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River margins

A river flowing through a field with sheep and a mountain in the distance.

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Ewe and lamb

Lambs are born in springtime after a gestation period inside the ewe of five months. Newborn lambs weigh about five kilograms and feed from their mothers’ milk for about 14 weeks. A ewe can only feed two lambs at a time and most ewes will produce one or two lambs per year. However, some ewes will produce three or four lambs and, in this case, lambs may have to be adopted by another ewe.

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Sheep roaming on Achill Island

Sheep breeds kept on the hill areas are a hardier type of sheep more suitable to the tough conditions. This picture was taken on Achill island, off the coast of Co Mayo. Sheep wander the roads as they graze commonage land shared by multiple farmers. Each farmer makes their own sheep with a distinctive colour and sheepdogs are essential in order to gather the sheep for management tasks. Sheep farmers in some mountain regions now market their distinctive lamb direct to consumers (www.ringofkerryqualitylamb.ie and www.connemarahilllamb.ie)

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Amenity horticulture

Amenity horticulture covers a range of non food plants grown in Ireland. Our mild temperate climate provides ideal growing conditions for a comparatively large range of garden/landscape plants and flowers. Commercial amenity crops are grown either indoors in permanent structures such as glasshouses, fixed and mobile polythene tunnels or in open field/plant bed situations. While protected food horticultural production i.e. growing in glasshouses/polythene tunnels, is mostly concentrated in the area just north of Dublin and along the East Coast, containerised nursery stock production is centred in Kildare.

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Irish National Stud

The State owned Irish National Stud (www.irishnationalstud.ie) based at Tully in Co Kildare is a major tourist attraction, with some of the most magnificent horses and sumptuous gardens to be found anywhere in the world. It is a working stud, with elite stallions available to breeders at commercial rates. The farm, purchased by Colonel William Hall Walker at the turn of the 20th century, helps Ireland retain its global leadership position in thoroughbred horse breeding. Each year, over 115,000 visit the farm and its exhibits. In May 2011, Queen Elizabeth II, a noted horse breeder, visited the farm during her historic State visit.

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