For one Tyrone family, lockdown passed in a whirl, as they tackled the refurbishment of an old thatched cottage in Belleek, Co. Fermanagh.
Lisa and Owen McWilliams and their three teenage children relished the results of their toil so much, they are now working on a second thatched cottage, this time in Donegal.
“My husband and I have a shared love and appreciation for everything old; from old furniture, to old properties. Coming from a construction background with our family-run joinery business, we feel more equipped than most to take on projects such as this,” Lisa said.
“Irish thatched cottages are iconic all over the world but unfortunately, they are in rapid decline. We are losing them at an alarming rate.
“Personally, we see them as much more than a dwelling from our past. We see them as the places that reared the large hard-working families that often emigrated and helped build the rest of the world,” she said.
“We owe it to these people to protect their old homesteads that so often, were never seen again, for the generations to come. So we see Irish thatched cottages as a very important part of our Irish heritage. Once they are gone, they are gone. We cannot bring them back.”
‘Panic’ buying their first thatched cottage
After seeing Keenaghan cottage, Belleek, Co. Fermanagh – which dates back over 300 years – for sale online at the very start of the pandemic, the couple could not resist its charms.
“We ‘panic’ bought it. People openly said we were crazy to take on such a project. Others said we should toss it and build a new bungalow, but we just followed our hearts and kept going. Now we have people asking us to sell it,” Lisa said.
“My husband and I worked hand-in-hand together throughout the entire restoration, along with our teenage children. It has taken around eight months to restore this abandoned cottage.
“We are delighted that we have been able to breathe new life into one of Ireland’s most vulnerable properties.”
The old versus the new
“The restoration of any old building is not for the faint hearted. They are no easy task, with modern techniques often working in contrast to traditional methods, for example, using horse hair in the lime mortar plaster to help bind it. I will never forget the day this arrived in the post,” Lisa continued.
“With its sagging, leaking thatch with weeds and ivy working its way into every crevice, it left almost everything having to be restored or replaced. Thankfully the slate flooring was still intact as well as the original ‘ingle nook’ fireplace.
“An old fire surround in one of the bedrooms and wood burning stove, sourced at a local auction, were bought, in keeping with the character and charm.”
“We have been attending local auctions and house clearances since before we were married. That’s over 20 years ago now, so much of the furniture and decor has been picked up in local and online auctions, in keeping with the heritage and character of the property,” Lisa continued.
“The exterior was completely overgrown with briars and weeds everywhere. The thatch was greatly deteriorating and had quite severe damage with many holes, the weeds were growing from here also. The wooden sash windows frames, lintels and doors had all started to rot.”
Maintaining the beloved character
As well as the hard graft, there is also quite a bit of research involved and collaboration with local authorities when keeping true to the authenticity and character of an old property, according to Lisa.
“We had a clear vision from the start and it turned out to be a complete labour of love. So much so, that we will try to continue this work as time and money allows. Unfortunately, there has been absolutely no financial help with this renovation whatsoever,” she said.
“We are currently trying to get assistance from the historic environment division towards the rethatching of the property. It costs in the region of £24,000 to rethatch.
“The grant, if authorised, will not cover the half, so financially these properties are ‘falling’ at the first hurdle.
“We strongly feel that our governments, both north and south of the border, should really step in at this point and help many ordinary working class people like ourselves, who have the will but not always the financial means, to rescue these precious properties and keep them alive for the next generation.
“We feel that the absence of financial support, coupled with the absence of support to encourage more people to become thatchers, are significant factors in the demise of Irish thatched properties on the island of Ireland. For international tourism alone, if not for the heritage aspects, they are invaluable,” Lisa said.
Sharing their passion
The picture perfect Keenaghan cottage – which can be viewed on Instagram (@keenaghancottage) – is set on the edge of Keenaghan lough and is now a holiday rental.
“After completing Keenaghan cottage, we have jumped straight into another one in ‘the hills of Donegal’ not far from Ballyshannon. This one requires much more work. We have brought it right back to the bare stone walls,” Lisa said.
“After rewiring, plumbing, replacing the windows and doors – along with painstakingly reinforcing the roof – we are now in the process of re-lime mortar-plastering it again, using all the old traditional methods – including the horse hair,” she concluded.