STONE FENCES & WALLS OF IRELAND

ARAN ISLANDS

Ireland is a beautiful country with lush green expanses of open countryside and farmland. Just below the surface of this lush green lies a thick layer of limestone. This Irish blue limestone is the source of the fascinating dry stone fences that can be found throughout the island, and are particularly abundant in the counties of Galway and Mayo on the west coast. 

It was one of our first days in western Ireland when we were driving along the northern shores of Galway Bay, that I began taking an interest in the fascinating patchwork quality of stone fences all around us. 

The ancient tradition of stone fences dates back nearly 4,000 years when stone walls extended over five square miles in the Ceide Fields of County Mayo. However, most of the fences date to the 1840s when land was redistributed and the stone walls defined the field and helped to clear the land at the same time.

The builders from each area had their own style. None are exactly the same. Some were put together loosely by farmers without much skill. They used stones lying around, irrespective of their size or shape—clearing the field at the same time as they were building boundaries. 

Others were built by skilled stonemasons who knew just how to pick the right stones and interlock them resulting in few or no gaps and extreme stability. Locals often know at a glance who built the wall by simply looking at the way the stones are placed.

One of the joys of my leisurely walks in Ireland was taking time to notice the delicate flowers, ferns, vines, and moss that grow out of the old craggy walls. Over time organic material has built up between the stones, allowing plants to take root, giving the walls an appearance of almost being alive—changing with the seasons and getting better with age—just like wine. 

There are many fascinating things about the Irish culture. However, I will always be impressed with the builders that seemed to have an innate ability to spot the right rock and then pile it in just the correct place so that the walls would be around long after they were gone. There is a saying in Ireland: “Stone walls last forever—and men don't."

ARAN ISLANDS

BRIDGE  IN CONNEMARA