Prof Patrick Wyse Jackson from STONEBUILT Ireland and John McEvoy from McEvoy Stone discuss historical building stone on RTÉ’s 10 Things to Know About.
Author: louisemcaulfield
International Heritage Stone Workshop 2025
STONEBUILT Ireland hosted the 4th International Heritage Stone Workshop of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) from 14 – 17 July 2025. The theme was ‘Heritage Stone: from quarries to craft practitioners and buildings’. 40 delegates from 10 countries attended.
On day 1, 17 oral presentations and 8 posters were presented on a wide range of topics (refer to the below file for abstracts).
Day 2 began in the Ballyknockan granite quarrying district. John McEvoy, owner of the Ballyknockan quarry, described the history of stone extraction and demonstrated the splitting of a granite boulder. The O’Flaherty family showcased carving of architectural and decorative pieces from the local stone at their nearby workshop. This was followed by a visit to Russborough House,which features external granite walls and chimneypieces of Irish and imported stone.
Day 3 consisted of a visit to McKeon Stone’s Threecastles Quarry (Mississippian Limestone), Co. Kilkenny and their stone works at Stradbally, with a final stop at Emo Court.
On day 4, delegates participated in a building stone tour of Trinity College Dublin and adjacent streets.
New Book: The Decorative and Building Stones of Dublin
Trinity geologists release new book for walkers interested in Dublin’s built heritage.
The book serves as the perfect companion for both visitors and those familiar with Ireland’s capital who wish to delve deeper into its geological and built heritage. Read more
Connemara Marble designated an IUGS Heritage Stone
November, 2022
Raidió na Gaelteachta Broadcast – 14 November 2022 (Skip to 33:00 to listen to the segment).
Connemara FM interview with Dr Patrick Wyse Jackson, 11 November 2022 (listen below)
EuroLithos: European Ornamental Stone Resources
STONEBUILT IRELAND and Geological Survey Ireland provided data on 50 Irish stone types for the European Ornamental Stone Resources (EuroLithos) database.
“EuroLithos is founded on the idea that increased knowledge of the geology, quality and history of use of natural stone in Europe will stimulate both more sustainable use of stone resources in Europe for the benefit of SMEs and our cultural heritage, and a sound land use management for the safeguarding of ornamental stone deposits.”
International Geodiversity Day
6th October 2022
Dr Patrick Wyse Jackson has contributed a short video on the heritage stone candidate Connemara Marble to celebrate the Geodiversity of Heritage Stone Resources on International Geodiversity Day.
Connemara Marble, a well-known distinctive decorative stone from the west of Ireland, was proposed as a Global Heritage Stone Resource in 2020. Access the article below:
Irish Geological Research Meeting
Queens University, Belfast, 25 February 2022
‘Poster presentation: ‘Stonebuilt Ireland: recording sources and use of decorative and dimension stone’
II International Workshop on Heritage Stones
Torino, Italy, 5-7th October 2021
Paper presentation: ‘Heritage Stones from Europe: Irish Black Marble’. Natural Stones and Cultural Heritage promotion and preservation: II International Workshop on Heritage Stones, Politecnico di Torino, Castello del Valentino, Turin, 5 October 2021.
National Heritage Week
14th-22nd August, 2021
National Heritage Week 2021 takes place from 14th August until 22nd August. Take part in STONEBUILT Ireland’s wall stone types recording scheme. This can be undertaken as part of Heritage Week 2021 or at any other time, and can be done as a collective exercise by local heritage groups, by schools, or by individuals as a “Wall Game”.
Boundary walls in Ireland are wonderful structures that often reflect the local underlying geology. More information is needed on the varieties of style and materials used. This exercise focuses on walls in particular but information can also be recorded of stone used for buildings, monuments, and gravestones.
Follow the STONEBUILT IRELAND Workshop Modules 2a-2c where the major stone types (Igneous, Sedimentary and Metamorphic) are characterised and you will learn how to identify them. Then follow Module 3 on ‘Walls’ which provides more information on this project. Examine walls in your locality, record the stone types used, and document where they were quarried and who built the walls, if known. Note the construction style of the walls, and detail how the stone was finished by the craftspeople who built them. The information documents features of important local heritage and fabric that is often threatened with removal, and will be particularly useful if and when walls require repair.
STONEBUILT IRELAND would be delighted to receive the recording sheets, sketches and photographs documenting stone walls anywhere in Ireland. For further information please contact us.
Complete the webinar series, download the sample recording sheet and embark on recording stone walls across Ireland.
STONEBUILT Ireland Project Agreement Signed
June, 2020
STONEBUILT Ireland recently signed a research collaboration agreement between GSI, TCD & OPW to run the project for a further 2 years beginning in December 2020. This project will build on work already completed and funded by the Irish Research Council (March 2019-November 2020), which carried out primary research on the topic and developed a simple database and web-based platform as well as hosting various heritage displays at venues. Read more.