Stonemason Oral History Project

This collection consists of 14 interviews with 12 people (11 male stonemasons and one female family member). It was carried out between November 2015 and April 2017 and documents the experiences of stonemasons based in Cork throughout the twentieth century.  The interviews were carried out by CFP Researcher Michael Moore, himself a qualified stonemason. The collection explores the occupational and social context of stonemasonry; work practices, the social context, occupational lore, the secret language Bearlager na Saor and family ties.  

Most of the interviews are focused on the mid to late twentieth century with some stories and histories dating back to the eighteenth century

This project’s second interviewee, Jim Fahy of the Cork Mason’s Historical Society, was inspired to include an oral history element to his ongoing research and documentation of stonemasonry, and this material is being accessioned to the CFP. 

Michael Moore characterized the project as an attempt to capture a snapshot of the lives and voices of stonemasons and ‘to record their insular world for posterity’, pointing out that ‘There is a need to document the living tradition of stonemasonry by recording people who work or have worked in masonry, particularly those born into it as part of familial ties.’ (Moore, 2016: 8). 

Published material related to the collection: 
Moore, Michael (2016) ‘A Tale of Two Masons’, The Archive Journal, Vol 20: 8-10.