A farm building used as a stable and storage area on a Co. Laois farm has been restored under the GLAS Traditional Farm Buildings Scheme – adding a new chapter to its 200-year history.
An inscription on one of the stones used in the original construction clearly says “1822” – 200 years ago as of next month.
Owner Mattie Collier, of Camross, explained that the building has always been used on the farm for various purposes, including storage, as a workshop, for rearing calves and for lambing ewes.
Over the years, the loft overhead and part of the roof fell into disrepair.
Mattie highlighted that the scheme – part of the Green, Low-Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS) – looks for renewal and repair of existing structures, rather than replacement.
“We carefully took off all the old slates and we were able to put them back on. We had to replace the lats, they were gone rotten, but all the other things – such as rafters and collars – were able to be repaired and a lot of them were able to be reused,” Mattie told Agriland.
The loft also saw repairs, as can be seen in the below image:
Under the scheme, a bat/bird survey had to be carried out to ensure the repair work didn’t interfere with their habitats. This was carried out by wildlife specialist Ger Tobin, who set up cameras to monitor the behaviour of birds and bats.
“There were swallows nesting in part of the building, so we couldn’t start until early September. As part of the scheme, we put in a half-door in one part of the building in the old stable part, so the swallows would have access. This can be left open in summer to ensure access to the building for the swallows,” he explained.
Bats had also made a home for themselves in the building.
“We put a louvre window in the gable end to allow access for bats. Buildings beside this one were renovated in 2016. Bats had been there and then came back. Conservation is a big part of the scheme,” Mattie noted.
Speaking about the buildings apparent age, Mattie pointed out that ordinance survey maps from 1841 show buildings on that site at that time, and an inscription on a stone over the main doors dates that part of the building to 19 years earlier, to 1822.
To put that into context, part of this building was constructed seven years before catholic emancipation in Ireland.
In terms of the process, the Co. Laois farmer highlighted the emphasis that the Heritage Council places on minimum intervention and the reuse of existing material where possible.
“That meant careful handling of the old slates so they could be reused, and what was needed to finish the job was sourced locally. Another important point is that lime mortar is used for any repairs to be done to the stone work, because that’s the traditional way of doing the thing.”
Two local craftsmen were employed on redoing the building, a stone mason and a carpenter, with Mattie helping out himself as well.
The project also required oversight by a conservations consultant. Fintan Dunne from Durrow provided that service.
The restored building will continue to be used for the same purposes (though now with additional space in the repaired loft), something Mattie highlighted as important.
“The heritage council likes to see that it will be used, because anything that’s not used will die. It’s nice to have buildings like that. Normally you’d knock them down, but I think it’s nice to keep them.”
Mattie noted the importance of the GLAS Traditional Farm Buildings Scheme and the funding that is put towards it.
“Without the help of the Heritage Council and the funding provided by the [Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine] under GLAS, it would not have been possible to maintain these buildings, and I’m delighted to have done so, because they’ll be there for the next generation,” he highlighted.
“With the help of the Heritage Council and the department a lot of these buildings are being saved, and they’re important for the history and the heritage of the area,” Mattie added.