house

Detached three-bay single-storey vernacular house, built c. 1820, having central projecting wind break porch to the front elevation (north-east), single-bay single-storey extension to the south-east gable end, and long single-storey outbuilding attached to the north-west. Now out of use. Pitched corrugated-metal roof having rubble stone and brick chimneystacks and raised rendered verges to the gable ends. Formerly thatched. Lime rendered rubble stone walls. Square-headed window openings with stone sills, and with eight-over-eight and two-over-two pane timber sliding sash windows. Square-headed doorway to windbreak porch having replacement glazed timber door. Single-bay single-storey extension to the south-east having pitched natural roof, rendered chimneystack, rendered rubble stone walls, and square-headed window opening (now blocked). Series of attached single-storey outbuildings to the north-west having pitched corrugated-metal roofs, rubble stone walls, and square-headed openings with battened timber doors and remains of timber windows. Road-fronted. Located in the rural countryside to the south-east of Letterkenny and the north-west of Raphoe.

Although now out of use, this appealing and relatively intact example of a vernacular house retains its early form and character, and is an appealing feature in the rural landscape to the south-east of Letterkenny. Its integrity is enhanced by the retention of much of its salient fabric including timber sliding sash window. Modest in scale, it exhibits the simple and functional form of vernacular building in Ireland. The irregularly-spaced openings create a pleasing vernacular composition while the windbreak porch is a characteristic feature of many such dwellings. The corrugated-metal roof and high raised rendered verges to the gable ends indicates that this building was formerly thatched, and its reinstatement with significantly add to the character of this building. 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 outbuildings and extension to site add to the context and setting, and help to create a long low vernacular composition of some rustic and visual appeal. This house is one of the better surviving vernacular buildings in this part of Donegal, and one of the few remaining vernacular buildings at Cornagillagh. It represents a surviving example of a once ubiquitous building type in the rural Irish countryside, and is an addition to the vernacular heritage of County Donegal.