Business is going well under the thatch at Tomásín’s
A THATCHED roof is good for business; and the proof of this was to be seen as passers-by stopped to admire the work as the roof of Tomásíns bar and restaurant in Stradbally was being replaced last week.
The thatched roof of Tomásín’s has been a focal point of the village of Stradbally but after 30 years service it had had its day and Charleville-based Lukasz Smalec was called in to do the job. Originally from Poland, Lukasz came to Ireland 11 years ago and worked for a few years with another thatcher before going out on his own with his rare trade in which he is kept busy with cottage renovations around the country.
Lukasz said thatched roofs were once very common in his native Poland but they burned so well during World War II that they fell out of favour. When Poland later came under Soviet rule traditional houses were replaced with concrete apartment blocks but, Lukasz said, thatch is now making a comeback in his home country.
The bundles of long, straight reeds that Lukasz used to thatch Tomásín’s came from far outside Corca Dhuibhne, even though from his scaffolding he could see acres of similar reeds growing nearby. “Irish reed is no good [for thatch] because nobody cuts it,” said Lukasz who explained that regular cutting produces a stronger, straighter plant.
Coby Zhang, who has leased Tomásín’s with his partner Nick Wang for the past three years, said the well known bar and restaurant attracts a mix of passing tourists, holiday home residents and locals. The place gets busier by the year, thanks in no small part to the thatched roof, said Coby. “It’s very good for business when you have a thatched roof,” he said. “A lot of people stop to photograph the roof and then they’re interested in what’s inside.”