Donegal thatching school trains new workers to preserve Irish heritage

The Donegal Thatching School in Portnoo, County Donegal, Ireland, provides intensive training to help preserve the traditional craft of thatching.

Conal Shovlin, the chairperson of the school, leads the facility where a new generation of students learns rope, flax, and reed thatching from experienced craftsmen. The school opened in October 2024 to address a shortage of younger workers, as many current thatchers are nearing retirement age.

Participants include people who want to maintain their own homes and those seeking to become professional contractors. Students travel from various regions to attend the courses. Recent participants included people from Northern Ireland and the United States. One student from New York traveled to the school to connect with the trade after visiting his grandfather's birthplace. Another student from County Tyrone attended the program to learn how to repair his own cottage and pass the skills to his children.

Local authorities and heritage agencies provide support for these efforts. Collette Beattie, a Council Architectural Conservation Officer, noted that while rope thatch cottages in the northwest have declined, council schemes and apprenticeship programs work alongside the school to conserve these structures. Nearby, a student named Francis Boyle is currently renovating a two-century-old family cottage with the help of a local thatcher.