We’ve written before about the enduring shortage of roof thatchers in Ireland. Since then the shortage has, if anything, got worse. Owners wait longer for repairs, and good thatchers are booked out well ahead. It’s a craft with plenty of work in it, and not enough hands.
So, if you’ve ever wondered whether thatching could be for you, as a career, a sideline or simply a skill worth having, where do you actually start? Here’s a realistic path.
Step 1: Learn the language for free
Thatching has its own vocabulary: leggetts, biddles, sways, spars, scollops, crooks. Learning what they are before you set foot on a roof makes everything easier. Boglands Academy has a free Water Reed Thatching taster course and a free introduction covering the material, the tools and how a roof goes on, in short lessons with quick quizzes.
Step 2: Talk to people who do it
The Thatch Finder community is a good place to ask questions, see projects and get a sense of how thatchers work in different parts of Ireland and beyond. Thatchers are generally happy to talk about the craft, as long as you don’t ask them in the middle of a ridge.
Step 3: Get on a roof
There’s no substitute for handling reed. Short, hands-on workshops let you find out quickly whether you have a feel for it. At Boglands in Daingean, Co. Offaly, master thatcher Mike Davies of Thatching Ireland runs water reed workshops from April 2027:
- a one-day taster (typically 10:00–16:00)
- two-day and three-day workshops
- a five-day intensive
- thatch repair and ridge repair days for owners of thatched homes
Work is done on practice roofs and real structures, with tools from Thatching Tools Ireland. Lunch, gloves and PPE are included, beginners are welcome, and the workshops are for adults (18+). See dates and book.
Step 4: Be honest about the job
Thatching is physical, outdoors, at height and dependent on the weather. Competence takes years, not weeks. A workshop won’t make you a thatcher, but it will tell you whether you want to keep going. If you do, the next step is time on the tools with an experienced thatcher.
Know someone who would love to try it?
A thatching workshop makes a memorable present for the DIY-er, the heritage lover or the person who always stops to look at a thatched cottage. Roof Thatching Workshop gift vouchers are available from Boglands, a Thatch Finder supporter. Every Boglands gift voucher comes in €50, €100, €225, €250 or €500, is emailed within 24 hours of purchase and is valid for five years. It can be used across more than one booking, and any balance of €1 or more is reissued as a new voucher with the same expiry. Add the recipient’s name and a message in the order notes at checkout and they go on the voucher.
