Keeping heritage skills alive in 2026

More than 340 people took part in events around the country last year which aimed to inspire tradespeople to keep heritage skills such as thatching, drystone walling, and joinery alive.

The 45 events were organised by the National Built Heritage Service (NBHS) at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

The courses, which were running for their third year in a row, were aimed at owners and prospective owners of traditional buildings along with contractors and professionals looking to upskill.

Courses offered included subsidised training in thatching, the use of traditional lime and earth mortars, hedge laying, drystone walling and traditional joinery.

There were also eight free events which provided information on grants available, retrofit, and the reuse of traditional buildings, and eight free ‘Conservation Clinics’, which allowed owners of traditional buildings to seek free advice with an accredited conservation professional.

The NBHS worked largely with specialist practitioners in building conservation and traditional skills for last year’s events. They collaborated with Architectural Conservation Officers in Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, and Limerick.

They also collaborated with existing organisations and businesses such as the Building Limes Forum Ireland, Hedgerows Ireland, The Dry Stone Wall Association, and the Donegal Thatch School for a number of events.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne said while Ireland was “fortunate to have such an array of unique buildings and historic structures”, they require traditional building skills in order to conserve or restore them.

“I was delighted to see so many participants avail of training provided by the National Built Heritage Service. Traditional methods, be they used on a building, a drystone wall or even a traditional hedgerow are skills which can only be handed down. So by taking these first steps, those learning the skills are helping our built heritage to live a very long life,” he said.

Chances to apply the skills learned at these events are increasing with several large-scale projects being funded by the Built Heritage Fund. It has funded projects for the restoration, regeneration and reuse of structures such as the Shandon Bells, which was awarded €250,000 under the scheme last year.

Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan said the fund was one of the “key funding streams for the conservation and protection of our historic buildings and streetscapes”.

“We have a duty towards our built heritage, and the Historic Structures Fund will help to ensure that it continues to enrich all of our daily lives.

“The fund also supports Ireland’s built heritage sector by providing thousands of days of work for skilled heritage professionals,” he said.

The 2026 spring-summer schedule of NBHS events will be launched in early spring.