While cleaning out the fire place I found a load of sand in the back of the chimney. It's a small opening but so far I've taken or nearly half a bucket of it. Initially the sand was fine but now it's coarse and lumpy. Can anyone identify what the problem may be and a trustworthy chimney specialist in Limerick to look at it?
What you're removing there is vermiculite, a very important insulating material which should remain behind your fire back. Your fire back is damaged and will need to be repaired/ replaced. Sorry, can't help with suggesting a local specialist.