The Breed​

An Historic Breed

About The Breed

The Cladóir Sheep Preservation Committee has been formed and tasked itself with the preservation and development of the remaining Cladóir Sheep as their own distinct breed.

The long-term preservation of the Cladóir Sheep, by regenerating the breed through a breeding programme and eventually having these sheep formally recognised as Cladoir Sheep.

Breed Characteristics

Loan Cladoir Lamb
Cladoir ewe lamb showing breed type

Cladoir Sheep are a small white face breed of sheep which were once common in South Connemara. They were kept mainly for their wool which was very fine and suitable for spinning and weaving. It was generally white but could be coloured. They are an unimproved breed with a narrow shoulder and generally a white narrow face. They have shorter ears, a black nose and do not have horns. Rams have a mane behind their head, ewes do not. 

To learn more, Sean Cadden goes into detail in a video on our breeding programme page.

The lands on which these sheep existed originally now, to a great extent, have some environmental designation. The suitability of those sheep for controlled grazing on designated lands will be assessed. It is very likely the breed will have an important role in managing the vegetation on some of the designated sites. 

To learn more about using Cladoir for conservation grazing purposes, please click here.

Join the Cladoir Sheep Preservation Committee

An Historic Breed

History of the Cladoir Sheep Breed

Sheep were inhabitants of Ireland from early centuries. Red deer and goats grazed the hills for centuries, native cattle were put on to the mountains and were herded in summer booleys, -this was the name of the area where the herding took place it was also the name of the huts or shelters where the herders lived -, small numbers of sheep were also kept for wool rather that for meat but they were not hardy animals, they were sometimes sent to the booleys with the cattle. Maxwell writing c. 1830 described the top of Corrnabinna in the Nephinbeg Mountains between Ballycroy and Tiernaur he said, Mountain cattle were seldom seen upon these heights, and the footmarks on the softer surface were those of deer and goats.[1]

Youatt writing in 1837 said there were two breeds of sheep in Ireland, the short-wooled and the long-wooled. The short wooled are most prevalent in Wicklow from time immemorial, he said: these sheep have as small head, narrow face, and short round pricked ears, the head and face smooth and covered with short hair, the wool only extending to the junction of the head and neck, the neck was long and the general proportions good, but rather slender, the legs small and clean and not very long[2]. The hair of the tail is remarkably course. The pure bred is termed the Cottagh sheep. It used to be found in considerable numbers particularly in the Connemara Mountains. Its numbers were much reduced by 1837 from crossing with different breeds.

The sheep of Connemara were not commercial, Youatt describes how the wool is sheared: The shearing at least among the small proprietors, was singular enough, and the practice is not quite discontinued at the present day. The wool is cut as it is wanted, and one sheep is seen with one side shorn, another with a single limb clipped. When a woman wants a little wool in order to finish her work, she trips away to the mountain, claps the sheep head between her knees, and shears just as much as much as he thinks will complete her task. The same sheep may be shorn three times a year.[3]

Sheep were inhabitants of Ireland from early centuries. Red deer and goats grazed the hills for centuries, native cattle were put on to the mountains and were herded in summer booleys, -this was the name of the area where the herding took place it was also the name of the huts or shelters where the herders lived -, small numbers of sheep were also kept for wool rather that for meat but they were not hardy animals, they were sometimes sent to the booleys with the cattle. Maxwell writing c. 1830 described the top of Corrnabinna in the Nephinbeg Mountains between Ballycroy and Tiernaur he said, Mountain cattle were seldom seen upon these heights, and the footmarks on the softer surface were those of deer and goats.[1]

Youatt writing in 1837 said there were two breeds of sheep in Ireland, the short-wooled and the long-wooled. The short wooled are most prevalent in Wicklow from time immemorial, he said: these sheep have as small head, narrow face, and short round pricked ears, the head and face smooth and covered with short hair, the wool only extending to the junction of the head and neck, the neck was long and the general proportions good, but rather slender, the legs small and clean and not very long[2]. The hair of the tail is remarkably course. The pure bred is termed the Cottagh sheep. It used to be found in considerable numbers particularly in the Connemara Mountains. Its numbers were much reduced by 1837 from crossing with different breeds.

The sheep of Connemara were not commercial, Youatt describes how the wool is sheared: The shearing at least among the small proprietors, was singular enough, and the practice is not quite discontinued at the present day. The wool is cut as it is wanted, and one sheep is seen with one side shorn, another with a single limb clipped. When a woman wants a little wool in order to finish her work, she trips away to the mountain, claps the sheep head between her knees, and shears just as much as much as he thinks will complete her task. The same sheep may be shorn three times a year.[3]

Captain William Houstoun leased a 45,000 acre mountain grazing farm from the Marquis of Sligo and the Earl of Lucan in south west Mayo in 1851. His wife Matilda wrote an account of their experiences[4]. She said that most of the original sheep they bought died or were stolen. She blamed their Irish steward or manager for buying the wrong stock, but of course the only sheep available in big numbers at the time were the native sheep which were not hardy. Houstoun appointed a new steward James Hunter a Scotchman, who brought in Scottish shepherds and he must have imported the Scotch Blackface and Cheviots, which they farmed very successfully. The Connaught Telegraph 28 September 1853 had a report on Balla fair: One flock, the property of Captain Houston were the most wretched looking animals we ever saw and such are calculated to depreciate our present stock as to quality, breed, etc….. There were some very fine Leicester tups sold at high prices.

The Connaught Telegraph reporter was not impressed by Captain Houston’s stock when compared with Leicester’s. His new manager James Hunter was probably selling the original purchases of native sheep. Native sheep from the mountains of west Mayo which probably resembled the Cladoir, did not compare favourably with Leicester’s reared on the rich limestone land in the vicinity of Balla

The Oughterard Clifden road roughly divides Connemara, north of the road are high mountains the Twelve Bins and the Maumturks, it is good sheep country. Most of this was cleared of small tenants after the famine and several large grazing farms were created, stocked by Scotch Blackface and Cheviot sheep.

South of the road are large areas of blanket bog, not good sheep country. It appears that after the famine native sheep were pushed from north Connemara but survived in the south in very small flocks. It appears the Cladoir breed survived because it was not a commercial sheep, there was no money being made from them, so no effort was made to improve the stock by breeding up or by introducing a new breed of rams.

Before the famine sheep in the west of Ireland were often kept in small flocks, to produce enough wool to supply the family with clothes. These sheep had fine wool which could be knitted or woven. South Connemara was no exception here the farms were tiny and little grass was available for grazing by sheep, but it had a long seashore with abundant seaweed. Most of the sheep in that area were confined to the shore and were called Cladoiri which in English means shore dwellers. There is little early reference to these sheep.

The Congested Districts Board Baseline report on south Connemara in 1892 does not give a name to the native sheep this was the normal practice, they did not put a name on local breeds of livestock only named the breeds that could improve the native stock. The sheep flocks were two to sixteen per family. The sheep are very small: it probably takes six such animals to produce a stone of wool…… Sheep are rarely sold in this district…..People have them for the little wool they yield a freshly shorn fleece from a four year old sheep was 1½ lbs. women do the shearing. Wm Gaskell the inspector did not recommend crossing with a better breed he thought sheep had no place on these little farms, as the flock can barely reproduce itself.

Professor J.B. Ruane in stencilled UCD lecture notes in 1960, lists among Irish sheep breeds, the Claddaigs which he said were peculiar to the Connemara country.

In 1969 M.L. Ryder from the Animal Breeding Research Organisation visited Connemara he located an example of the Cladagh in Connemara. This was an all white animal, short tailed, comparable in appearance to the Orkney and Shetland type. Other animals were observed on the mainland, including a black, horned, short-tailed ewe and white, horned ewes with brown faces similar to the Manx Loghtan brown.[5]

The next reference found is in the Connacht Tribune in 9 August 1974 page 41 in a piece in Irish: Caora Cladoir.

Mar chuid dá níarracthaí sa gComortas Pobal tá an Foras Talúntais taréis roinnt caora cladóir a cheannach. Is sean-phor dhúchasaach an Cladoir agus nil morán acu fágta sa tír. De réir turaisc atá faighte again tuigeann muid gur léirigh An Cumann Naisiunta a bhíonn ag plé le caomhnú phóranna neamh-coitianta spéis sa sceal.

This translates: Cladoir Sheep. As part of their efforts in the Community Competition the Agricultural Institute is after buying some Cladoir sheep. The Cladoir is an old native breed and not many are left in the country. According to a report we have got we understand the National Association that deals with rare breeds has shown an interest in the story. This is the first time we have seen these sheep called Cladoir.

This flock was sent to the Agricultural Institute research station at Creagh Ballinrobe, after three years of inconclusive investigations they were sent to Maam Research station in Co. Galway where the late Michael O Toole was station manager. Michael had an interest in the breed and in old sheep breeds in general. When that research station until it closed in 1987, the flock were transferred back to Creagh. After Michael O Toole retired that flock was dispersed. O Toole believed the Cladoir was extinct in 1995. Unfortunately, the Cladore is now extinct as a breed, but some of its characteristics can still be seen in some sheep in south Connemara.[6]

In 1987 An Gúm published Focloir Talmhaiochta, Dictionary of Agriculture among the fifteen or so sheep breeds listed, the Cladoir or Cladaigh is not among them.

The prospects for the survival of the Cladoir breed were bleak during the 1990’s but in 2001, Tom King from Westport heard the Cladoir story, he made enquiries in South Connemara, and he assembled a small flock of Cladoir like sheep. These sheep were purchased by Connemara National Park in Letterfrack in October 2019, a number of other Cladoir like sheep were also purchased by the National Park in 2020. In the autumn of 2020, sixty-five sheep from this flock were sampled for a DNA test. The samples were analysed by Weatherbys Scientific, a Sheep Ireland team led by Alan Bohan and Aine O Brien of Teagasc carried out a comparative DNA analysis on these results. Fifty-six of those including males and females had significant DNA of a distinct breed. This is the DNA of the old Cladoir breed.

This remnant of the Cladoir breed, which was thought to be extinct, is now in the flock owned by Connemara National Park. The Park is now anxious that the breed be regenerated. Áine O Brien of Teagasc assembled five or six breeding groups from those sheep in autumn 2020. Unfortunately because of time limitations that did not happen as intended. The regeneration will take several years. Connemara National Park will need the cooperation of other breeders in the regeneration process. DNA testing and comparative DNA analysis of the 2021 lamb crop and other Cladoir like sheep which were found, was continued in 2021. Noirin McHugh a geneticist in Teagasc selected eight breeding groups in 2021 these were bred successfully and another eight breeding groups will be mated in 2022.

Wool was the important reason why the breed survived. This year all fleeces in the Letterfrack flock were tagged as they are shorn, with the tag no of the animal, the age and sex. Dooley Wools of Roscrea will grade the wool. The better grades of wool will be made available to craft spinners and weavers for their assessment. Wool will be an important component of the regeneration of the breed.

The third part of the regeneration is typing the breed. What did the original Cladoir sheep look like? No breed will be a success unless it is easily recognised. The best description we have is that of Youatt in 1837. These sheep have a small head, narrow face, and short round pricked ears, the head and face smooth and covered with short hair, the wool only extending to the junction of the head and neck, the neck was long and the general proportions good, but rather slender, the legs small and clean and not very long. He does not mention horns, The Wicklow sheep don’t have horns and the Agricultural Institute flock were hornless. The sheep selected on type should be hornless. The Cladoir sheep were never “improved” so it is unlikely they ever had a uniform appearance like the Scotch Blackface or the Suffolk. Initially typing will just involve excluding animals that have a strong resemblance to other recognised breeds. We expect when pure bred animals emerge, they will not be uniform in their appearance. We will not impose a uniform appearance on the breed.

Photographs of the breed earlier than the Agricultural Institute flock form the 1970’s have not been found. Advertisements for sheep shows in south Connemara, are for classes for Blackfaces and Cheviots only; I have never seen a show class for Cladoiri. We hope in the future that the Cladoir will take its place at Agricultural Shows in Connemara.

The remnant of the Cladoir breed thought to extinct, is in the flock owned by Connemara National Park. The Park are now anxious that the breed be regenerated.

Cladoir ewes in the earlier part of the breeding program.
Cladoir ewes in the earlier part of the current breeding program.

Aine McHugh of Teagasc selected eight breeding groups in 2021. This is being repeated in 2022. The regeneration will take several years, The Connemara National Park will need the cooperation of other breeders in the regeneration process. DNA testing of the 2022 lamb crop and other Cladoir like sheep that may be found, will also continue.

2021 Cladoir Sheep with Diamond Mountain in Background
2021 Cladoir ewes with Diamond Mountain in background

Wool was an important reason why the breed survived. This year all fleeces in the Letterfrack flock will be tagged as they were shorn with the tag no of the animal, and Dooley wools of Roscrea will grade the wool. The wool will be available to craft spinners and weavers for their assessment. Wool will be a very important component of the regeneration of the breed.

  1. William Maxwell, Wild Sports of the West (London 1973) p. 199
  2. Youatt W. Sheep their breeds, management, and diseases (London 1837) p. 348
  3. Youatt W. Sheep their breeds, management, and diseases (London 1837) p. 359
  4. Mrs Houstoun, Twenty Years in the Wild West or Life in Connaught, (London 1879) p 28-36 (Google Books)
  5. Barbara A. Noddle and M.L. Ryder, “Primitive sheep of the Aran Islands”, Journal of Archaeological Science 1974, 1, p. 109-112
  6. O Toole M. A. Journal of the Clifden and Connemara Heritage Group(Clifden Vol 2 No. 1) p. 28