Donegal Blackface breeders get new lease of life

A few breeders knocked some ideas around to see what could be done to improve the situation.

They established the Tir Conaill Scotch Blackface Sheepbreeders’ Association and a meeting was held in Letterkenny in December 2011 with founding members, Mary Doherty, Vincent Brennan, Brian Curran, Charlie Gallagher and Billy Grant.

The aim of the meeting was to see whether the interest voiced by the farmers could be translated into positive action.

The meeting was well attended, reflecting a need for change, and ended with 47 members joining the association from all across Donegal. The biggest of these members have over 500 breeding ewes and, in total, association members would have around 7,000 breeding ewes.

A primary aim of the association is to promote Blackface sheep, with good skin, good colours and wool, making them more suited to the harsh environment of the hill and mountain.

These particular characteristics in sheep make for easier maintenance over the winter months and produce higher lambing percentages.

The association agreed that two sales should be organised during the course of the year – a show and sale of rams and females in October and a hogget and in-lamb ewe sale in February.

The association will make any breeder of Blackface sheep who is interested in working collectively towards the goals very welcome to the organisation.

The next Tir Chonaill Blackface sale is in Raphoe mart on 3 October with the show at 10am and the sale at 1pm.

Entries include 150 ewe lambs, 160 hogget ewes and 190 aged ewes. In the ram sale there are 76 ram lambs, 58 shearling rams and 16 aged rams.