Blackface Mountain and Lowland Sheep
Feeding sheep in the snow
Irish Farmers' Journal
Irish Farmers' Journal
There are many different breeds of sheep in Ireland. The most common is the blackface mountain breed on upland farms. They are very hardy and can put up with cold, wind and rain.
They are very nimble and roam about looking for grass. They have black faces, long fleeces and curving horns. The breed of lowland sheep is often suffolk. They are fatter with woollier short fleeces.
What do we get from Sheep?
We get wool and meat from sheep. The wool is made into clothes and blankets. The meat is called lamb because it is meat from young animals. If the meat is from older sheep it is called mutton. Traditionally, people looked forward to a lamb dinner at Easter.
