Donegal County Council’s Thatch Repair Grant Scheme open for applications

Donegal County Council’s award-winning Thatch Repair Grant Scheme has opened for applications.

Now in its seventh year, the scheme assists the owners and occupiers of historic thatched dwellings and businesses with their maintenance and repair. The scheme allows for small-scale thatch repairs from €500 up to €3,000.

The Thatch Repair Grant Scheme is open for applications until 4pm on Thursday, April 17, and is funded by Donegal County Council and The Heritage Council. Further details and an application form can be downloaded from the Donegal County Council website.

“Over the past six years, Donegal County Council’s Thatch Repair Grant Scheme has supported over 130 thatch repair projects throughout the county”, said Joseph Gallagher, County Donegal Heritage Officer.

“These grants have enabled people to keep these buildings in use or to bring them back into use, often providing accommodation for residents and visitors alike. There are over 300 known thatched buildings in County Donegal, but the rate of loss of our historic thatch is a cause for concern. Preliminary audit results from the Inishowen Municipal District show that 27% of the historic thatch properties in that area have been lost in the past 15 years and a further 10% of them are in poor or very poor conditions. Sadly, this seems to be symptomatic of the decline in historic thatch throughout the county.

"A particular cause of concern is the replacement of historic thatch by some homeowners with slate when only repairs are required to save and conserve the historic thatch. Homeowners are reminded that permission is required from Donegal County Council to replace a historic thatched roof as it constitutes a material alteration to the structure.”

Repairs along the ridge and barge of a scollop-thatched roof in Ballyshannon that benefitted under the Thatch Repair Grant Scheme in 2024

An increasing number of supports are being put in place to support thatch homeowners. The perceived obstacles to the conservation of historic thatch that once existed are being addressed by the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage. A new annual grant scheme under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme was introduced for the first time two years ago and this is funding ten rethatch projects in County Donegal this year.

The Department has also issued a free booklet on ‘Fire Safety in Thatched Properties’ that provides advice to homeowners on reducing the fire risk in their properties and offers a free one-to-one on-site visit with an engineer on how to apply the published guidance to your property. Discussions are also taking place at a national level with insurance companies to improve the availability of, and reduce the cost of, thatch insurance.”

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“The new Donegal Thatching School, based at the Dolmen Centre in Kilclooney in west Donegal, opened its doors last year and is offering short courses in thatching”, said Collette Beattie, Architectural Conservation Officer with Donegal County Council. “Thatching is a skilled trade, and it takes approximately four years to train in this area so there is a real urgency for thatchers, and especially rope thatchers, in Donegal.”

“Donegal County Council considers that the conservation of our traditional buildings constitutes appropriate, sustainable and responsible development. At present, there are over 20 thatched buildings on the Record of Protected Structures for County Donegal, and many more are eligible for inclusion. The Thatch Repair Grant Scheme addresses several Donegal County Council plans and strategies, including the new County Donegal Heritage Plan to “continue to conserve and promote our vernacular built heritage and associated traditional building skills” as well as several policies in the Donegal County Development Plan to protect and conserve our traditional buildings.

This scollop-thatched, direct-entry cottage in Ballindrait supported under the Thatch Repair Grant Scheme displays clear evidence of the existence of the half-loft by the two small windows in the gable on either side of the hearth. The raised ‘barges’ on the gable provide protection for the thatch from winds

"Types of small-scale thatch repairs that might be eligible to Donegal County Council’s Thatch Repair Grant 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. All types of historic thatched properties are eligible under our Thatch Repair Grant Scheme whether they are in residential use, in use as commercial premises or holiday homes and even if they are vacant.”

Copies of the ‘Fire Safety in Thatched Properties’ booklet are available free-of-charge from the County Donegal Heritage Office. Applications forms for the Thatch Repair Grant Scheme are available on-line from the Donegal County Council website or by contacting Joseph Gallagher, Heritage Officer or Collette Beattie, Conservation Officer at (074) 915 3900 or by e-mail at thatch@donegalcoco.ie The Thatch Repair Grant Scheme is funded by Donegal County Council and The Heritage Council as part of the implementation of the County Donegal Heritage Plan.