Hundreds of onlookers are expected to join the Carrucan family from Fanore, Co Clare, as they move their 30 suckler cows 12km from their seaside summer pasture to the Burren uplands where they will spend the winter. The cattle drive, which will take place at 11am on Sunday, 29 October, is just one of a series of events in the Burren Winterage Weekend.
Hundreds of onlookers are expected to join the Carrucan family from Fanore, Co Clare, as they move their 30 suckler cows 12km from their seaside summer pasture to the Burren uplands where they will spend the winter.
The cattle drive, which will take place at 11am on Sunday, 29 October, is just one of a series of events in the Burren Winterage Weekend.
“It’s an old tradition where cattle are moved from the lowland meadows to the rougher ground on the hills for the winter,” explained Brendan Dunford, manager of the Burren Programme.
“On the day, the farmer, Patsy Carrucan, will explain a bit about the old traditions, how he manages the pastures and how farmers like him manage their cattle in the west of Ireland.”
The crowd follow Gerry O’Halloran’s cattle en route to winterage fields above Noughaval village in 2016. David Ruffles
“The cattle, mainly in-calf suckler cows, will be blessed by the local priest before they leave Fenore,” he continued.
“We usually get a few hundred people for it and they carry hazelsticks, again harking back to the older traditions and helping them feel part of the move.”
Other farming events featured during the four-day festival from 26 October to 30 October included a sale of Shorthorn cattle in Kilfenora mart on Saturday and a Farming Innovation Fair.
“This area was always famous for its Shorthorn cattle. They went from here to Bucklingham Palace and lots of them would be sold to Scotland. They were very sought after,” said Dunford.
The Farming Innovation Fair showcased innovative ways for farmers to feed, water and manage their cattle on the Burren, including things like solar powered water pumps and nutritional management.
The Burren’s top farmers were honoured at the Origin Green Burren Farming for Conservation Awards 2017 on Friday night.
It follows the awarding earlier this year of the European Union’s Green Award to the Burren LIF programme, which selected the Burren as the best of 4,000 LIFE projects in Europe over the past 25 years.
BurrenLIFE programme takes home top award from the European Commission
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The Burren: where cowman is king
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