Thatched homes in Donegal have secured a major boost with the launch of a new county-wide Thatch Repair Grant Scheme.

Donegal County Council's scheme will help support the continued maintenance and use of thatched homes, provided specialist advice to owners and allocating funding for small-scale repairs.

"County Donegal is home to one of the largest surviving concentrations of thatch structures in Ireland," said Joseph Gallagher, County Donegal Heritage Officer. "Our thatched buildings are one of the most iconic and enduring images of County Donegal. They lend character to our cultural landscapes; they are indicative of our sense of place, our traditional skills and our resourcefulness; they can be sensitively adapted to meet modern family demands; they invoke our diaspora and support our tourism industry.  Despite their importance and potential, the loss of our thatched buildings, especially in recent years, has been considerable. Donegal County Council recognises the contribution that thatched dwellings and outbuildings make to our cultural landscape, employment, economy and tourism. This pilot grant scheme is a recognition of their importance."

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The Thatch Repair Grants Scheme is funded by Donegal County Council and the Creative Ireland programme as part of the implementation of the County Donegal Heritage Plan.

Types of small-scale thatch repairs that might be eligible to the scheme include repairs to the eaves, the ridge, flashings around the chimney, holes, furrows, fixings, ropes, wire netting, the gable and the roof timbers or carpentry.   

Applications forms for the Thatch Repair Grants Scheme are available online or by contacting Joseph Gallagher, Heritage Officer or Collette Beattie, Conservation Officer at (074) 915 3900 or by e-mail at [email protected]

The deadline for completed applications is Friday 31 May at 12 noon.

(CM/MH)