Michael Joe Ginnelly tells the story of his latest play which features the role of the Old Irish Goat in Famine times and Sean Carolan discusses what has happened to those goats in modern days.
BY MICHAEL GALLAGHER Their plans had read well and there was no doubt about their desire and determination, but I often wondered what the Old Irish Goat Society was actually going to achieve in a physical sense. They were making people aware a rare breed of goat lived in the hills overlooking Mulranny and explaining what a special resource the breed was for the Irish state. I really appreciated that and admired their unstinting work but a conservation-heathen such as I needed to see something solid....... READ MORE
The Mulranny Environmental Group, with partners, commissioned the professional filming that has resulted in the OIGS documentary. All work carried out in relation to the Old Irish Goat since 2010, including field surveys throughout Mayo, public lectures, interviews with local residents and DNA sample collection, has been filmed and documented. This will not only be a unique archive of the Old Irish Goat, but also captures the challenges facing the goat living in the wild, the history of failed attempts to ‘save the breed’ and the tireless efforts that are currently being made to save the breed from extinction.
Ciara Moynihan
Mayo – Mulranny in particular – could now be the last stronghold of the rare, distinctive, gorgeously colourful and undeniably charming Old Irish Goat.
The original and only landrace breed of goat in Ireland, its future hangs by a thread. While only individuals now exist in mixed herds elsewhere along the western seaboard, it is thought that the Mulranny hills support a small group of genetically pure animals and therefore hold the key to the breed’s future.(Read More)
NATURE Mulranny - Last Stronghold of the Old Irish Goat
As old as the hills. The Mulranny Goats have for generations looked down at the comings and goings of Mulranny village, occasionally visiting the streets, fields and indeed gardens. With so much natural heritage to offer in the picturesque area, little attention had been paid to ‘the goats’, apart from when they made their unannounced forays into private gardens.
That all changed last weekend when a team of scientists, cameramen and goat enthusiasts set out to establish whether this was the last of the Old Irish Goat herds......(Read More)
Cats, dogs and goats are the stars of this episode of Nationwide featuring a report by Joan O'Sullivan on the goats of Mulranny Co Mayo.
The Western People newspaper teamed up with Mulranny in a drive to save the Old Irish Goat. The groundbreaking project will leave a lasting impression on the heritage and history of Mayo and the nation.
This article was published by WESTERN PEOPLE ON JULY 20TH 2015: