The Craft Shop and visitors centre is open from 11 am to 5 pm daily. Fourteen local contributors and artists have their fine craftwork and art for sale. There is a selection of fibre, textiles, wood, glass and pottery along with prints and cards, all beautifully done.
In the Interpretive Centre you can view a short film on the story of the goats and how the Old Irish Goat Society was able to prove that this goat is indeed a unique indigenous goat breed of Ireland.
The front garden is being prepared to receive a few of this year’s goat kids and the Goat Sanctuary nearby will be open to the public in the summer of 2021.
The shop closes mid-December and opens again in March.
Over 200 articles written by Ray Werner, President of the Old Irish Goat Society, researcher and rare breed specialist, is now available. This wealth of information about the Old Irish Goat in particular and northern Hemisphere landrace goats, in general, is the result of 60 years of research by Ray that he has now generously made available to the society to share with the public.
This comprehensive archive, impressive in volume and rich in information contains articles on a variety of subjects relating to the Old IRISH goat, documenting the journeys of discovery, phenotype, history and the society’s efforts to protect and preserve this animal, fast disappearing into mixed feral herds of European blends.
Minister Michael Ring turned the sodin celebration of the new 5-acre sanctuary in Mulranny. It stretches from the N59 to near the Great Western Greenway up the hill. It is a terraced landscape that was once farmed, abandoned for decades, and now brought back to life. Panoramic views of Clew Bay are seen from the top end entrance.
It has been designed so that any
Greenway user, whether on bike or foot, has easy access to the Sanctuary and a
short walk on to the Centre from the base.
Here you are invited to explore the exhibit space, see a short film,
browse the gift shop and visit the goat playground.
It was almost 10 years ago that Old Irish goats were discovered among the feral herds of Mulranny mountains; a hardy animal that had survived thousands of years of harsh Irish winters and lack of animal husbandry, an animal that had served a mighty purpose keeping people alive in times of extreme suffering and poverty, an animal that was all but forgotten and abandoned to the remote hills and mountain landscapes of Ireland.
Now, after a decade we have a story to tell. How this goat was recognised and given back due value, how science was used to validate unique Irishness, and how these goats can once again serve our communities, be placed back into Irish agriculture as a charismatic tourism attraction, used for conservation grazing projects and become a farm animal again.
The Family: Father, Mother and Kid
The dream has changed over the years as boundaries shifted. First, it was the dream of simply catching a few of these smart wily animals. Then it was establishing a safe place to look after them and starting a breeding program. Confirming their identity with DNA studies was certainly necessary if we were to herald them as a unique Irish breed, distinctly different from any of the European breeds that had infiltrated the herds of Ireland over the last 100 years. The dream to have the breed nationally recognised was always in the forefront and to expand the breeding program to keep the DNA refreshed was a pressing concern with the limited stock. This drove a search nationwide to discover Old Irish goats scattered in remote locations around the country. It was quite an adventure!
All these measures took time and money that the Old Irish Goat Society took responsibility for. The Department of Agriculture and other grant agencies assisted with small funds to keep the animals cared for and covered the costs of DNA studies. This attracted the attention of the media and the public became fascinated with this long-haired, large horned goat of Irish heritage. They wanted to know more, but the small society herd remained private. It has grown from the original 3 captured in Mulranny back in 2011 to 45 as successful breeding began.
A small exhibition centre and gift shop opened
when the society acquired the lease of an old Garda station a few years back
while the herd remained safely ensconced in a walled garden 30 km away.
However, all that is about to
change. Soon they will return to
Mulranny where a sanctuary and renovated centre is in the process of being
established.
Minister Michael Ring addresses the group gathered for the sanctuary turning of the sod.
Here visitors will be able to see them close up, view a film documenting the journey from the beginning and be fascinated by the display in the exhibition space. The gift shop will be filled with handcrafted items, all made locally by the talented ‘Gift of Hands’ group with recycled textile offcuts from the Foxford Woollen mills.
To watch goats cavort on Goat
Mountain and be amused by the antics of the ‘kids’ in the goat playground will
be a treat for the whole family. Visitors will be fascinated by this heritage
animal, saved from extinction in the nick of time!.
The Centre and Gift shop will be open
by August 2020 and the Sanctuary will be open to visitors in the spring of
2021.
