My husband and I recently took a trip to Ireland to visit friends. We wanted to hear the Irish lilt, to see its quaint villages, and breath in the rolling green countryside. We also wanted to raise a glass (or two) of their famously fine ale. We spent most of our time exploring the southwest countryside west of Cork.
It comes as no surprise that we were blown away by the beauty of Ireland’s patterned green hills and its tangible connection to ancient history.
As we drove through the countryside on lanes narrow enough to worry about our side-view mirrors due to the vine-covered stonewalls and trimmed hedges bordering both sides, we were amazed to stumble upon a few stone castles simply resting, untouched for hundreds of years, in some farmer’s fields. There were no signs, brochures or announcements. We learned that several of these structures were built in the 15th century! One castle in particular was so compelling that, after getting the lowdown from a local jogger, we climbed through a hole in a stone wall and over two fences to see it up close.
The stonework stunned us. The spiral stone stair wound fifty feet up to the roof and though it was a bit dark, it was in such sturdy condition I ventured to climb it with only a little hesitation. We marveled at how the stones were so carefully shaped and lifted into place. As we left, I couldn’t help but think about our modern day methods for laying stone.
We no longer use it as structure itself, but apply it as a thin veneer to imitate structural stone. There is really nothing wrong with how we have ‘abstracted’ stonework to accommodate modern technology, but underneath, I have a feeling that we long for the real thing, knowing full well that structural stone masonry is a thing of the past. We experienced why this is so by trying our hand at building a stone wall and bench for our hosts in gratitude for their hospitality. A week of moving, lifting, and fitting stone wreaks havoc on one’s back!
Katherine Hillbrand recently won the AIA Minnesota Architect of Distinction Award for 2014 featured in Midwest Home. Katherine has written about other building materials on the SALA Blog. Check them out in her prior posts. Or more specifically, read about her amazing visit to antoher castle! If you’d like to see more of Katherine’s projects, check out her profile page!