Bricks come in a variety of colours and sizes and enliven the facades of our Georgian and Victorian building stock. Despite brick making extending back thousands of years and being introduced to Europe by the Romans, it wasn’t until the 16^th century that the first bricks were used in Ireland. Evidence of these early brick has been found in Ormond Castle in Co. Tipperary and Bunratty Castle in Co. Clare.

These first bricks were made by clay, often extracted close to the building under construction. Evidence of brick holes can for example be seen at Malahide Castle and the hole was later converted into an ornamental lake. The clay was then cast (thrown hard) into a timber mould which was then removed and the brick allowed to dry for several weeks. To harden the brick, they were then fired in a clamp for a few days to a few weeks. A clamp comprised of stacks of bricks coated in mud with a fire at the base so that the entire stack was fired. The quality of bricks from the clamp was variable depending on their proximity to the heat source. Over-fired brick were blue while under-fired bricks were often very soft or distorted. Typically the best brick were used for facades will misshapen bricks were used in less visible places like partition walls. The varied colour and texture of handmade brick lends an appealing quality to the facades of early Georgian buildings.

As the eighteenth and ninetieth centuries progressed the brick-making process improved and machine made brick were commonly used. Bricks were often imported from England or from brickfields throughout the country that were transported to Dublin along the canal. The name of the brickfield is often imprinted on the frog (indent) of the brick. Red remained the most fashionable colour of brick facades with buff bricks sometimes pigmented to resemble red bricks. The Victorian were particularly inventive with the use of brick creating attractive polychromatic designs.

Despite our history of widespread brickmaking, there are now only four brickmaking plants in Ireland and hand-moulding techniques are no longer employed. Salvaged historic bricks are the most appropriate option for the conservation of historic buildings.  

(Information from DOEHLG Advice Series – Bricks, A Guide to the Repair of Historic Brickwork. Please see for further information)