A west Cavan stonemason has been shortlisted for a top prize of €20,000 in the Screwfix Tradesperson competition. Brian McLoughlin, owner of Quality Stoneworks in Cavan town, has made the cut to the final 30 and the semi-final stage of the prestigious competition.
Speaking to Northern Sound, Brian highlighted how he started out as a carpenter but when the recession bit, he found himself veering towards stone work. He pointed out that stonemasonry is a skill that's as important now as it was hundreds of years ago.
Brian added that old stone building's in Ireland were hand carved with many dating back to the 1700 and 1800s. "A lot of old buildings are made of stone; I have to do one for my neighbour now soon as a matter of fact. It's an old stone building and there are walls that have collapsed. That will have to be taken down and rebuilt back up. It will become living accommodation for him and I think that if he didn't have a stone mason, the building would have to be knocked and a new house built."
