The art of stucco and decorative plasterwork is being passed to another generation in Galway.
Stucco plasterwork enlivened the walls and ceilings of stately homes across Ireland from the 17th century, but by the 1950s its popularity had waned.
Attitudes to this decorative art are changing however. At an AnCO training centre in Galway already skilled plasterers are being trained in decorative plasterwork.
Requests for this type of training came from plasterers looking for these skills, explains AnCO manager Maurice O'Sullivan about the revival of the craft.
The course instructor Brendan Burke is very happy with the craftsmanship, imagination, and attention to detail he sees in the trainees.
It would equal the quality of any country, the work we're doing.
This new set of skills means that doors may open to restoration work in churches and residences of religious orders. Ornamental centrepieces, arches and corbals could also grace the interiors of office buildings and homes of the west and north-west.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 29 January 1985. The reporter is Jim Fahy.
