Few buildings say “Ireland” as clearly as a whitewashed cottage under a golden roof of thatch. For generations, thatched cottages were simply how most rural families lived: built by hand from the stone, clay and straw of the surrounding fields, and repaired by neighbours who knew the craft. Today they are among the rarest buildings in the country.
In this guide, we look at where the traditional Irish cottage came from, how thatch is made and maintained, why so many have been lost, and how you can still stay in one. Irish Landmark Trust cares for two restored thatched cottages, Goggin Cottage in Co. Limerick and Killee Cottage in Co. Cork, and every stay helps fund the conservation of buildings like them.
A Short History of Thatched Cottages in Ireland
The thatched cottage is the best-known example of Irish vernacular architecture: buildings shaped by local materials, local skills and local needs rather than by architects or pattern books. Walls were built of rubble stone or mud, bound with lime and clay, and limewashed inside and out. Roofs were framed with whatever timber could be found nearby and covered with straw, reed or rushes.
Dating these houses is difficult, because the way a thatched cottage was built barely changed between the 1700s and the late 1800s. Both of Irish Landmark’s thatched cottages date from around the early nineteenth century, and both appear on the first edition Ordnance Survey maps of the 1840s.
A typical cottage was long and low, one room deep, with the hearth at its heart. The kitchen was the centre of family life, where cooking, work, visiting and music all happened around the fire. A small parlour was kept for important guests, and a bed loft often sat above one end under the thatch. In some houses, the room nearest the stream was once a byre for animals.
These were practical homes, but they were also social ones. At Goggin Cottage, a neighbour remembers the half door “always ajar”, with people dropping in on their way past for tea, news, or to listen to an All-Ireland match on the battery radio before electricity reached rural Ireland.
How an Irish Thatched Cottage Is Built
The Walls and Roof
Beneath the thatch, the structure is simple and clever. At Goggin Cottage, the roof is carried on “A” frame trusses of unsawn local timber, with purlins and small battens that hold the thatch. There are no scraws (the layer of grass sods often laid under thatch); the first layer of thatch goes straight onto the battens, fixed mainly with rope. At Killee Cottage, the walls are local rubble stone and mud, so thick that the front windows have deep seats built into them.
Regional Thatching Styles
Irish thatchers developed different ways of holding a roof together depending on the landscape and the weather:
- Pinned or scollop thatch was the most widespread method. The thatch is pinned to the roof with scollops, slender rods of bent hazel or willow. A single roof in Co. Cork could need between four and ten thousand of them.
- Thrust thatch was used across most of Leinster and parts of east Ulster, with bundles of straw thrust tightly into the layer already on the roof.
- Roped thatch belongs to the exposed Atlantic coast, where thatch is laid over the roof and held down by a network of ropes against the wind.
Straw, Reed and Rushes
In Co. Cork, wheaten straw was the traditional material, with oaten straw used at times. Farmers grew wheat for thatching and cut it by hand with a scythe. When the combine harvester arrived in the 1960s, long unbroken straw became hard to find, and many thatchers moved to water reed.
Reed is well suited to the damp Irish climate. According to Cork County Council’s survey of its thatched houses, a good reed roof can last up to 30 years, though the ridge needs renewing every eight to ten years. Liam Broderick, who re-thatched Killee Cottage, orders Turkish water reed delivered to the port in Cork, and says he can tell how many bundles a job needs just by looking at it. You can read more about his work in Thatching at Killee Cottage.
Why So Few Thatched Cottages Survive
Once the most familiar of Irish cottages, thatched cottages have become rare. In 2022, government figures put the number of thatched buildings remaining in Ireland at an estimated 2,000. Cork County Council found that half of the viable thatched houses it recorded in the 1980s had deteriorated or lost their thatch by 2001.
The reasons are familiar to anyone who cares for old buildings:
- Empty houses decay quickly. When the last occupant dies or moves out, a cottage can be left empty while a new house is built beside it. As Liam Broderick puts it, it is not long before “the roof dies too”.
- The craft is fading. There are few thatchers left, and few young people training in the trade.
- Insurance is hard to find. Owners of thatched homes have struggled to get affordable cover, a problem that grew after Brexit made it harder for specialist London underwriters to offer cover here.
- Materials changed. Mechanised farming ended the supply of long, hand-cut straw.
Goggin Cottage shows how close a building can come to being lost. The cottage had no electricity or running water when Irish Landmark Trust began work in 2009, re-thatching the roof over the winter of 2009 to 2010. Funding ran out in 2012 and work stopped. In 2017, vandals broke in and destroyed original joinery, including the narrow loft staircase. The project only restarted in 2021 with funding from the Heritage Council, when thatcher Tómas Collins replaced the failing ridge. You can follow the full story in the Goggin Cottage restoration and the lime work carried out on its walls.
Stay in a Thatched Cottage With Irish Landmark Trust
The best way to understand a thatched cottage is to spend a few nights in one: to light the fire, listen to the rain on the thatch, and duck under a doorway built for another century. Irish Landmark’s properties are WiFi and television free, so the pace of the stay is yours to set.
Goggin Cottage, Kildimo, Co. Limerick
Goggin Cottage is an early nineteenth century, three-roomed thatched cottage that stayed in the Goggin family from the day it was built until Jack Goggin, its last occupant, left in the late 1990s. The 1901 census records five people living here, including John Goggin, a 79-year-old farmer, and his granddaughter Mary. Today, the original crane is back in the open hearth, layers of limewash tinted with red madder have been left visible on the walls, and a hand-built staircase leads to a loft bedroom for children.
It sleeps up to four, welcomes up to two dogs, and makes a good base for Adare, Curraghchase Forest Park and the Shannon Estuary. Read The History of Goggin Cottage or plan a week with our guide to 7 Nights in Goggin Cottage.
Killee Cottage, near Mitchelstown, Co. Cork
Killee Cottage sits at the foot of the Galtee Mountains in the Golden Vale. It was once one of several cottages along a quiet lane known locally as The Mall, and it is now one of only two thatched cottages left there. Probably built as a one- or two-room labourer’s dwelling tied to the Montgomery Estate, it dates from the early nineteenth century or even the late eighteenth. During restoration, the hearth was opened back up to its original size, revealing the original bressumer beam still in place.
Killee sleeps two and welcomes one dog, which makes it a natural choice for a romantic break or a walking holiday. Our guide to Killee Cottage includes a seven-day itinerary for the area.
Give a Stay, or Help Save the Next One
Irish Landmark Trust is a not-for-profit charity. Every booking helps maintain the buildings in our care, and donations fund the next rescue. If you would like to share the experience, an Irish Landmark gift card makes a thoughtful present for anyone who loves history and quiet places. And if you would like to help keep Ireland’s vernacular buildings standing, you can support our conservation work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many thatched cottages are left in Ireland?
In 2022, government figures estimated that around 2,000 thatched buildings remained in Ireland, a small fraction of the number that once stood across the countryside.
Can you stay in a thatched cottage in Ireland?
Yes. Irish Landmark Trust has two restored thatched cottages available for self-catering stays: Goggin Cottage in Co. Limerick, which sleeps up to four, and Killee Cottage in Co. Cork, which sleeps two. Both are dog-friendly.
Are thatched cottages warm?
Thick stone walls and a deep layer of thatch hold heat well, and both of our cottages have modern heating alongside a wood-burning stove. Goggin Cottage has underfloor heating, and Killee Cottage has oil heating.
How long does a thatched roof last?
It depends on the material and the location. A good water reed roof can last up to 30 years, while traditional wheaten straw lasted about 20. The ridge usually needs renewing every eight to ten years.
Why are thatched cottages disappearing in Ireland?
Many were left empty when families built new homes beside them, and an empty cottage decays quickly. Fewer thatchers are working today, traditional straw is harder to source, and owners often struggle to find affordable insurance.
Plan Your Stay
Whether you are drawn by the history, the craft or the chance to switch off for a few days, a thatched cottage is one of the most memorable places to stay in Ireland. Browse all Irish Landmark properties or go straight to Goggin Cottage and Killee Cottage to check availability.
