes called `scollops' -- those shown below are bramble canes. The scollops are used as cross-members, and, bent in two, as staples. Hazel canes have also been used.

Chicken wire is now used as an additional securing mechanism -- but that is not traditional.

The scanning of these pictures could have been better. I also have other pictures. I expect to improve and extend the information on the page when I have time.

All files are jpeg:

• Line drawing of the house (18k).

• Photograph from south (34k).

• Another view (73k)(*).

• View of interior of thatch (83k), showing crude beams and lathes(*).

• Another interior view (73k)(*).

• View to north-east (67k), River Foyle flowing north towards Derry(*).

  Pictures marked (*) taken by Jon Kennedy.

• Scollops -- bramble canes; (41k).

  These are called `briars' in Donegal. The guy who collects these does it for four pounds per 100 -- including cleaning the thorns off!

• Raw material -- flax. (17k)

  Flax used to be widely grown in this part of Ireland -- as a raw material for linen.

• Thatchers, McGirr brothers (16k).

• Thatcher at work (24k).

• Another of the thatcher. (29k)

Visitors.

• Professor John McCarthy, Paul McKevitt and my mother. (29k)
• Dr. Jon Kennedy, CAPTEC, Professor Jurek Korczak (Univ. Louis Pasteur Starasbourg) (42k)
• Dr. Ian and Margaret White (44k)
• George Row, Mary Kay Mullan, Carmel Mullan (48k).
• Tom and Geraldine Lunney, with thatcher (68k).
• Francois Durand, Sylvan Claverie and Isabelle Durand (23k).