Name

David O'Sullivan & Claire Corcoran

Address

Kilcorrall, Castlebridge,
Co. Wexford.

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An image of the cottage in May 2007. The weathering over the past few years have taken their toll on the roof and windows. We are currently looking for a thatcher to do a repair job around the chimney prior to a new thatch roof being considered in the next couple of years.

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The straw thatched cottage in Kilcorrall, Castlebridge, Co. Wexford on a half acre of land as we bought it in the early eighties. The straw roof was in a very bad condition with pools of black water collecting inside after rain. The old thatched shed to the side of the house had just collapsed.

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First straw thatching job in early 1980’s. Jimmy Wade patched the roof with barley straw from the field beside the cottage. The straw was stripped out of the large bales and piled in heaps and sprayed with water. The heaps were left over night and then teased into bundles which Jimmy fixed into the roof.

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The inside of the thatch as revealed with the removal of woodworm infested tea-chest panels which had been nailed to the rafters. A layer of very fine reed or sedge was visible as a base course when the roof was originally thatched.

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The final reed thatch job as completed by Jimmy Wade finally saved the cottage from an ever accelerating decay process.

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A chimney and internal stairs were constructed in the early 1990’s and the old porch was refurbished in the late 1990’s.

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A rubble stone wall and gateposts were constructed from stone dug out of the garden.

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