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A traditionnal thatched cottage
© AFP/OFF

Ireland's remaining historic thatched cottages are facing a crisis and few could soon remain outside folk museums, according to a government study. With their whitewashed walls and roofs of straw or reed, the cottages have been a timeless feature of the Irish landscape for centuries and are widely used to market the country as a tourist destination. But they have been steadily vanishing as owners opt to replace the thatch with cheaper and longer-lasting materials like slates or tiles.

A report to the environment ministry estimates there could be as a few as 1,300 to 1,500 thatched houses left on the whole of the island of Ireland, less than 0.1 percent of the total building stock. The report highlights the loss of thatched houses in British-ruled Northern Ireland from about 40,000 in the 1950s to 150 that survive today. "The thatched roof is an important part of our built heritage and is all too fast coming under greater threat," said Irish Environment and Heritage Minister Dick Roche. "We must find ways to ensure the survival of this building form, seen nationally and internationally as being part of what we are," he said.

The historic thatched houses with their pre-1900 roof framework of roughly sawn and split logs now have had many layers of thatch on them. The straw or reeds used in thatching lasts from between five and 25 years. But now the report says, "it is clear that there is a real crisis in the survival of historic thatch, and without action it is possible to say that outside of folk museums, very little historic thatch will soon be left. "This is ironic considering that thatch in new house construction is fast becoming a status symbol, breaking with recent perceptions of thatch being associated with poverty."

The report says there is no doubt that unless sustained radical action is taken soon, the number and quality of Irish thatched houses will continue to decline, threatening centuries of cultural tradition. "There is evidence to suggest that the rate of decline in the number of historic thatch roofs is accelerating," it adds. The report highlights and deplores departures from tradition.

A shortage of thatchers skilled in Irish construction methods has meant craftsmen have had to be hired from abroad and they are using different styles and techniques, while water reed has been imported from Turkey and Poland. "We do not support the view that continued use of imported materials is justifiable, even in the short term," the report says. It urges a rebirth in traditional local styles, materials and techniques to counter the trend towards 'global thatch' styles.

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