house, DRUMAWEIR · NIAH 40810002

This charming and well-maintained thatched vernacular house retains its early form and character, and is an appealing feature in the landscape to the west\south-west of Greencastle. The irregularly-spaced small window openings help to create an appealing composition with a strong vernacular character. This building is notable for its unusual length, which suggests that this building was originally two attached dwellings that were later combined, that the section to the east end with no chimneystacks was originally an attached outbuilding, or that this building was extended along its length on at least one occasion. It probably originally dates to the first decades of the nineteenth-century (depicted on Ordnance Survey first edition six-inch map of c. 1837). Modest in scale, it exhibits the simple and functional form of vernacular building in Ireland. Of particular interest in the survival of the reed thatch roof, although recently renewed, which is now sadly becoming increasingly rare in Donegal. The rounded roof is a typical feature of thatched houses located close to the sea in exposed areas in the north-west of Ireland, while the metal bar to the eaves were used to tie ropes (and sometimes nets) over the roof to secure it against the prevailing winds, as is the case here at Drumaweer. The loss of the original fabric to the openings fails to detract from its integrity and visual appeal. The windbreak porch is probably a relatively modern addition but is a feature of many vernacular dwellings in Donegal. The form of this building and location of the chimneystacks suggests that this building is of the ‘direct entry’ type that is characteristic of the vernacular tradition in north-west Ireland. This house represents a notable surviving example of a once ubiquitous building type in the rural Irish countryside, and is an integral element of the built heritage of the local area, creating a landmark feature along the roadscape of the main approach road into the town from the south-west.