A celebration of Irish thatch.

The picturesque, white-washed thatched cottage is an iconic emblem of Ireland.

The tradition reaches back in history to the ancient crannog and one-roomed labourers’ cottages. Beautiful examples of this still-living craft can be found all over the island, from bustling urban centres and quiet country roads to the wild coasts of the west.

Since moving into a thatched cottage several years ago, Emma Byrne has become fascinated by thatched houses and the craft behind them. Armed with a camera, a notebook, and a Sat Nav, she took to the roads, travelling the length and breadth of this island to capture the variety and beauty of Ireland’s thatch. This beautiful new addition to the O'Brien Heritage series is a celebration of the unique beauty and wonder of Irish thatch.

The book features a map guiding the reader to over 40 buildings that can be visited, including United Irishmen leader of the 1798 rebellion Michael Dwyer’s hideout cottage in County Wicklow; America’s 28th president Woodrow Wilson’s ancestral home in County Tyrone; Dan Winters Cottage in County Armagh where The Orange Order began; the last miner’s cottage in Kilkenny, the last fisherman’s cottage near Lough Neagh, Thoor Ballylee, the County Galway home of poet WB Yeats; and a number of pubs, restaurants, art studios and shops around the country, museums (recently restored Casino Model Railway Museum in Malahide, Dublin) and windmills.