Castle and church – and it’s all in Tom’s garden

There’s a new little village growing in the Conamara Gaeltacht but it’s a miniature one that is attracting a lot of attention.

Tom Wallace from An Pointe in An Cheathrú Rua first built a miniature thatched cottage in his front garden a few years ago but he has now added a stone castle and church to the collection and may well go on to expand it.

It is a pastime for bachelor Tom, who is good with his hands – be it making stone walls, thatching or roofing.

This summer his front garden was one of the most visited tourist attractions in the area — it was certainly the most photographed.

Tom said he starts out with no set design and lets it all happen organically. He built the cottage over the winter months of 2012.

“I just had a picture in my head as to how it would look.  I thought when I finished it that I’d leave it at that because it had taken a lot of work, but then I was looking out at it, and I thought it looked a little bit lonely, so I started on the church then last year.  I really enjoyed building it,” Tom said in an interview with Eibhlín Ní Chonghaile on RTE’s Raidio na Gaeltachta’s Iris Aniar.

Though he has never taken a drink in his life, he said he might add a pub to the collection next.

He said that hundreds of curious visitors have stopped to look at the miniature buildings, but that they don’t like to venture on to private property for a closer look.  Despite this, Tom said that all are welcome to come and see the buildings and to take pictures.

The church and castle are a lot more ambitious than the cottage. They are built on a plinth and reach three feet in height, with the tower reaching five foot.

And they are not just facades. They are built with interior walls — all they need is some doll house furniture!

Who knows, Tom Wallace’s pastime could end up being a whole little village!