User:Leo Curran

The earliest known improver of the native lowland sheep of the Athenry and Oranmore areas of Galway was John Dillon Meldon. His intervention came at a time when the native Irish were in process of extracting some degree of civil liberty from the British colonisers. Meldon bought at least three parcels of land from the Encumbered Estates Courts. He bought the Clanricarde Castle at Oranmore together with 100 acres of land from the Blake family in 1853; a further 1,450 acres in the townlands of Coolarne (Coolaran) and Cahertimore (Cartymore)north-west of Athenry, and 150 acres at Belgard, Kilcock, Co. Kildare. He noted the latter's proximity to the market outlets in Dublin. Many referred to the native lowland sheep as Ballinasloe Sheep (Farmers Gazette 2: 173; 1843). Meldon’s work seems to have provided a system for the management and improvement of a sheep population that later became part of a foundation stock for Galway Sheep. The sale of surplus ewe hoggets in neighbouring fairs gave others a chance to acquire improved breeding stock in the area around Oranmore and Athenry where the breed society was established some 60 years later. Baldwin is a much more reliable source of information on agricultural matters in the mid-19th century than is Andrew Corrigan (1853). It is noteworthy that: The ears of Corrigan’s Cotswolds (projecting outwards and leaning a little down) match those of some Roscommons as illustrated by photos in the early flockbooks (see photo from 1898 reproduced 0n page 36 of "The Native Lowland Sheep of Galway and Roscommon: A History" by P.L.Curran ISBN: 0-9541847-0-X, 2001). In these respects they fail to match those of Galways. Baldwin’s comments about Meldon’s work include the following: “The regular breeding stock of sheep consists of 500 ewes of superior quality, produced by several crosses of the border Leicester and Cotswold rams on the native ewes. The Cotswold cross had a great effect in impressing on his present flock many of their best points. The ewe flock is examined carefully in August and 130 or 140 of the oldest or worst culled out; these are put on good keep, and served by Shropshire rams in the middle of September… The remaining ewe flock is carefully gone over, and divided into lots – each lot being as even in quality as possible. The best lot is set apart for ram breeding, having, of course, the best rams to run with them; the other lots have the service of rams which are calculated to correct any defects which may be in the ewes –long-woolled rams being put to short-woolled ewes, and vice-versà… The best of the ewe hoggets are retained in the breeding flock to take the place of the culled ewes, the remainder being sold in the neighbouring fairs, for breeding purposes…”.

Much of the evidence indicates that the native lowland sheep of Ireland had considerable merit and that they were "improved" to the standards of the time through use of imported Leicester rams (including Border Leicester)and Cotswold rams. The principal founder (Christopher Kerin of Oranmore) of the Galway Sheep Breeders' Society in 1922/23 lived close to this writer's home. He placed great emphasis on size and on wool quality. Thus, he selected the well-nourished single progeny of ewes to be the rams for the next generation and this, in effect, was a method of selecting for reduced prolificacy. Leo Curran