364 SHEEP BREEDING IN IRELAND. 



SHEEP-BREEDING IN IRELAND. 



The great September and October fairs of Ballinasloe, the September 

 fair of Banagher, the October fair of Tuam, and the autumn sales in Dublin 

 Market, may be considered the chief centres of the sheep trade of Ireland. 

 Al these marts the western breeders display their store sheep, and find 

 purchasers in the graziers of eastern, midland, and southern counties. The 

 system under which the trade is carried on is an interesting division of 

 labour. The western graziers, who own the lighter lands, breed the sheep, 

 and rear them to two and three-year old, and then sell them to the eastern, 

 midland, or southern graziers, either as ewes for breeding purposes, or as 

 wethers to be fattened off. The grass lands of the East, Middle, and South 

 of Ireland are capable of fattening sheep of any age or class — whether 

 lambs or hoggets — ewes or wethers. 



Strictly speaking, the big autumn dispersals above referred to are not 

 confined to two and three-year old sheep. They include also lambs and 

 shearlings. The bulk of the sheep sold, however, are two and three-year 

 olds — ewes and wethers, the former — ewes for breeding purposes — largely 

 predominating. Of the districts immediately around Ballinasloe, the coun- 

 ties Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon, furnish much the largest proportion of 

 these store sheep. Smaller drafts come from the County Clare, King's 

 County, and the portion of Westmeath adjoining Connaught ; but it is from 

 the flocks kept in the former counties that the majority of the sheep sold in 

 Ballinasloe, Tuam, Banagher, and the Dublin autumn sales are derived. 

 Hence it follows that the district around Ballinasloe, inasmuch as it supplies 

 all the other grazing districts of Ireland with breeding and store sheep, 

 may be said to be the headquarters of the native breed of Irish sheep. 



Of these western counties, Roscommon takes the lead in the matter of 

 sheep-breeding. The sheep bred in this county have always been regarded 

 as a distinct type and of superior quality, and they have been so much 

 sought after for the purpose of infusing new blood into the native sheep of 

 the surrounding counties, that the name " Roscommon " is now applied to 

 all the native Irish sheep sold in Ballinasloe and the other centres of the 

 annual autumn dispersals. They are the only native breed which Ireland 

 can claim, and though Roscommon is the birthplace of these sheep, they are 

 now practically distributed all over Ireland. Fundamentally, the type is 

 the same in all these sheep, but they vary as regards size and quality, 

 according to the nature of the pasture and soil on which they are fed, and 

 it must be said that a great deal of mixing and crossing of the breed has in 

 recent years taken place in the South and East of Ireland. UnHke other 

 parts of the country, Roscommon has confined, and still does mainly con- 



