Mr. Eoin Darby:

No incentive is in place to keep thatched properties. The more people I talk to, the more I realise the insurance people are expected to pay for a typical house with the one remaining insurer is between €2,000 and €3,000 a year. That is multiples of the cost of insurance for a standard three bedroom semi-detached house in comparison. There were many thatched cottages around north county Dublin and they are being taken down now and removed. It is a shame as this is such a quintessential part of the Irish building landscape and they are all just being removed. I am probably the crazy person here. I put a brand new thatched roof on our existing cottage. I am going the other way, but I felt it was the right solution for our house and it looks fantastic beside the house next-door, but I am definitely an exception. Most people are going the other way. They are getting rid of them.