Irish stone walls
Patrick McAfee

History – Building – conservation.

A unique history and ‘how to’ book on one of Ireland’s most distinctive landscape features – the stone wall. The Irish countryside is a patchwork of over 250,000 miles of stone wall. Built from local stone according to the style of each region – dry stone in the West and the Mourne mountains or mortar elsewhere – these walls are an intrinsic part of the landscape. This unique guide by expert stone mason Pat McAfee covers the history of this ancient tradition, giving illustrated examples and step-by-step instructions on constructing, conserving and repairing stone walls of all types – whether dry stone or mortar. It includes: history of stone in Ireland; how to build dry stone and mortar walls; basic and more advanced techniques; dos and don’ts of repair work; and, appropriate conservation methods.