Ireland

Irish dry stone wall construction added to Unesco cultural heritage list

Dry stone construction becomes Ireland’s fifth addition to prestigious list, joining uilleann piping, hurling, harping and falconry

Bridge at Maam, constructed with dry stones, in Connemara, Co Galway, which appeared in the 1952 film The Quiet Man. Photograph: Stephen Barnes
Bridge at Maam, constructed with dry stones, in Connemara, Co Galway, which appeared in the 1952 film The Quiet Man. Photograph: Stephen Barnes
Sarah Slater
Thu Dec 05 2024 - 18:43

The practice of building dry stone walls in Ireland has been recognised by Unesco for its important cultural heritage, following on from hurling and uilleann piping which also received recognition in recent years.

Dry stone construction uses only stone without any mortar and is a long-standing rural farming tradition in Ireland dating back to the Neolithic Period 5,000 years ago, and one immortalised in the Saw Doctors song, N17.

Stones are taken as found and placed together in a way that they are capable of forming strong, stable and durable walls. Such examples include walls, bridges, arches, tombs, beehive huts, oratories and fortifications.

The practice has undergone a resurgence in Ireland due to the perseverance of a small number of farmers and the re-engagement with it by others thanks to the Dry Wall Association of Ireland.

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The majority of dry stone walls are found in southern counties such as Cork and Kerry, including the Kerry Way and Derry Way and in the west on MacDara’s Island off the Galway coast near Carna.

The longest continuous length of dry stone wall in Ireland and Britain is The Mourne Wall in Co Down, which is 35km.

The inscription on the Unesco Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity was announced on Thursday at a conference in Asunción, Paraguay.

This recognition was part of an international application, led by Ireland, which also recognised similar traditions in Andorra, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg under the inscription “Dry Stone Construction, Knowledge and Techniques”.

Dry stone construction is Ireland’s fifth inscription on Unesco’s prestigious list. Ireland’s first nomination, uilleann piping was officially inscribed in 2017, followed by hurling in 2018, Irish harping in 2019 and Irish falconry in 2021.

A spokesperson for the Department of Culture explained they worked “closely with those involved in the art of dry stone construction around the country and with the Dry Stone Wall Association of Ireland”.

Ken Curran, of the Dry Stone Wall Association of Ireland, said the inscription is “wonderful news for all of the communities involved in the safeguarding of the practice here”.