Yesterday
was a fun day. We were driven from the port along the Wild Atlantic Way coastal
road through a number of small communities in Donegal county until we reached
the Cunningham family farm. The weather was cold, sprinkling rain and very
windy. We were bundled up in several layers for warmth, even though it is the
height of their summer. I can only imagine how rough their winters must be!
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| sailboats docked at the same port as Insignia |
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rock fences designate property lines
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countryside of northern Ireland, Donegal country
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On
the ride out to the farm, our guide talked about the history of the area up
through current day. This part of northern Ireland is beautiful and very green
(at this time of the year) though somewhat remote. I think the people must be pretty
hardy to live there. The terrain is rough and rocky - on the whole not good for
anything except sheep farming. There are too many rocks, cliffs and mountains
for cattle.
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houses dot countryside
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countryside, northern Ireland
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She
also talked about the Great Famine in the 1800’s when the potato crop failed
and resulted in disease, starvation and 1 million deaths in Ireland. Many of
our ancestors fled Ireland to come to the United States and Canada at that time.
Even now, Ireland is unable to grow a great variety of fresh vegetables that we
eat, their diets depending heavily on potatoes, oats, wheat, barley and mostly cruciferous
vegetables.
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| pastoral scene with creek running through it |
Another
interesting thing we learned is about peat bog (or the Irish sometimes refer to
it as “turf”). Peat bog consists of layers of dead plant material that are used
by the farmers as a source of energy. For centuries, farmers have dug up large
sections of their land, then cut, dried and stored it for use as fuel. In an
effort to reduce CO2 emissions, the government has placed certain bans on the
harvesting of peat. Apparently this issue has become a big hairy deal but as
far as I can tell, farmers are still allowed to cut bog for their own use on
their own property. Some say it has a delightful smell when burned.
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peat bin (left) winter supply (right)
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machinery cuts and bags peat
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The
farm’s owner, FJ Cunningham, is a third generation sheep farmer. FJ has been
training sheepdogs since he was a boy and his knowledge and ability to communicate
with his dogs is remarkable. Sheep farming is clearly hard work, and not an
easy way to make a living. He was quick to say that there is no way he could do
it without the dogs, especially when sheep have to be rounded up and brought in
for shearing. Each sheep has its owners paint markings to help with
identification/ownership. At one time, there were 21 sheep farmers in the area
but now only 8 remain. He sees little hope of the next generation in his own
family carrying on the tradition.
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2 of the working dogs
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FJ Cunningham, sheep farmer
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FJ calling commands to dog
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FJ introduced
us to each of his 6 border collie sheep dogs by name, then talked about how he
trains his dogs. He waits until they are a year old to begin training them.
Once trained, a sheepdog works for 8 years and is then retired. The dogs are a
lot like children – they have to learn who is in charge. Sometimes they are
deliberately disobedient. When that happens, he sends them back to the pen and they
must stay there (usually for 2 or 3 days). They don’t want to be penned (think “time
out”) so they decide that they will obey. At that point they earn back their
freedom.
He
performed a demonstration for us of the dogs moving the sheep clockwise,
counterclockwise or however he asked. The dogs are obviously very smart and
have a lot of stamina and agility. They are an absolute necessity when it comes
to rounding up the sheep, especially since they graze about the country and mountain
sides year around.
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FJ commands dog to bring them in
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his wish was her command
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The
dogs are very well cared for. Jack, the brown and white one (nose through fence) is
retired and was sleeping on FJ's bed before our group arrived. He accompanied us
(“herding” us just a little) down to the field for the sheep herding
demonstrations. FJ said that though he is 14 years old, in his head he thinks
he can still do the job. I could tell that he clearly wanted to herd sheep because
he sat the entire time with his nose sticking through the fence between us, FJ, the working dog
and the sheep. It was funny but a little sad at the same time.
FJ also told us the
different commands he uses with the dogs when herding the sheep. Guess what he
uses when the job is finished? You’re right – “that’ll do.” If you saw the
movie Babe, you will appreciate that!
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she wants to go sooo bad!
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listening to their master
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After
the herding demonstration, we boarded the coach for a ride through Donegal
County and a stop at a small eatery called “Kelly’s Corner” in the village of
Carrick. We were served scones and jam (they call them “scons”) and tea or
coffee. I snapped these photos of the church and graveyard just across the street.
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St. Columba's Catholic Church
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Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland
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cemetery at Saint Columba's Catholic
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We also made a quick photo stop at Silver Strand, a beach known mostly
to locals. It started sprinkling again so I just hopped out and grabbed a
couple of quick photos and re-boarded the bus. We both enjoyed the visit to the
sheep farm and it was a bonus to ride the narrow roads through the small
communities that sprinkle the countryside of northern Island.
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beach known to locals as Silver Strand
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Northern Ireland countryside meets Atlantic ocean
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| a beautiful natural bay in northern Ireland | |
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darling thatched cottages that we saw on the way to have scones
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| this is where we were |
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