Skerries Mills

Written By: Gail Clifford | Published By: Weekend Notes |  March 7, 2019

https://www.weekendnotes.com/skerries-mills/

Skerries Mills, a living museum located in Skerries, Dublin County, just a 30-minute train or car ride from Dublin city centre, recreates life in 15th century Ireland whilst meeting modern day needs. See how they’ve harnessed wind and water power for centuries to process grains to flour, becoming the centre of town life.

What makes this property well and truly unique? It’s the only property in Ireland with three National Monuments – the four-sail windmill, the five-sail windmill, and the water wheel / watermill. The bakery, which in my humble opinion also deserves National Treasure status under the watchful eye of Chef Ivo, houses both sweets and savouries to match any appetite.

In addition to the mills, grain-planted fields, an associated mill pond (complete with mallard and swan), mill races and wetland make this an ideal property for a good walkabout.

The manager, Ray Hunt, explains the social enterprise that makes this property ideal for running training programs for Irish youth, especially in catering, whilst providing space for artists and writers to gather and share ideas. The artists’ wares can be found for sale in the gift shop and hanging on the Café walls.

What makes this property well and truly unique? It’s the only property in Ireland with three National Monuments – the four-sail windmill, the five-sail windmill, and the water wheel / watermill. The bakery, which in my humble opinion also deserves National Treasure status under the watchful eye of Chef Ivo, houses both sweets and savouries to match any appetite.

In addition to the mills, grain-planted fields, an associated mill pond (complete with mallard and swan), mill races and wetland make this an ideal property for a good walkabout.

The manager, Ray Hunt, explains the social enterprise that makes this property ideal for running training programs for Irish youth, especially in catering, whilst providing space for artists and writers to gather and share ideas. The artists’ wares can be found for sale in the gift shop and hanging on the Café walls.

The Tour:
Skerries Mills has had the same two resident tour guides for more than 20 years. Both are descendants of early workers. Gavin is descended on both sides – his 3rd grandfather (great great-) worked at the malting house and married one of miller Murphy’s daughters. Paddy’s ancestors kept the fires running, especially dangerous with thatched roofs that caught fire all too easily.

Whilst estimated to last 50 minutes, additional questions can lengthen the tour. Several of the rooms are too small for large groups, easily split between these two storytellers. They can have two tours an hour, one leaving the guest centre every 30 minutes.

Harvest festivals, celebrated with the assistance of the Fingal Vintage Society, with everyone kitted out in their best braces and flat hats, include sections of farmland with the sequence of harvesting equipment. It’s an ideal time to visit.

One field is worked by a man with a scythe. Slow and tedious, but gets the job done. The second field, a reaper-binder machine, one of the original mechanical ways to replace the scythe. A third field contains a combine harvester pulled by a tractor. The fourth field has a self-propelled combine-harvester from the 1960s. They tried bringing in a more modern machine but it didn’t go over well with the locals. “Too modern,” they said.

The Windmills:
The four-sail windmill, or small windmill, circa 1460, the oldest in Ireland with a thatched roof, requires canvas sails be dropped from the end of each section. It has one stone.

From this location, atop the hill, you’ll have views of three islands, Colt, St. Patrick’s and Shenick, and the Rockabil lighthouse. On clear days, you’ll see the Mourne Mountains. Don’t fear if the weather isn’t too clear, the views remain breathtaking, especially if you luck into a sunbeam.

The five-sail windmill, or GREAT Windmill, circa 1780, with copper roof, has wooden shutter sails that can be opened and closed from below. It has two sets of stones and can have twice the output of the four-sail.

The Watermill:
There’s no river nearby, so the industrious souls created the mill pond and their own river to flow to the building, with the wheel always within the miller’s view from his office. On the tour, they’ve re-created the miller’s office, a town hub. The waterwheel powers the building’s sieves, shakers, and millstone.