Honan Chapel

Following the production of the Conservation Management Plan by Southgate Associates, we were pleased to be appointed as conservation heritage consultants/conservation engineers for the restoration of University College Cork’s iconic Honan Chapel. This work took place under the project management of Peter Murphy of FMP Architects and the contractor Joe Costello, Stone Mad Masons.

Southgate Associates were tasked with addressing the problem of water ingress through the fabric of the building, involving careful pointing and grouting regimes together with detailing of parapets and gutters at the roof edges. This was followed by careful cleaning of the stonework and roof finishes, plus specifying the conservation techniques to be used on the entrance doors and ironwork.

The internal conservation projects included specifying of lime plaster finishes, breathable paints, repairs to the mosaic floor and the use of traditional wax finishes to pews and woodwork.Windows were restored by Aria Stained Glass, Galway, who also provided ventilated storm glazing, in accordance with the recommendations of the Conservation Management Plan.

The conservation works to the Honan Chapel were awarded gold in the ‘adaptation and re-use’ category of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland (RIAI) 2022.