House in Dunagard

Detached five-bay single-storey vernacular house, built c. 1860, having flat-roofed windbreak porch to front (south), single-bay single-storey outbuilding attached to the west gable end. Round pitched flax thatched roof with chicken wire lattice and iron pegs, corrugated roof to byre, limewashed brick chimneystacks to gable ends and to the east side of centre. Limewashed rubble stone walls. Square-headed window openings with one-over-one pane horned timber sliding sash windows; original four-light small window to rear with hinged wood panel to upper light. Square-headed door opening to porch having timber sheeted door with central light. Set in own grounds off road. Multi-bay single-storey outbuilding to the west having pitched corrugated roof, limewashed rendered rubble stone walls, and square-headed window and door openings. Located in the rural countryside to the north of Malin town.

This appealing and relatively intact example of a vernacular house retains its early form and character, and is an appealing feature in the scenic rural landscape to the north of Malin town. Its integrity is enhanced by the retention of much of its salient fabric including timber sliding sash windows. Of particular interest in the survival of the thatch roof which is now sadly becoming increasingly rare in Donegal. The rounded roof is a typical feature of thatched houses located close to the sea in exposed areas in the north-west of Ireland, while the pegs to the eaves were used to tie ropes (and sometimes nets) over the roof to secure it against the prevailing winds, as is the case here at Dunagard. Modest in scale, it exhibits the simple and functional form of vernacular building in Ireland. It retains some characteristic features of the vernacular tradition to the area, including a bed outshot to the rear, largely blank rear elevation, and a central windbreak porch to the front elevation. The low elongated form and the location of the chimneystacks suggests that it was extended along its length (to the east) at some stage, which is a feature of the vernacular tradition in Ireland. The form of this building, having chimneystacks to the gable ends and a central doorway to the original building, suggests that this building is of the ‘direct entry’ type that is characteristic of the vernacular tradition in north-west Ireland. The attached rubble stone outbuilding to the west to the context and setting, and help to create a long low vernacular composition of some rustic and visual appeal. The detached single-storey outbuildings to site also survive in good condition, and add considerably to this composition. This house represents a fine surviving example of a once ubiquitous building type in the rural Irish countryside, and is a valuable addition to the vernacular heritage of County Donegal.