Conway Mill Trust

“The windy day is not the day for thatching.”
As this suggests, wind is the enemy of a thatched roof. Traditional thatched houses in Ireland date back to the 17th century, but thatching itself dates back to our earliest inhabitants. Scenes from the 19th century show the battering ram being used to knock down walls and the embers from the hearth catching fire in the thatch, demolishing the cabins. Pikes forged during the rebellion of 1798 were often hidden in the thatched roof.