Conservation works are ongoing at Castleview Mills, outside Clonakilty, where Joe O’Leary has ambitions to make the historic building a space for the community
A WEST Cork man is painstakingly restoring what’s regarded as one of the best preserved mills of its type in Ireland and plans to make it an accessible space where people can physically explore the past, can connect with each other and build resilience to navigate the future.
Castleview Mills, outside Clonakilty, was built in 1804 and has been in Joe O’Leary’s family for eight generations.
The building has just qualified for €100,000 in funding from the 2024 Community Monuments Fund (CMF) designed to help owners and custodians of archaeological monuments to safeguard them into the future.
Working with Joe is industrial archaeologist Dr Colin Rynn from UCC who has been studying and surveying the building for seven years.
‘Because of his work, quantifying the building’s historical significance and establishing its significance in terms of industrial archaeological heritage, we have now received three rounds of funding, worth €300,000 in total. The funds are being used to ‘hold’ the building so we can get people using it again,’ said Joe.
Inside the mill. (Photo: Andrew Harris)
The mill, which at one point exported vast quantities of grain, ceased commercial operations in the late 1980s. His uncle Pat, who died in 1995, was the last miller and Joe said he’s always been drawn to the building.
He lives right beside it with his wife Claire, a park ranger and three children and as it was slowly deteriorating before his eyes he said he had a choice: conserve it or let it go to ruin.
The engineer chose the former and since 2022, with the CMF funds combined with his drive and passion for the project, huge strides have been made.
The mill has been re-roofed and walls and lofts have been repaired. To many the works may not be hugely evident, which is what Joe wants, as they have all been carried out sensitively and sustainably, with the expertise of local company Silvabuild.
The latest conservation funding, paid retrospectively, will allow for the repair of some windows, and for weather slating on one side of the building.
Knockskeagh NS sixth class pupils recently enjoyed a guided tour of the mills, given by Joe. (Photo: Andrew Harris)
Joe hopes to source the slates in Northern Ireland and in keeping with the heritage of the building will spend much of the summer cutting all 4,500 of them in various shapes.
‘All of the work is centred around a philosophy of reusing as much of the original material as possible and thereby maintaining the story and character of the building itself,’ said Joe whose commitment to the project is immense.
Some of the beams are over 200 years old, and thanks to modern engineering have been able to stay in place.
Some beams also have what’s known as ‘taper burns’ which are marks found in old buildings, possibly made to ward off lightning strikes and evil spirits.
The building gives people a physical chance to explore the past, said Joe, whose dream is to bring young people into the space and to help them learn important life lessons, including living in the moment, and offline.
‘We are already beginning to use the building as an education centre, not only for heritage and conservation purposes but also for themes around sustainability, biodiversity, engineering and mental health. For the latter we are working with Dr Anthony Kiernan senior clinical psychologist to develop messaging and learnings around resilience and the importance of switching off from the online world and becoming more present,’ he said.
Joe O'Leary, who is renovating the mill. (Photo: Andrew Harris)
Castleview Mills is also of historic importance as it was the scene a famous failed eviction attempt in 1886 where Tim Hurley and his wife Catherine resisted an armed eviction attempt with huge support from the surrounding community.
The siege was global news at the time, and captured in The Illustrated London News.
‘He barricaded himself inside, booby trapped the lofts and removed the staircases,’ said Joe. ‘Eventually he was evicted but it gave out an important message of resilience to people at the time, and that’s a message we want to get out there again.’
Joe also hopes to develop an archive in what was the living quarters in the mill.
‘I feel like I have a duty to the mill, to tell its story,’ he said. ‘I’ve a spiritual connection to the place, but it’s a symbol of resilience; where we can celebrate what’s good about the past, and have that connection to history. I don’t want to romanticise the past but I think if we look to the past we can find our way to the future.’
Joe’s grandfather Thomas worked in the mill and developed much of the machinery still there today, including the conversion from a water wheel to turbine in 1918. For a man who left school at 12 years of age, these was a momentous feat requiring engineering skills and mathematics taught these days at third level. He died in 1958, 20 years before Joe was born.
‘I feel like I’ve got to know him through the building,’ he said. Ultimately, though, Joe says that the building tells its own story, that will naturally reveal itself.
‘I’d like people to treat the building as a piece of art – there’s something here for everyone,’ said Joe.
