John Dunne: Stone Mason

John Dunne building a 400 metre stone wall at Cloona Health Centre, Westport. 22.05.2015

[@wr3ncher]

There's really something beautiful about a stacked rock wall that's built well.

[@anniedavis4569]

Beautiful job building the lovely stone wall

[@vladimirvladimirovich8081]

Замечательные результаты работы. Нужно сохранить для потомков ваши знания ! Из Сибири с уважением, Владимир !

[@jamescameron7633]

Thats amazing so much work im a Stone Mason to

[@racerx3669]

Cheers from Minneapolis. That’s a very nice bit of work for a crew, nevertheless one man. Respect.

[@unclejack41]

Oh my gooood thats awesome 👌

[@neiljones7424]

First class tradesman 👌👍👍

[@patsyosullivan1923]

A great bit of work well done

[@johnkelly7074]

Hi Oliver, I’m looking for a good stone mason around Westport for dry stone walls, how would I get in touch with John? Many thanks John

[@williammurphy1126]

So nice

[@shawncheney1496]

I have stone walls around my house in Ohio that I have built w my Dad and myself too. I have never done a proper stone fence though. How strong they? Can you push them over, or how strong are they?

[@ruanddu]

Sorry if I missed it but is this dry stacked or cemented together?

[@paulmckenzie4291]

It's dry stacked, each stone placed and supported in the face so that the stone above will lock it in (down) gravity and friction is the mortar in these walls. There's no way around it, patience and experience build a strong wall. If it rocks or wobbles pack it out or take it out every stone has its place. When you get your eye in you'll only pick a stone up once and make it fit. The fancy stuff you see, and all admire, is achieved at a snail's pace and so it's the thing of the wealthy or the passionate... or it's cut and laid like tiles for effect. The type of stone and how it was formed will dictate how you work and lay it. The art is in maintaining a face at the same time as respecting. Longer reply than I embarked on but get someone on their subject... Haha

[@ruanddu]

@@paulmckenzie4291 thanks for sharing! Very helpful.

[@paulmckenzie4291]

You're welcome. I came to stone by wondering how is was done. There is as much art in mortared stone as their is in dry laid, when it's done right and the mortar is used to bed the stones and not used as glue. I hope I came across as informative and not preachy. Simply put, every stone in a dry laid wall, with the help of chinkers or shims/wedge stones should be able to be stood on without movement, but more importantly each stone laid should be done so with a mind to the stone that will be placed on top of it. If you can get your head around that concept you will save shitloads of time picking up stones and putting them back down again. Easy said but only time and the willingness to make mistakes will teach you. Stacking stone is as old as time itself and there was no you tube or courses back then. Gravity and friction. Cheers.

[@toonybrain]

Artist

[@erich.marks0]

ce gars monte son mur sans cordeau! C'est une belle maitrise.

[@jimsmith6112]

Craftsman!

[@johnsmith-qe2fd]

Wtf are they speaking? They slur and talk fast and then I can only understand when they talk slow?

[@jamesdevlin6373]

john smith they have a local accent, like lots of people around the world, and they probably come from an Irish speaking area of Co Kerry, English mightn't be their first language. I'm sure there are lots of accents in Southern States that would be difficult to understand for us.

[@bonanzatime]

Lol, it's called the 'Benny Hill' accent.

[@johndunne7824]

Dry build

[@neilkennykenny4113]

They are a little hard to understand at times i think its a Kerry accent they talk very fast. Lovely job it takes a long time to do this work but it lasts hundreds of years.

[@seankeane9078]

Mayo Accent.

[@bonanzatime]

Benny Hill Accent.

[@leedsutd3413]

Mayo all the way

[@bennybolger9845]

@@bonanzatime twice you have said it and it's still not funny

[@jashton8710]

Hardly understood a word, but the work spoke for itself.

[@bosatsu76]

People go "hey, look at all my tools"... This guy... "No... Just a hammer"... Awesome...

[@toonybrain]

And he doesn't need help for it...LOL Incredible.

[@bigmember5908]

this is an amazing amount of work represented

[@robviolin1]

Bravo 👏 from Texas USA 🇺🇸

[@Hotrod8677]

One of the last true tradesman/craftsman. I wish I could learn true stone masonry.

[@owhyte1]

There's a weekend of teaching dry stone wall building in Mulranney around Easter every year.

[@yonagoodwin4707]

A good place to begin is by tailing along with Someone Local willing to let You work as a Laborer for OTJ.

[@johnstanton8499]

Beautiful and immaculate Very skilfull

[@RJ-xv1nh]

Someone was very close to having his camera built into a wall....

[@youcanthandlethetruth6976]

I know they're speaking English, but for some reason my brain is telling me they are speaking Alien.

[@anthonysinclair5721]

Perfec ; )

[@marklewis4793]

"hope Mr Dunne gettin WELL paid,..he'll need to pay his chiropractor in a while.

[@bonanzatime]

Obviously a repair job. The original work looks Perfect, but those masons are probably all dead now. ... Did anybody get the license of the Panzer Tank that went through the wall? Send the bill to Germany!