DALYSTOWN DEMESNE ICEHOUSE

Dalystown Demesne Icehouse, near Loughrea in County Galway, was built around 1800 as part of the Dalystown Estate, a large country house owned by the Burke family. Icehouses were structures that stored ice for cooling and chilling food before the invention of refrigerators. They were usually located near a water source, such as a lake or a stream, where ice could be harvested in winter and packed with straw or sawdust to insulate it from melting.

The Dalystown Demesne Icehouse is a circular structure with a corbelled rubble limestone roof and walls, partially covered by grass. It has a pointed arch entrance with a redbrick skin on the interior. Unfortunately, there is not much left of the icehouse, as it has been neglected and overgrown for decades. However, it is still a fascinating example of the industrial heritage and innovation of the past, and a reminder of how people lived and ate in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The icehouse is located on private land, so you will need permission from the owner to access it.