cattle have been farmed in Ireland since the
neolithic period. Archaeologists, using the evidence of bone remains, identify several distinct types of early cattle, some possibly produced by selective breeding. Larger types of cattle may have been introduced to Ireland by
Vikings,
Anglo‐Normans, and 17th‐century settlers, but it was not until the later 18th century that systematic attempts to create breeds with fixed characteristics became widespread. The Kerry was recognized as a distinctive type by this period, but it was during the late 19th century that its characteristics became standardized to produce a hardy ‘poor man's’ cow, kept for both milk and meat. An Irish type of longhorn was also identified, particularly in midland counties, and the English agricultural improver Robert Bakewell may have used some of these in developing his famous breed. Other types of cattle, such as the Dexter and Irish Moil, were ascribed ancient antecedents, but were not developed as pedigree breeds until the early 20th century.
By the early historic period,
law tracts and literature clearly show the central importance of cattle in determining social status within Irish society. Large‐scale cattle farming is suggested by early medieval texts, and by the late 18th century herds of over 1,000 cattle were recorded in rich grazing lands in Cos. Tipperary and Limerick. These have remained major centres of production ever since. At the other end of the farming scale, the ownership of a cow was also crucial, providing both manure, essential for the successful cultivation of potatoes on marginal land, and milk, which along with potatoes could provide a healthy if monotonous diet. In these areas, the management of cattle often involved a system of transhumance, known as
booleying, when animals were moved to common hill grazing during summer.
Between 1850 and 1900 there was a 60 per cent increase in cattle numbers in Ireland, mostly of imported breeds such as Shorthorns, which by 1900 had become the most common cattle breed throughout northern Europe. The Department of
Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland succeeded in establishing a national Dairy Shorthorn herd, and these remained dominant until the 1930s, although encouragement was also given for the purchase of other breeds, including Herefords, Aberdeen Angus, and Galloways. Friesian cattle became common in dairying districts during the 1950s, while in more recent decades breeds such as the Charolais and Polled Hereford have typified a movement towards greater diversity of breeds, mostly imported from mainland Europe.
Bibliography
Kelly, Fergus , Early Irish Law (1988)
Lucas, A. T. , Cattle in Ancient Ireland (1987)
Wallace, R. , Farm Livestock of Great Britain (1907)
Jonathan Bell
