The Conservation Project
The majority of the buildings at Knockelly are at a pivotal moment, where without intervention relatively soon, some will be at risk of collapse or deteriorating beyond repair. Interventions aim to conserve what already exists and where appropriate, also repair the fabric. Knockelly is almost 550 years old. Every task we undertake, whether large or small, must give Knockelly the best chance of surviving another 550 years. There are no quick fixes. We work for the long-term.
The buildings are hand-crafted and where repair is appropriate, we are repairing them in the same way, using the same natural materials as originally used (mainly stone, wood and lime) and utilizing the skills and wisdom of some of the best craftspeople in Ireland. This is a project where using ‘ones eye’ is often more effective than using a spirit level or measuring tape. It is like one enormous sculpture!
The Knockelly Ethos
We believe that older buildings are like limited edition, hand-crafted goods that are highly sought after but need special care, respect and skill to maintain and repair compared to mass-produced synthetic alternatives. Incidentally, good, quality hand-crafted goods, with the right care, are often far more durable and longer lasting, and therefore more sustainable, than their counterparts.
The on-going conservation works at Knockelly provide an invaluable opportunity for people to learn traditional building skills, working alongside master craftspeole in a real-world scenario. Accordingly we run traditional building skills workshops with the team behind the conservation works, notably our resident stonemason.
Follow our News & Events section for details on up-coming workshops.