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1. 1
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology
CLUAIN MHUIRE
CONDTIONREPORT
Student Name: Jonathan Flanagan
Student Number: G00262330

2. 2
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology
CONTENTS
Condition of Building 3
Conservation Value of the existing building 4
Schedule of Items to be conserved 4
Conservation Principles and issues 5
Recommendations for Conservation Works and Maintenance 5
Condition Report 6
References 13
Cluain Mhuire

3. 3
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology
CLUAIN MHUIRE
CONDITIONREPORT
Condition of Building:
The Cluain Mhuire Chapel seems to be in a fair condition
as it has been maiantained to a certain degree of care and
is occupied and used day in day out.
To my knowledge there have been only two alterations
made to the chapels exterior which Inculde a smal bit of
flashing and replacing of slates on the roof and an extra
layer of glass added to protect the stain glass windows.
The building is made prodiminetly of hand cut limestone
which is in excellent condition, the walls, windows door
ways, roof and sundry are all in very good condition also
with only a few repairs and alterations which need to be
made throughout the exterior.
The building is constructed of a limestone wall with a
coarse pebble dash render which is visibly in very good
condition, although some vents in the wall have become
corroded and the concrete drains at the buildings perimeter
where they meet the wall have deteriorated. Ivy has started
to grow on the exterior of the building which will need to be
removed as it could cause damage to the structure over
time.
Handcut Squared Limestone is used to embellish the
surrounds of doors, windows and their sills which all seem
to be in a fair condition, the tooling marks are not easily
visible meaning the stone work is starting to break down
over weather conditions.
The roof is slated and seems to be in a rough condition as
there are a few slates that need replacing and the lead
flashing around the flat roofs have become corroded over
time. Also the roof seems to be warped in parts which may
indicate that the roofs interior build up has decayed and
may need refurbishment.
Some of the external stain glass windows and rose windows
have been subjected to vandalism and decay over the years
with their glass panels being broken or missing, as well as
their frames.
The interior ground floor of the chapel has a parquet floor
which is still in very good condition and the first floor gallerys
wooden floor only has superficial damage and seems to be in
good condition.
Many of the the interior walls have seen superficial damage
from general wear and tear, small holes not being filled and
damp peeling the render from the walls.
The window surroundings have seen alot of damage due to
moisture penetration fro mthe unsealed stain glass windows
and have caused the walls to be covered in mould and damp.
Some of the internal concrete sills have seen superficial dam-
aged, the concrete is chipped and the paint is peeling off.
Heating pipes and electrical wires throughout are brought
through walls with out any finish being applied to mask their
inserts well. The concrete wall is cracked and a large hole
continues right through both sides which ultimately causes air
and noise leakage from rooms.
Interior rendered ceilings have seen damp and damage from
mould.

4. 4
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology
CLUAIN MHUIRE
CONDITIONREPORT
Conservation value of the existing building:
The chapel building as a whole is important for a number of
reasons:
 It celebrates the Irish architectural profession in Ire-
land
 It is of historical significance as a catholic building built
post Irish Independence
 It is important from an Irish construction point of view
given the detailed craftsmanship carried out on the
buildings features throughout.
 It is important from a religious catholic point of view as
it was once a redemptorist church and therefore would
have a lot of religious history attached to it.
 The chapel and its external and internal features are
of considerable architectural value which are mostly
un-altered since it was built in 1920
Schedule of Items to be conserved:
 The overall building layout remaining from the original
1920s chapel
 Exterior rose and stain glass windows excluding the
sash, rose and stain glass windows on the North West
elevation
 The existing exterior limestone window and door sur-
rounds
 The existing exterior pebble dash render
 The existing chapel parquet floor and gallery space
wood flooring
 The external cut limestone sills
 The gallery spaces wooden railings
 The timber stairs to the gallery space
 The timber panelled interior doors and their frames
 The roof slating and associated flashings and flash-
ings at verges.
 The cast Iron gutters and down pipes
 The interior roof trusses
 The ceilings timber finish
 The heating systems radiators and plumbing
 All interior secondary fittings and fixtures
 Internal Arch ways
 Pitched slate roofs rendered chimneystacks, metal
cross finials and cast-iron rainwater goods
 Pebbledashed rendered walls and their rendered
string courses, platbands, buttresses and smooth
rendered plinth

5. 5
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology
CLUAIN MHUIRE
CONDITIONREPORT
Conservation Principles and Issues:
 The building envelope is not to be altered where there
are no reasons for doing so
 The works to be carried out on this building will comply
with the Technical Guidance documents, local plan-
ning authority and guide lines set out by the RIAI
 Any alterations or interventions made In the form of
extensions or new builds should compliment the scale,
proportion, massing, materials, texture, physical con-
text and colour of the existing building.
 Any new builds or interventiosn should not replicate
the existing structure so as to show a contrast be-
tween the old and the new celebrating the old features
and style of the chapel.
 To enable the chapel to have a long life span for the
foreseeable future a certain amount of intervention will
need to be made to upgrade the building to meet mod-
ern building regulations set out in the technical guid-
ance documents related to protected structures, up-
grades include, fire safety, general access safety, ser-
vices, thermal performance disability access.
 Alterations to the internal structure will be kept to a
minimum so as to celebrate the original function of the
building as being a redemptorist church, so that when
you enter the building you can read the plan and fea-
tures of the building as being a church.
Recommendations for Conservation Works and
Maintenance:
All Interventions and alterations to be carried out in accord-
ance with the technical guidance documents and conserva-
tion guide lines set out by the Department of the Environ-
ment
The works carried out should be In accordance with the lo-
cal planning authorites regulations
The works proposed shall be designed and built with the
guidance of an approved Conservation Specialist
None of the original materials should be removed without
first consulting the local planning authorities and approved
conservation specialist
Ensure new development enhances the character or set-
ting of a protected structure
Refurbishment and upgrades to the walls, roofs, doors win-
dows, gutters and down pipes are essential to prevent fur-
ther decay of the buildings interior surfaces
Energy conservation and thermal comfort are issues that
need to be addressed as the buildings interior will need to
be upgraded to be in accordance with the Technical Guid-
ance Documents

6. 6
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology
CLUAIN MHUIRE EXTERNAL FEATURES
CONDITIONREPORT
North West Elevation
Area of Concern:
Slates missing with also the ridge capping of roof appearing corroded
Solution:
Replace slates and wire brush ridge and paint with anti rusting solution
Area of Concern:
Lead flashing damaged and bent
Solution:
Reform lead flashing to original form
Area of Concern:
Lead flashing around flat roof has become rusted over time. Mouth of downpipe missing at the foot of the
building
Solution:
Re apply flashing where needed otherwise refurbish existing and install a similar mouth piece for the down
pipe
1.01
1.03
1.02

7. 7
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology
CLUAIN MHUIRE EXTERNAL FEATURES
CONDITIONREPORT
South East Elevation
Area of Concern:
Slates on the roof appear to be warped
Solution:
Carry out restoration and refurbishment of roof replacing slates with simi-
lar and any other roof material
Area of Concern:
Ivy growing on walls which can lead to damage over time
Solution:
Remove ivy and put in place building maintenance to mitigate ivy growth
Area of Concern:
Stained glass panels broken and damage to frame
Solution:
Employ Stain glass restoration specialist to carry out work on frame and
panels
1.04
1.06
1.05

8. 8
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology
CLUAIN MHUIRE EXTERNAL FEATURES
CONDITIONREPORT
North East Eleva-
Area of Concern:
Concrete drain and tar has chipped away and become damaged
Solution:
 Resurface concrete drain and tarmac
Area of Concern:
Vent has been damaged and become rusted over time.
Solution:
 Restore vent or put in place a similar vent
1.07
1.08

9. 9
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology
CLUAIN MHUIRE INTERNAL FEATURES
CONDITIONREPORT
Area of Concern:
Internal concrete sills have been chipped with paint peeling off
Solution:
Mould and fill cracks with appropriate cement mixture, repaint
Area of Concern:
Holes in the wall from a previous display board
Solution:
Fill holes with lime mortar and paint wall
Area of Concern:
Heating pipe wall penetrations not sealed properly causing air and noise leakages
Solution:
Wall needs to be sealed and rendered with lime mortar
1.09
1.10
1.11

10. 10
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology
CLUAIN MHUIRE EXTERNAL FEATURES
CONDITIONREPORT
South West Elevation
Area of Concern:
Fixing of window at base has become loose over time.
Solutions:
Employ stain glass restoration specialist to carry out work on sill
Area of Concern:
Stained glass panels broken and missing with parts of the frame also missing
Solution:
Employ stain glass restoration specialist to carry out work on frame and panels
Area of Concern:
Stained glass panels broken and missing, also frame is damaged
Solutions:
Employ stain glass restoration specialist to carry out work on frame and
panels
1.14
1.13
1.12

11. 11
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology
CLUAIN MHUIRE INTERNAL FEATURES
CONDITIONREPORT
Area of Concern:
Wall and ceiling is damp and moulding causing paint to peel off
Solution:
Identify possible leak from roof and upgrade thermal performance of
buildings walls
Area of Concern:
Pipes and wires not properly sealed, no fire resistance
Solution:
Fill void with fire resistant sealant
Area of Concern:
Wires not finished into wall properly also the concrete and plaster has chipped off due to poor quality
of work
Solution:
Fill wall with a lime plaster finish
1.16
1.17
1.15

12. 12
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology
CLUAIN MHUIRE INTERNAL FEATURES
CONDITIONREPORT
Area of Concern:
Holes in the wall and wires not finished properly into wall.
Solution:
Fill holes and work wires brought through at a better area in the wall
Area of Concern:
The stage floor has been damaged with a hole in it
Solution:
Remove timber floor as there is no need for it and it is only a temporary
solution
Area of Concern:
Window sill and the wall are suffering from damp and moudl growth due to mois-
ture penetration
Solution:
Upgrade thermal performance of wall and employ stain glass restoration
specialist to carry out work on frame and panels
1.18
1.20
1.21
1.19

13. 13
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology
CLUAIN MHUIRE REFERENCES
CONDITIONREPORT
Photographs:
1.1—1.21
Killian Devereux
Arman Barazenda
Reference:
www.niah.ie
www.seai.ie
www.galwaycity.ie
www.riai.ie