Shortage of thatchers highlighted as council announces new grant for owners - Highland Radio highlandradio.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from highlandradio.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Joseph Gallagher made the comments during the launch of this year’s Thatch Repair Grant Scheme.
Now in its third year, the scheme assists owners and occupiers of thatched dwellings and businesses with their maintenance and repair.
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The grant scheme provides advice on the conservation of thatched roofs, allocates funding for small-scale thatch repairs and helps homeowners carry out necessary repairs under conservation supervision.
Since 2019 the scheme has supported 38 repair projects in Donegal.
“The future of historic thatch in County Donegal is at a critical point now,” said Mr Gallagher.
“Training and employment opportunities exist in the conservation of traditional buildings but it’s surprising that over a decade after the publication of the All-Ireland Traditional Building Craft Skills report by the National Heritage Training Group that highlighted the dearth in availability of traditional building skills that little has been done to address the skil