A third generation roof thatcher is looking for an apprentice so he can hand down his rare traditional skills.
Kildare man John Brereton, who is in his late 60s, is a grandson of master thatcher William Brereton who worked on the roofs of Famine cottages in the mid-1800s.
John is now searching for an enthusiastic beginner who he can pass on his particular set of skills before he leaves the business.
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John said: “There’s only a small number of traditional thatchers left out there. I’d love to be able to pass on my trade to somebody before it’s too late.
“This job doesn’t suit everyone. You need fierce patience because it’s so tedious.
“Each roof needs about 7,000 handfuls of straw so that’s about 10 weeks or two months for each job.
“You’d only do about four or five hours a day up a ladder as you’d nearly go half blind from staring at the colour of the straw.”
John works with oaten straw grown in farmers’ fields rather than the English style of thatching which uses water reeds from rivers or lakes.
Fittingly, he lives in a thatched house named Katie’s Cottage in Suncroft which he acquired in 1993.
John said: “The man knew I would be able to thatch it myself, so he decided to let me have it.
“There were people living in my cottage as far back as the 17th century. It was a workman’s cottage.”
In the 1860s, a family lived in the cottage and one of the family members was named Katie and John kept this name for his abode.
The original cottage had just a bedroom and a kitchen and at one time housed two parents and 11 children.
Two bedrooms were added in the loft and a few modern conveniences were installed without interfering with the traditional character.
He continued: “There is no TV, only the radio, and people like that.
“When people come on holiday, the TV is the last thing on their minds.”
Referring to the construction of the building, John explained: “It has mud walls and there is no foundation –only mud built on top of mud.
“It is as solid in a storm as any house made of stone or bricks.”
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