
Homeowner Maintenance Advice Series
A collection of leaflets on basic building maintenance for Homeowners, produced in partnership with SPAB Ireland.
1998 – 2000
The Mayglass Farmstead is an exemplar and rare survivor of a type of two-storied thatched rural dwelling of the Irish vernacular tradition and one of the most significant conservation projects ever carried out by The Heritage Council.
The Mayglass Farmstead is an exemplar and rare survivor of a type of two-storied thatched rural dwelling of the Irish vernacular tradition and one of the most significant conservation projects ever carried out by The Heritage Council.
The Heritage Council funded the refurbishment of a thatched house and the conservation of its contents at Mayglass, Co. Wexford during the period 1998 -2000. The house, outbuildings and its contents form what is considered to be one of the most important vernacular farmsteads in the country and this is the only project of its kind in Ireland.
The house was built in a number of phases from the early 1700s to the late1800s, but has remained largely unchanged since then. Lived in by Seamus Kirwan until the mid 1990s, it contains a fascinating collection of Irish country furniture, together with his family's farm and household effects dating from the 18th to the late 20th centuries.
The project has attempted to adhere to the highest standards of conservation, with minimum intervention, repairing rather than replacing, and where interventions were necessary, they are all fully reversible.
Following advice from the National Museum of Ireland, the house interior and contents were catalogued, furniture and artefacts removed, and conservators appointed to repair them. These objects have now been conserved and are in storage. Much of the original wallpaper in the parlour was expertly cleaned, repaired and re-attached where necessary.
The Heritage Council hopes that the project will provide an example for others who wish to undertake work on similar buildings throughout the country.
The aims of the project are:
The Council has had an ongoing relationship with the current owners, Leo and Eileen Casey. A book entitled ‘A Wexford Farmstead' detailing the experience was published in 2003. In 2005 The Heritage Council also oversaw the documentation and conservation of the furniture and other contents of the house.
The Mayglass 2000 website provides information, including a gallery, on the conservation project. www.mayglass-2000.ie
The building was entered in the Register of Historic Monuments in April 2001, and is included in Wexford County Council’s Record of Protected Structures since 2013.
A collection of leaflets on basic building maintenance for Homeowners, produced in partnership with SPAB Ireland.
A trans-disciplinary Collaborative Town Centre Health Check Programme in conjunction with participating towns across the country.
A national, integrated online resource that provides access to a broad and fascinating range of Irish historical archives.