Domestic Animals of Ireland
A peek at the domesticated animals of Irish history.
Location: Ireland
Irish Cattle as Livestock and Currency
The first domesticated animals of Ireland arrived on its shores around 6,000 years ago, carried in skin-boats by the first Irish farmers.[1] Most important of these was the milk cow, the foundation of the ancient Irish economy. Early Irish society minted no coins. Instead, they traded in cattle, valuing everything from basic goods to legal fines in terms of milk-cows and their calves. Chieftains loaned cattle to client farmers in exchange for a portion of their annual yields.[2] As a result, the fastest way for a young king to cement his wealth and power was to lead cattle raids against his rival neighbors.[3]
Other Irish Livestock
Despite the importance of cattle in Irish society, only the Irish nobility regularly ate beef. Pigs roamed the forests in semi-feral herds and supplied pork, the staple meat of farmers.[4] In addition, farmers raised sheep for their meat, milk, and wool, as well as goats, chickens, and geese. Under the United Kingdom, Ireland became a major exporter of wool to Britain.[5]
Animals for Work and Recreation
Besides livestock, the early Irish kept horses, cats, and dogs. Huge ancestors of Irish Wolfhounds were greeted "with wonder" by Romans in the 4th century, while wealthy ladies and abbesses kept lap-dogs as pets in the Middle Ages.[6] Later, the Anglo-Irish would share the "dog fancy" of Victorian England. They developed a number of popular hunting breeds, including the Irish Red Setter and Wheaten Terrier.[7]
Horses were mostly reserved for the nobility throughout Irish history. During the Iron Age, they pulled chariots into battle and competed in popular races at annual fairs. Later, warriors rode without saddles in loose cavalry. But their light breeds proved to be no match for the armored knights and heavy warhorses of the Anglo-Normans in the 12th century. The Anglo-Irish nobility kept horses for hunting and racing. The most famous native horse of Ireland is now the Connemara pony, a breed reportedly descended from imported Spanish warhorses.[8][9]
Livestock in Modern Ireland
Modern Irish agriculture still focuses on meat and dairy. Nearly 20,000 dairy farms produce 5,400 billion liters of milk per year, with most cattle still raised on grass. Beef makes up one-fifth of Ireland's total food and drink exports; the island's pastures raise 520,000 tonnes of beef annually.[10]
Bibliography
Helen Sheridan, "The Importance of Grasses" in Cattle in Ancient and Modern Ireland: Farming Practices, Environment and Economy, ed. Michael O'Connell, Fergus Kelly, and James H. McAdam (Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars, 2016) 127-134.
Fergus Kelly, "Cattle in Ancient Ireland: Early Irish Legal Aspects" in Cattle in Ancient and Modern Ireland: Farming Practices, Environment and Economy, ed. Michael O'Connell, Fergus Kelly, and James H. McAdam (Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars, 2016) 44-50.
Joseph Dunn, The Ancient Irish Epic Tale Táin bó Cúalnge (Gloucester: Dodo Press, 2007).
Seán Duffy, Ailbhe MacShamhráin, and James Moynes, eds., Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia (New York: Routledge, 2005) 12-15.
James S. Donnelly, The Great Irish Potato Famine (Stroud: The History Press, 2013) 42-62.
Patrick W. Joyce, A Smaller Social History of Ancient Ireland (London, NY, and Bombay: Longmans, Green, & Co., 1906) 454-512.
"Native Breeds of Ireland," The Irish Kennel Club, Irish Kennel Club, accessed March 06, 2017.
Joseph C. Walker, An Historical Essay on the Dress of the Ancient and Modern Irish (Dublin: Printed for the author by George Grierson, 1788) 133.
Frank Townend Barton, Ponies and All About Them (New York: Dutton, 1917) 231-233.
"Key Sectors," Enterprise Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, accessed March 07, 2017.
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