Phil Barron's House Restoration Project
Welcome to Phil Barron’s House — known personally by the current owner, Helen Kealy-Dunne, and her family as “Phe’s House” in Clogh, Kilkenny, Ireland. This little old lady was last thatched and repaired with great effort by the owner, Helen, and her husband, Ambrose Dunne in 2004, in which the condition of the house was perhaps the best it has ever been.
However, due to Helen’s ill health and lack of funds to restore the house, it has fallen into disrepair since thatched cottages are one of the most demanding architectural buildings to maintain in comparison to a tiled roof. This house is very much loved and cherished by the family and has never been neglected. During the years when the thatched roof repairs could not be afforded, the owner continued to shelter the roof with covers. It's also important to note that Ireland's damp climate, storms, and "major weather events" — according to Met Éireann — over the last few years have sped up the decline in the quality of the thatch.
Since the years have not been kind to this little old lady, we are seeking funding to restore this piece of Irish heritage back to its former beauty. The goal is to preserve the house as a museum/heritage house without an occupier for the public to visit but the details of this have yet to be decided.
We recently secured funding of a Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2021 from the Department of Housing and Local Government and Heritage, and the Kilkenny County Council. This grant will help us to cover half the costs of the restoration of Phil Barron's house.
To help with this project, we have also launched a GoFundMe page to assist in the other half of the costs for renovating our cherished and much-loved little house. Any funding we receive will go towards the house's upkeep (whitewash the internal and external walls, bluestone, and thatch) over the years to come. We understand that times are tough for everyone, but we would appreciate anything as little as €1, £1, $1, etc. To read more about our family project, the history of the house, as well as photos of the house in the past and the people who came from it, visit our website: https://philbarronshouse.com
However, due to Helen’s ill health and lack of funds to restore the house, it has fallen into disrepair since thatched cottages are one of the most demanding architectural buildings to maintain in comparison to a tiled roof. This house is very much loved and cherished by the family and has never been neglected. During the years when the thatched roof repairs could not be afforded, the owner continued to shelter the roof with covers. It's also important to note that Ireland's damp climate, storms, and "major weather events" — according to Met Éireann — over the last few years have sped up the decline in the quality of the thatch.
Since the years have not been kind to this little old lady, we are seeking funding to restore this piece of Irish heritage back to its former beauty. The goal is to preserve the house as a museum/heritage house without an occupier for the public to visit but the details of this have yet to be decided.
We recently secured funding of a Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2021 from the Department of Housing and Local Government and Heritage, and the Kilkenny County Council. This grant will help us to cover half the costs of the restoration of Phil Barron's house.
To help with this project, we have also launched a GoFundMe page to assist in the other half of the costs for renovating our cherished and much-loved little house. Any funding we receive will go towards the house's upkeep (whitewash the internal and external walls, bluestone, and thatch) over the years to come. We understand that times are tough for everyone, but we would appreciate anything as little as €1, £1, $1, etc. To read more about our family project, the history of the house, as well as photos of the house in the past and the people who came from it, visit our website: https://philbarronshouse.com
