Bred by the Kelly family from Co Offaly, Kilcastle Julius said hola to a new life in Spain last November when he became the first Irish-bred bull to be exported to the country.

And he may just have become the first Irish bull to appear on Spanish television. The Limousin was recently featured on state broadcaster RTVE’s Aqui La Tierra programme - a Spanish, sunnier version of Ear to the Ground.

The item, which, according to Google Translate, was called “a unique approach”, sees Spanish Darragh McCullough (Juan Pablo Carpintero) visiting the Mingoblasco Limousin herd of 300 pedigree cows from top bloodlines across Europe. Indeed, the presenter makes much over the bull’s red colour, plus the fact that it’s a French breed from Ireland.

Five stars

It was a slow process acquiring the bull, explains his owner Raul Hernandez, but Kilcastle was worth the wait. Indeed he was – Kilcastle Julius is placed in the top 1% on the Eurostar index, boasting five stars for terminal and replacement indexes.

The Spanish broadcaster also comments on “clean” Irish farmers and the size of the bull – 1,000kg and as tame as could be.

“Is he chill?” asked Juan Pablo. Quiet but not complacent, it appears, given that the bull has 45 cows scanned in-calf.

“He has a great rapport with the cows,” added Raul. “Super chill.”

Watch the item here - en español