Roscommon Long Wool Sheep.

Roscommon Three Shear Ram

(Players Cigarette Card - 1925).

Title page from Vol. II of "The Flock Book of Roscommon Long Wool Sheep".

 

Published by Roscommon Sheep Breeders Association. 1897.

The Flock Book of Roscommon Long Wool Sheep.

The Roscommon Sheep breed had been recognised by the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) by the 1870s and by 1896 the Roscommon Sheep Breeders Association had been registered as a specially Authorised Society under the provisions of the Friendly Societies Act of 1875.

The Roscommon sheep was a large, white-faced breed and though classified as a longwool sheep, it did not have the characteristics of other longwool breeds such as the "Lincoln" and "Leicester" breeds. It bears some resemblance to surviving prints and paintings of "Bakewell's" sheep and was, perhaps, closer to the "Dishley" breed than any of the English breeds which were influenced by "Bakewell's" stock.

The book illustrated at left is dated 1897, and is the second volume in the series, so we might presume that the first volume was produced in the Associations inaugural year of 1896. The Association registered offices were at Tomona, Tulsk, Co. Roscommon the residence of its Hon. Secretary & Treasurer, Mathew Flanagan, Esq., J.P.

The contents of the flock book are as follows: Rules for the Roscommon Sheep Breeders Association, Honorary Officers, Preface, Bye-Laws, Introduction, Scale of Points, Register of Rams, Record of Prize-Winners and List of Members.

The Association President was the Right Hon. The O'Conor Don P.C. and it had 23 Vice Presidents, including Right Hon. Arthur Baron deFreyne D.L. and Count Arthur John Moore D.L. Its Committee of Management consisted of five individuals, Members of Council numbered fifteen, Editing Committee, nine (under Major M. J. Balfe D.L. (Chairman)), Inspections Committee, eight members, Finance Committee, seven members, Trustees, four and Hon Sec & Treasurer (Mr. Flanagan).

The Preface stated that South American buyers had noted the existence of the society and had come to buy sheep from its members and an inspector from Australia had also come to look at the flocks.

Life membership of the association cost £5 for the first 10 years and £10 thereafter. Annual subscriptions 10 shillings, with entrance fee of 10 shillings for first 10 years and £1 subscription and £1 entrance thereafter. "Bona-fide Tenant Farmers, whose flocks do not exceed two Ewes, will be admitted to membership on paying 5 shillings entrance and 5 shillings annual subscription" (sic).

The "Scale of Points" gave the things that a judge would look for and the points awarded. Up to 100 in total.

The "Particulars as to Origin & Foundation of Flocks" gives sixty seven individual names, their flocks and the Rams pedigree. The "Register of Rams" has 265 rams listed with their pedigrees. The "Record of Prize-winners" is for 1896 and lists wins in eight classes. There are two pages of members (57 people, 40 of whom live in Roscommon and the remainder in Westmeath, Offaly, Tipperary, Mayo, Sligo, Galway, Clare and Berkhamsted, England) and one page of "Non-Members" (28 names, all in Roscommon, the majority from Tulsk and Mantua).

Roscommon Sheep by Harrison Weir.

 

"Second Prize Pen of Three Hogget Ewes at Royal  Dublin Societies Show, August 1896. Bred & owned  by  P. J. Fitzmaurice, Elphin".

  

 

 

 

 

GO TO ROSCOMMON LAMB FESTIVAL PAGE.

We only have a photocopy of this book in our archive. We would love to have originals of this volume and all volumes of the series. If we cannot have originals we would welcome photocopies of the other issues for our collection. Do you have any? Please contact us.

"The Native Lowland sheep of Galway & Roscommon"

by P.L. Curran (2001)

Another book about the Roscommon Sheep Breed.

The book illustrated left was first published in 2001 by Patrick Leonard Curran, a native of Oranmore, Co. Galway. The book tells the story of the Galway and Roscommon sheep breeds. The Galway breed is still extant but the Roscommon breed is said to have become extinct between 1960 & 1990 (although some sources claim it was earlier). Our interest in this book is that it gives a history of the Roscommon breed and refers to the Flock Books (example above) as sources. It appears that there were ten Flock Books, six of which appeared up to 1901.

 

Vol. 1 -   1896.

Vol. 2 -   1897.

Vol. 3 -   1898. (?)

Vol. 4 -   1899. (?)

Vol. 5 -   1900. (?)

Vol. 6 -   1901.

Vol. 7 - 

Vol. 8 - 

Vol. 9 - 

Vol. 10 - 1924. (?)

 

Apart from the general history of the various lowland breeds Chapter 2 deals specifically with the Roscommon sheep. The contents of Chapter 2 are: The Roscommon Sheep Breeders Association; Formation, Volume one of the Flock Book, Lists of dated Flocks from Volume One, Prominent people give support, List of undated Flocks from Volume One, List of Flocks from later volumes (to volume ten), Some success; RDS Show (1897), Edmund Murphy (1849), Extract from Preface to volume one of Flock Book, Roscommon Sheep in Argentina (1898), & Foot & Mouth in England (1901). There are also sundry other references throughout the book and illustrations of sheep from Volumes 1, 2, 4 and 6.

A revised edition of "The Native Lowland Sheep of Galway and Roscommon - A History" (with two extra chapters) was published in October 2010.

For more information or to purchase a copy please email the author: PATRICK CURRAN

By the early 1920s the Roscommon breed was beginning to lose ground in favour of a smaller type of sheep, including the Galway breed. The 1924 Flock Book shows that the group was in serious trouble with only five breeder registered rams. In that year, 187 ewes were admitted by inspection, in what eventually proved to be a vain attempt to increase the registered population. The breed held out for a time afterwards but the tastes of the public had changed and the Roscommon Sheep Breed had to make way.

Further references to Roscommon Sheep are contained in:

"Roscommon Sheep" by Cotter N. P. in Journal of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland). 1939. 

"Roscommon Sheep in Crossbreeding Trials" in The Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales. Vol. 31. Sydney. 1920.

We don't have these. If you can provide copies (or photocopies), please contact us.

 

Left: Souvenir Catalogue for Irish Sheep Shearing Championships 1997, held at St. Brigids GAA Club, Kiltoom.136 pages. A5 card covers. Illustrated.

 

Contents include: ... Profile of St. Brigids GAA Club, Agriculture in Roscommon, Gaelic Games & Agriculture, Sheep Farming in Roscommon, Past Roscommon Shearing Champions, Landed Families of Kiltoom & Cam, Sheep Dog trials ... Don't Mention the Trasher - A Co-Op Story, Peter Murphy Profile, A Brief Parish History.

 

 

Images are not to scale.

 

We welcome further information on this subject. Please contact us.

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