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You are here: Home / Lessons for Tourists / Irish Sheep And Lambs

Irish Sheep And Lambs

April 23, 2012 by Irish American Mom 8 Comments

A hillside ramble or a drive on the winding roads of Ireland’s west coast will inevitably result in a sheep encounter.  Ireland is home to over 2 million sheep and spotting them on the wild and rugged terrain of the western shore, makes the landscape even more spectacular.

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/sitomon/5485166375/in/photostream/Image Credit

This ram is definitely King of the Irish Hills!

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18091975@N00/5448351843/in/photostream/Image Credit

I think everyone loves sheep, probably because they are some of the most docile and harmless creatures to roam the earth.

The connection between ewes and their lambs just plucks on the heartstrings.  If you have ever heard the plaintive bleating of a mother separated from her little lamb, you know what I mean.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18091975@N00/5448355235/in/photostream/Image Credit

When you see a little lamb, you realize why Mary took her lamb to school.  In rural Ireland children often raise pet lambs that have been separated from their flock or abandoned by their mothers.  As a city child I often wished I lived on my family’s farm in County Cork.  I dreamed of hand feeding a milk bottle to a suckling lamb.

But my family were dairy farmers.  I fed many calves in my youth but no lamb.  Still they hold a special place in my heart.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18091975@N00/5448355235/in/photostream/Image Credit

Frosty mornings are barely noticed by sheep all wrapped up in their woolen coats.  Spinning and wool production are traditional Irish crafts dating back centuries.  To this day Ireland produces beautiful woolen sweaters, blankets, shawls and other handicrafts.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmyharris/2258750851/in/photostream/Image Credit

As children we learned “The Spinningwheel Song” at school.  It tells the story of a young girl spinning wool.  She is torn between the calls of her admirer and her duty to stay home to care for her grandmother.

 

“Merrily, cheerily, noiselessly whirring,

Spins the wheel, rings the wheel, while the foot’s stirring.

Sprightly and lightly and merrily ringing

Sounds the sweet voice of the young maiden singing.”

 

No prizes for guessing her choice.  The song ends with the sounds of the spinning wheel slowly dying.  Although Irish nuns taught us the tune, I doubt they approved of our young maiden’s flight with her lover.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gracesmith/4530834110/in/photostream/Image Credit

I think sheep become part of every Irish tourist’s memories of Ireland.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/leppre/128038099/in/photostream/Image Credit

 If lucky enough, they may even pose for a camera shot!

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/leppre/267256359/in/photostream/Image Credit

“A sheep, is a sheep, is a sheep!”

So the old saying goes!

Not so!

Just take one look at the alien horns on this beauty.

 

Sheep come in many shapes, sizes, widths, and degrees of wooliness and hardiness.  Irish farmers are experts on the perfect breed for the specific conditions in their neck of the woods.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sitomon/5485763060/in/photostream/Image Credit

Hardiness is definitely a criteria for the herds that roam the cliff tops of Ireland’s ocean battered coast.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmenard48/1084166315/in/set-72157594472149717/Image Credit

“Don’t look at me with those sheepish eyes!”

 

But who could resist these eyes.  The term “sheepish eyes” refers to the innate timid and shy nature of sheep.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/moonjazz/1154370504/in/photostream/Image Credit

Lambs are possibly the cuddliest and softest creatures in the world.  Lambs skipping playfully around a field make springtime in Ireland ever so beautiful.  And trust me!  Lambs are plentiful in April’s fields.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30528709@N07/4929393451/in/photostream/Image Credit

And of course Ireland is notorious for traffic jams!  That is traffic jams of the sheepish kind.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21205752@N05/4668764205/in/photostream/Image Credit

When driving on Irish country roads proceed with caution.  You may think you are King of the Road, but you are wrong.  It’s the sheep who own the roads of Ireland.

Wishing you all happy days touring Ireland, and meeting the woolly friends of my homeland.

Slán agus beannacht,

(Goodbye and blessings)

 

Irish American Mom

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Filed Under: Lessons for Tourists, Why Tourists Love Ireland Tagged With: Irish Sheep And Lambs, Lessons For Tourists, Why Tourists Love Ireland

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Comments

  1. Cheryl Barker says

    April 24, 2012 at 10:48 am

    Love the thought of all the little lambs in springtime. You are painting a beautiful picture of Ireland!

    Reply
    • Irish American Mom says

      April 24, 2012 at 8:27 pm

      Springtime lambs are beautiful, Cheryl, but sometimes it is hard to see them through the misty rain!!!!! But it’s that rain that keeps the fields so green.

      Reply
  2. [email protected] says

    April 26, 2012 at 11:43 am

    A little rain never hurt anyone, never know when a traffic jam will be started by a bunch of these fellows on the back roads.
    Cheers.

    Reply
    • Irish American Mom says

      April 27, 2012 at 2:53 pm

      Brian – I have been stuck in a woolly Irish traffic jam on many an occasion, and you are so right about the rain – a little never hurt anyone. All the best!

      Reply
  3. Anna Leigh Peek says

    May 19, 2015 at 8:48 am

    I am visiting Ireland in July and I would be interested in learning more about farming in Ireland, any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Irish American Mom says

      May 19, 2015 at 10:47 am

      Hi Anna – There’s a company called Farm Tours Ireland – they may be able to help you – here’s their link …
      http://www.farmtoursireland.com/

      Also Teagasc is the agriculture and food development authority in Ireland – you may learn some interesting facts from their website …
      http://teagasc.ie/training/

      Hope you have a lovely trip to Ireland this summer.
      All the best,
      Mairéad

      Reply
      • Annan Leigh Peek says

        May 19, 2015 at 11:02 am

        Thanks! I am really excited about getting to visit your homeland. I’ve been reading all your Ireland posts. 🙂

        Reply
        • Irish American Mom says

          May 19, 2015 at 11:19 am

          Thanks so much for checking out my recipes and ramblings. I hope your trip will be everything you’ve every dreamed of, and you’ll truly feel a hundred thousand Irish welcomes. 🙂

          Reply

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