Native Irish cattle. Info breeds of Cattle native to Ireland

Irish Forums Member

Hi looking for info and help for our new website on Native Irish breeds.
Need any info you have on native Irish cattle.
Any information on what type of dairy cow breeds are native to Ireland is going to be helpful.

We manage a small livestock project and this information will be used to promote native Irish breeds. You might be surprised and shocked at what breeds are native and what breeds are recent imports. Should be really interesting to find out exactly what cattle are genuine native Irish, if any.
Obviously it is going to be impossible to be 100% scientific about what makes a native pure bred Irish cattle. What cows have been imported, or today considered part native cattle.
Respected experts consider that any livestock that existed in Ireland before the Normans came to Ireland as pure Irish, or ancient Irish breeds.
Such ancient pure bred native Irish livestock are now very rare, the vast majority are now sadly extinct, at least as 100% pure bred Irish breeds. Some ancient Irish breeds were bred out purposely, for a short term profit potential.
Great interest again in native Irish.
Please can you help with my other info requests for sheep and dogs.
We will share all info and provide feedback as requested.

Info collated so far on the native Irish cattle breeds.
Kerry and Dexter Cattle and Other Ancient Irish Breeds - A History
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This well-researched history of Kerry and Dexter and other ancient Irish cattle breeds is interesting, informative and timely. It links descriptions of cattle in Irish myths and legends with the surviving Kerry, Dexter and Maol (Moyley) cattle of today. Please note that this publication is out of print but can be borrowed from the RDS Library.

Kerry and Dexter Cattle and Other Ancient Irish Breeds - A History

"Native” Irish cattle are descended from those which were introduced by man in prehistoric times. Those which have survived have developed, or retained, their own distinctive characteristics within the confines of their island environment. The most ancient of these early breeds appears to be Kerry, which is the main focus of interest in this book. Edited by P L Curran and published in 1990 by the Royal Dublin Society. ISBN 0-86027-029-7.
Abstract

The following is a summary, provided by the author, of the contents of this book. The latter is essential reading for all who are seriously interested in cattle breeds and their history. Kerry cattle, and their offshoot breed, the Dexter, are important representatives of the ancient livestock of western Europe. Cattle of Kerry type may have been in Ireland since 3000 BC, although the first written description of such cattle is based on a story written in 800 AD. Other breeds treated briefly in this book are the Maol [Moyley], Longhorn, Old Irish Cow, and white, red-eared, horned cattle. The last-mentioned cattle featured also in the story referred to above. At the time (1803) when Kerry cattle first were introduced to Britain from Ireland, and for more than 100 yr later, Kerrys and Dexters occurred within the same herds. It was only in 1863 that separate classes for the two types were introduced in the shows of the Royal Dublin Society, although the practice of including Dexters in Kerry classes was reverted to for a time, until final separation in 1876. In 1891, a Kerry cow ("Dewdrop") was exported to South Africa. Subsequent exports led to the creation of a Dexter Cattle Society there in 1958, twenty years after Dexters were first entered in the South African Studbook. A Kerry Cattle Society was formed in 1985 in South Africa from the long-legged component of the Dexter cattle population of that country.

A description of early (1841) comparative milk production trials of Kerry, Galloway and Ayrshire cattle is followed by a resumé of milk production information on Kerrys and Dexters. Studies of reciprocal South Devon X Dexter crosses are reviewed, as are more recent crossbreeding studies.

The literature on achondroplasia in Dexters is reviewed, and a reassessment of the classical genetical interpretation of the "bulldog-calf" abnormality is provided. The new interpretation focuses on the tight linkage which Crew (Proceedings of the Royal Society, B (1923) 95, 228-255) postulated for the hypothetical loci. The theoretical phenotype ratios, obtained from various genotype combinations, are compared with ratios reported for Dexter herds and populations since 1904. A reasonable matching, found in several of these comparisons, lends some credence to the hypothesis.

The growing problem of inbreeding within the Kerry cattle population is discussed, and the approaches adopted by the Kerry Cattle Conservation Committee to deal with this are outlined. Author and subject indexes are provided. There are 44 black-and-white photographs and 29 tables.

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Native Irish cattle. Info breeds of Cattle native to Ireland