The Angus cow, known as Jenny, lived a healthy life on the farm of Finbarr, Sean and Margaret Deasy, Clonakilty, Co Cork.

Finbarr told the Irish Farmers Journal that she died last Thursday morning: "I came out to check the cattle around half eight and saw she was thrown out in the shed with her head out flat and she wouldn't get up. She made an effort to get up but she had a heart attack and passed on.

"We had a good few people to call to see her in recent months since she appeared last year in the Irish Farmers Journal. My parents were very disappointed, it was a shock to the system alright."

Impulse buy

The cow was purchased as a calf by Finbarr's father Sean at the end of February 1984, the year he got married, in the old mart in Skibbereen. He recalled it was a bit of an impulse buy as he'd had no trailer with him on the day and ended up bringing the calf home in the back of his hatch-back car.

The cow had her last calf in February 2013 and was known to disappear to the furthest point of the paddock at the sight and sound of a cattle lorry entering the yard.

Ireland and old cows

Ireland is renowned for its ability to produce long-lasting cows. The oldest cow in the world, Big Bertha, below, was born in Kerry on 17 March 1945. She went on to live for 48 years, which is remarkably old in cow years. She accrued two Guinness World Records: one for being the oldest cow recorded, (she died three months short of her 49th birthday), and for a breeding record (she produced 39 calves). After Big Bertha’s death she was stuffed by a taxidermist and located at a farm in Beaufort, Co Kerry.

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At 32 years of age, is this the oldest cow in Ireland?