“We always say, ‘what a shame it is to see so many old stone buildings falling down,’ when we are out and about, and that is what was happening in our own yard, underneath our nose”, says owner Daryn Dunne.
True enough, scattered across the countryside are the remains of old stone cottages, barns, lofts, stables, turf sheds. Some of these historic structures are unused, with branches of seeding trees creeping through their windows and roofs. Without maintenance, they fall further into disrepair each year. How lovely would it be to see those buildings maintained and conserved? To allow them to continue to be used and serve a purpose on Irish farms?
The ideology of conservation is lovely, but pricey. It is costly to maintain these buildings on farms, and farmers are quite often left to be the custodians of our heritage, saddled with the bill.
Daryn and his family found themselves facing the dilapidation of this old building in their yard and they decided to do something about it. “Our farm is part of Hillbrook House and its estate, which would have been a close neighbour and friend of Coolattin House and Avondale House”, explains Daryn. “There’s a lot of history here, and a lot of the locals and their ancestors would have worked on the farm over the years.”
Although the original Georgian house was pulled down in the early 1950s, the old stone buildings of the courtyard remain in place. Part of these buildings is the old hay barn, which features on the first OS map in 1838.
“My granduncle and my dad, Victor, did some roof repairs on the old stables and storehouse over the years, but the barn has not had much maintenance, and it was getting into very bad condition. Earlier this year, Mam happened to read something about the Heritage Council Traditional Farm Buildings Grant and suggested we should apply. It was something I had never really thought of doing before.”
Daryn and Victor’s Teagasc farm advisor, Paul Keogh, said they met all the criteria for the grant scheme.
“One of the stipulations is to be a participant in a Department of Agriculture agri-environmental scheme, and the building has to have historic and public value”, said Paul. “Daryn and Victor are in ACRES, and the history of the building, and its ties to the heritage of the area, make it perfect for the grant.”
Daryn and Victor applied for the Traditional Farm Buildings Grant in spring 2025. The application was straightforward.
“We were thrilled to get approved. We employed a conservation consultant, James Powell, to oversee the method statement for the conservation works and provide guidance on the project. He has been a great help.”
A major part of the project was the stonemasonry; there was a large amount of repointing to be done, particularly on the front wall, as well as wall restoration to make the walls stable. The method statement also required the use of a quicklime mix, and so hiring a stonemason who was expert in this technique was crucial. Local stonemason, Edward Romanovski, was tasked with the challenge.
“It’s important to use materials and methods similar to what was used in the past. Irish quicklime was used as it produces a soft mortar which is much closer in consistency to the historic mortar found in the walls of historic buildings”, explains James Powell.
New larch windows and doors were made by a local joiner, Anthony Roche, to match the door and windows that had rotted beyond repair. New timber purlins and a new galvanise roof replaced the rotted timbers and sheets that had become porous and unsalvageable.
“Thankfully we were able to save the original roof trusses. We treated them with a bat friendly woodworm and rot treatment,” says Daryn. The original gutters were missing from the barn, but new gutters were put back on to the original brackets that were still in place to protect the walls from the weather.
Daryn and Victor are thrilled with the outcome of this project.
“The barn can continue to be used for years to come as a functioning part of the farm, while keeping its history and character. My grandchildren will be able to use the barn just like their great granduncles did,” says Victor.
The Heritage Council champion conserving as much as possible of the original fabric of the building, however they also offer some flexibility, in line with the guidance of your conservation consultant, where this is not possible.
“We are proud of what we achieved with the support of the Heritage Council and the Department of Agriculture, and I hope that others avail of the opportunity to save these old farm buildings and protect them for the enjoyment and use of future generations.”
Daryn and Victor will be hosting a coffee morning in aid of the Irish Wildlife Trust in the hay barn for people to come and see the completed works on Sunday, January 4 from 11am-2pm.
To apply for the grant they used, visit heritagecouncil.ie