An opportunity is being offered to people in the Moate area to learn the craft of thatching. The idea has come from the Dun na Sli Heritage Centre, which has many thatched buildings, to show how people lived in the past.
Local people have been marvelling at the quality of the thatch and now want to learn how it's done.
Dun na Sli has therefore arranged a course which will be conducted by Jim Mulligan, from Kells, Co Meath, who has thatched many of the buildings at the complex.
The course, entitled "An introduction to the Art of Thatching", starts on Saturday, May 1st, when Jim will instruct groups of five or six. He is a very experienced thatcher and has worked all over the State roofing houses with straw or reeds from the local lakes. Many of the buildings on the Dun na Sli complex have been thatched with reeds.
For this course, however, Jim will be using African grass, which he favours because of its good colour and because it is easy to work with.
An additional bonus for those who take the course is that the specific tools needed by the thatcher will be demonstrated. He will take it a step further by showing his students how to make these tools. Marie O'Connor, who works for Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, which runs the centre, said there had been a tremendous response from the public. "A lot of people had seen the thatching here on buildings at the centre and they wanted to know more about it and that is where the idea came from," she said.
"We have booked Jim Mulligan for the whole month of May and he will teach those who want to learn." She said CCE wanted to promote and preserve the ancient culture of thatching and she was delighted that some young farmers and builders in the area were interested in taking the course.
Anyone who wants to take part should contact Dun na Sli on 0902 81183.