Mary and John Maher, Ballinakill, Roscrea, Co Tipperary
The Mahers purchased their first pedigree Beltex in 1996 and set up the Ballinakill flock. In the formation years of the Beltex society, Mary always attended committee meetings with her husband Dudley, who was chair at that time. Mary made many valuable contributions to the discussions regarding Beltex sheep. John Maher was a young teenager when the Maher family bought their first Beltex and had a great interest in the breed from that point. They have taken sheep to all the main shows since and have had many prizewinners.
Robin Darker, Old Paddocks,
Blessington, Co Wicklow
Having kept sheep all his life, Robin purchased his first Charollais in the early 1990s; two ewes and a ram. He liked what he saw and from there he built up a pedigree flock of Charollais ewes. After joining the society, he was soon elected on to the committee and eventually to the position of chair. He stood as secretary and treasurer also. Robin is currently president of the National Sheep Breeders Association of Ireland. He also has a great interest in rare breeds and has Kerry Hill, Jacobs and the rarest of sheep breeds, the Clun Forest. Throughout the year, Robin exhibited stock at many shows, winning numerous titles. He has also been judge in the centre of the ring all over Ireland.
Vera Roche, Diamondhill,
Roundwood, Co Wicklow
The Roundwood flock was established in 1962 when Vera’s late husband Tom bought two aged ewes. They produced four lambs; three ewe lambs and one ram lamb. Their interest in the breed and the Suffolk society grew and, from that, the couple took to going to shows, proving to be quite successful. In 1972, at the Spring Show in the RDS, the Roundwood flock won two cups for the champion Suffolk ram and the reserve champion ram lamb. Vera has travelled all over Ireland, attending shows with winners in Balmoral, Cork, Kilkenny, Enniscorthy, Athlone, Mayo, Cavan, Oldcastle, Tullow, Tinahely and many others. Later she was appointed a judge by the Suffolk society and judged in Roundwood and elsewhere a number times. She has also judged all mixed-bred sheep classes at various shows nationally.
Anne Murphy, Belcarrig, Gorey,
Co Wexford
Anne Murphy and her husband Aidan are farming at Belcarrig, Gorey, Co Wexford, which is six miles south of Gorey. Anne became interested in breeding pedigree sheep. Firstly, a flock of pedigree Bleu du Maine was established and, in 1999, the first pedigree Texels were purchased. Many successes were achieved at shows, including champion at the RDS in 2003 and reserve champion at Tullamore Show more than once. Foundry Murphy’s Law realised 14,000 guineas at the premier sale in 2006. The Foundry flock sells approximately 60 rams every year, which are mainly bred with desirable commercial attributes such as growth and fleshing ability. A few rams have also been exported to Germany. Anne took an active part in society affairs and served on the Irish Texel Council for many years. She was chair in 2009 and 2010. She has a strong interest in performance recording and served on the board of Sheep Ireland for eight years.
Ann Ford, Kilnacrotty,
Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan
Ann came to Ireland with her husband Neil from Wales in 1994. Neil was working for Farm Relief Services and was sent to the farm of Myles and Susan Stoney to assist in the lambing of their large commercial flock, where he saw Vendéens for the first time, liked what he saw and brought home some pet lambs from their purebred flock. They liked them so much they decided to start breeding them themselves. Susan arranged for the lambs to be registered and transferred over to them. They purchased their first ram Highcastle Campanula from Eamon Meade. Two years later they returned again, this time to purchase Highcastle Envy. He was a French AI sire with great length and the foundation of their current flock. Ann was first elected to council in November 2005. Ann served as PRO from 2008 to 2012, then as secretary from 2013 to 2017, as well as registrar from the summer of 2016. Ann retired from council in November 2017 but continues as registrar.
Zwartbles Eire National Co-op Society
Denny Lyons, Hilltop flock,
Cooloo, Moylough, Co Galway
Denny has been involved in sheep all his life. Denny spent some years running his carpentry business, but always had a flair for sheep. So, in 2005, he did some research and found the Zwartbles were very docile and friendly and a very attractive sheep. He purchased five breeding ewes that were imported from Cambria by Ray Sweeney from Ardee, Co Louth. He started breeding right away and the following year started showing. Denny had great success at the show ring, winning at several shows including the all-Ireland in 2017 with a ram lamb and also the same year won champion of the breed in Bonniconlon Show. With the breed growing in strength, a group of breeders decided to set up a society in Ireland through ICOS and Zwartbles Eire was formed this February.
Zwartbles Sheep Society Southern Ireland Branch
Suzanna Crampton,
Bennettsbridge, Co Kilkenny
Suzanna Crampton is a founding member of the Zwartbles Sheep Association Southern Ireland Branch. Living and working on a small farm in the River Nore Valley in Kilkenny, Suzanna’s first small flock of sheep was conventional commercial stock. When the Ploughing came to Kilkenny in 2008, she inspected pedigree sheep breeds to see what might economically suit her smallholding best. It was then that she met Ray Sweeney displaying his Zwartbles sheep. For Suzanna, it was love at first sight with the Zwartbles breed. She remains one of the few pedigree Zwartbles breeders who continuously imports new bloodlines on a regular basis. Suzanna shears her sheep annually and has their wool spun locally into yarn and then woven to make blankets. The Zwartbles wool blankets are sold and shipped internationally. Within weeks of their launch, the Crafts Council of Ireland selected them for the 2013 London Design Festival. A few months later, President Michael D Higgins chose them as diplomatic gifts for his trip to South and Central America. She has appeared on local, national and international radio programmes as far away as New Zealand and Australia. She has been interviewed for several television programmes and documentaries about farming. She also appeared in the film ‘Small Green Fields’ that celebrates Irish food and farming in which she presented her guests with lamb stew, sheep’s milk ice cream, sheep cheese and sheep’s milk.
Mary and John Maher, Ballinakill, Roscrea, Co Tipperary
The Mahers purchased their first pedigree Beltex in 1996 and set up the Ballinakill flock. In the formation years of the Beltex society, Mary always attended committee meetings with her husband Dudley, who was chair at that time. Mary made many valuable contributions to the discussions regarding Beltex sheep. John Maher was a young teenager when the Maher family bought their first Beltex and had a great interest in the breed from that point. They have taken sheep to all the main shows since and have had many prizewinners.
Robin Darker, Old Paddocks,
Blessington, Co Wicklow
Having kept sheep all his life, Robin purchased his first Charollais in the early 1990s; two ewes and a ram. He liked what he saw and from there he built up a pedigree flock of Charollais ewes. After joining the society, he was soon elected on to the committee and eventually to the position of chair. He stood as secretary and treasurer also. Robin is currently president of the National Sheep Breeders Association of Ireland. He also has a great interest in rare breeds and has Kerry Hill, Jacobs and the rarest of sheep breeds, the Clun Forest. Throughout the year, Robin exhibited stock at many shows, winning numerous titles. He has also been judge in the centre of the ring all over Ireland.
Vera Roche, Diamondhill,
Roundwood, Co Wicklow
The Roundwood flock was established in 1962 when Vera’s late husband Tom bought two aged ewes. They produced four lambs; three ewe lambs and one ram lamb. Their interest in the breed and the Suffolk society grew and, from that, the couple took to going to shows, proving to be quite successful. In 1972, at the Spring Show in the RDS, the Roundwood flock won two cups for the champion Suffolk ram and the reserve champion ram lamb. Vera has travelled all over Ireland, attending shows with winners in Balmoral, Cork, Kilkenny, Enniscorthy, Athlone, Mayo, Cavan, Oldcastle, Tullow, Tinahely and many others. Later she was appointed a judge by the Suffolk society and judged in Roundwood and elsewhere a number times. She has also judged all mixed-bred sheep classes at various shows nationally.
Anne Murphy, Belcarrig, Gorey,
Co Wexford
Anne Murphy and her husband Aidan are farming at Belcarrig, Gorey, Co Wexford, which is six miles south of Gorey. Anne became interested in breeding pedigree sheep. Firstly, a flock of pedigree Bleu du Maine was established and, in 1999, the first pedigree Texels were purchased. Many successes were achieved at shows, including champion at the RDS in 2003 and reserve champion at Tullamore Show more than once. Foundry Murphy’s Law realised 14,000 guineas at the premier sale in 2006. The Foundry flock sells approximately 60 rams every year, which are mainly bred with desirable commercial attributes such as growth and fleshing ability. A few rams have also been exported to Germany. Anne took an active part in society affairs and served on the Irish Texel Council for many years. She was chair in 2009 and 2010. She has a strong interest in performance recording and served on the board of Sheep Ireland for eight years.
Ann Ford, Kilnacrotty,
Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan
Ann came to Ireland with her husband Neil from Wales in 1994. Neil was working for Farm Relief Services and was sent to the farm of Myles and Susan Stoney to assist in the lambing of their large commercial flock, where he saw Vendéens for the first time, liked what he saw and brought home some pet lambs from their purebred flock. They liked them so much they decided to start breeding them themselves. Susan arranged for the lambs to be registered and transferred over to them. They purchased their first ram Highcastle Campanula from Eamon Meade. Two years later they returned again, this time to purchase Highcastle Envy. He was a French AI sire with great length and the foundation of their current flock. Ann was first elected to council in November 2005. Ann served as PRO from 2008 to 2012, then as secretary from 2013 to 2017, as well as registrar from the summer of 2016. Ann retired from council in November 2017 but continues as registrar.
Zwartbles Eire National Co-op Society
Denny Lyons, Hilltop flock,
Cooloo, Moylough, Co Galway
Denny has been involved in sheep all his life. Denny spent some years running his carpentry business, but always had a flair for sheep. So, in 2005, he did some research and found the Zwartbles were very docile and friendly and a very attractive sheep. He purchased five breeding ewes that were imported from Cambria by Ray Sweeney from Ardee, Co Louth. He started breeding right away and the following year started showing. Denny had great success at the show ring, winning at several shows including the all-Ireland in 2017 with a ram lamb and also the same year won champion of the breed in Bonniconlon Show. With the breed growing in strength, a group of breeders decided to set up a society in Ireland through ICOS and Zwartbles Eire was formed this February.
Zwartbles Sheep Society Southern Ireland Branch
Suzanna Crampton,
Bennettsbridge, Co Kilkenny
Suzanna Crampton is a founding member of the Zwartbles Sheep Association Southern Ireland Branch. Living and working on a small farm in the River Nore Valley in Kilkenny, Suzanna’s first small flock of sheep was conventional commercial stock. When the Ploughing came to Kilkenny in 2008, she inspected pedigree sheep breeds to see what might economically suit her smallholding best. It was then that she met Ray Sweeney displaying his Zwartbles sheep. For Suzanna, it was love at first sight with the Zwartbles breed. She remains one of the few pedigree Zwartbles breeders who continuously imports new bloodlines on a regular basis. Suzanna shears her sheep annually and has their wool spun locally into yarn and then woven to make blankets. The Zwartbles wool blankets are sold and shipped internationally. Within weeks of their launch, the Crafts Council of Ireland selected them for the 2013 London Design Festival. A few months later, President Michael D Higgins chose them as diplomatic gifts for his trip to South and Central America. She has appeared on local, national and international radio programmes as far away as New Zealand and Australia. She has been interviewed for several television programmes and documentaries about farming. She also appeared in the film ‘Small Green Fields’ that celebrates Irish food and farming in which she presented her guests with lamb stew, sheep’s milk ice cream, sheep cheese and sheep’s milk.
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