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 In April 2008, North Tipperary County Council gave the go-ahead
to plans for conserving and refurbishing Killahara Castle. Work commenced immediately and were completed 7 months later in
November 2008. The process required careful planning,
expert oversight, and a high standard of workmanship. The starting
pointThe castle, until
April 2008, stood as a shell. It had no roof, no floors, and no windows. The
lower level window openings were wider than originally, courtesy of the 1853 restoration attempt. The surrounds of some of
the widened windows were crumbling, as they had been hastily patched up with brick work rather than stone corbels and lintels.
At the top, the castellation and various original features
were missing and it had a concrete barge all around the top of the walls, as a result of the 1904 restoration. However the Castle stands on rock and the overall structure was good. Conservation rather than RestorationThe co-owners, at the outset, planned to restore the Castle to as near as they could
bring it to its original state. That would have meant restoring, amongst other things, the castellation, the original window
configuration, etc. Conservation consultant, Ivor McElveen,
suggested a different approach. Ivor pointed out that unless detailed drawings of the original structure are available, restoration
work can be regarded as too speculative. The efforts in this project, he suggested, should be to conserve rather
than restore. The Conservation planThe central ideas guiding this project were to: - make the castle
habitable to a high standard – to make it dry, warm, and comfortable
- respect and preserve the full ‘story’
of the building – the original structure as well as the works done in 1853 and 1904
This meant that the Castle would need to be roofed, insulated, damp-proofed, floored, patched,
furnished and have modern comforts such as electricity, heating, and bathrooms installed, while observing the following constraints: - avoid all speculative restoration
- undertake only those repairs necessary for preserving structural integrity
- ensure all materials
used in necessary structural work, were compatible with the building
- keep invasive work to the minimum
- ensure that all works done were
‘reversible’
The Conservation teamFor more information on the 2008 conservation project at Killahara, contact the relevant person
from the team involved. Noel Ryan Heritage Construction Dovea, Thurles. Tel. 087 226 4492 | Noel
Ryan (co-owner) undertook all of the works (carpentry, roofing, masonry, services, finishes etc.) through his specialist enterprise,
Heritage Construction. Noel has worked on many castles and historic buildings, first in his years as a stone mason
with Dúchas, and latterly as a private contractor. | Ivor McElveen
CEng Tel. 053 925 5977 086 831 4772 | Ivor McElveen, probably Ireland’s
foremost conservation engineer, was the conservation consultant who guided the project from pre-planning through to completion.
Ivor’s input was critical as he successfully aligns his knowledge of current best practice in conservation with an understanding
of the owners’ budget constraints and the technical practicalities that one confronts in a project like this. | Phelim Manning | A detailed record of the
Castle, as it stood before works commenced, was undertaken by Phelim Manning, of Obair. Phelim is very experienced and very
thorough in creating detailed visual records of historic structures. | Seán Ryan Ryan Architectural
Solutions, Thurles Tel 0504 90244 | Seán Ryan prepared
the detailed drawings and planning application packs. The requirements for an application of this sort are more extensive
and complex than those governing standard restorations or new builds and Seán managed the whole application process
with care and patience. | David Sweetman (May be contacted through Ivor McElveen) | David Sweetman guided the team through
the archeological considerations and oversaw the necessary assessments. David is the leading expert in his field. He is the
author of the definitive book on Irish Castles. (see Further Information, below.) |
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