Dry Stone Walling in Ireland
Dry stone walling is the craft of building or repairing a wall from stacked stones without mortar, lime, or cement. In Ireland it shapes field boundaries, roadside walls, garden dividers, and the walls that run along lanes and hillsides in counties such as Galway, Mayo, Clare, Kerry, and Wicklow. A dry stone wall relies on gravity, friction, and careful placement: each stone bears on the one below, and smaller stones are packed into the heart of the wall to lock it. Work on an existing wall usually means rebuilding a fallen section, re-capping a coping, or repairing a gap where livestock or weather has pushed stones out. New walls are built to a line and a batter, with through stones tying the two faces together. Because every stone has to be handled and fitted, dry stone walling is slow, skilled work, and the person quoting will normally want to see the wall in person before putting a figure on it.
What shapes the price of dry stone walling
- The price reflects the volume of stone to be lifted and placed, and the length, height, and thickness of the wall.
- Access matters: a wall beside a road or yard is easier to work on than one on a hillside, behind a hedge, or at the end of a wet field.
- Condition drives cost too.
- A wall that has merely settled can be re-dressed, while a collapsed section may need to be taken down and rebuilt from the footing.
- Materials are a factor: whether the original stone can be reused, whether replacement stone must be sourced locally, and whether the wall needs a new foundation of compacted hardcore.
