In conversation with Eoin Madigan & Dom Keogh

In our fifth episode, we chat with Eoin Madigan and Dom Keogh.

Eoin Madigan is a sixth-generation stonemason and lime practitioner from the Burren region of Co. Clare, Ireland. He is passionate about the conservative repair of vernacular structures and specialises in the use of historic lime mortars. In 2005 he won a placement with The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB). He is now a committee member and trainer for The Building Lime Forum Ireland and a founding member of SPAB Ireland where again he is a trainer in masonry and lime mortars.

Dominic Keogh is a Stonemason from Kilmovee in East Mayo, an area rich in culture and heritage. The stone strewn local landscape, criss-crossed with meandering sandstone walls, and vernacular farmhouses originally led Dominic to begin experimenting with local dry stone building techniques, gaining knowledge from older farmers in the Kilmovee area.

In today's chat, we discuss Eoin and Dom's individual journeys into careers as stonemasons specialising in vernacular conservation, tradititional techniques, which has led to the development of Vernacon. They discuss their views on barriers to apprenticeships in traditional crafts, their top tips to approach the conservation of a vernacular building, and we find out what their favourite vernacular building is.

Hosted by Tríona Byrne and Róisín Beirne.

Edited by Deirdre Keeley.

Artwork by Róisín Beirne.

Theme music by Cillian Byrne.

Generously supported by the Heritage Council as part of their Heritage Sector Support Fund 2021.

The podcast was recorded on Zoom in July 2021.

If you have a question or feedback on the series, we’d love to hear from you so please get in touch by emailing us at [email protected]. For more information on SPAB Ireland visit www.spab.org.uk/about-us/spab-ireland.

You can follow our social media @SPABIreland on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/spabireland, Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/spabireland and Twitter - https://twitter.com/SPABIreland and you can also check our website https://www.spab.org.uk/members/regional-groups/spab-ireland.

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https://www.vernacon.ie/

https://www.instagram.com/vernacon.ltd/

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