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Donkeys in Ireland
The Donkey was the lawn tractor/wheel barrow in old Ireland. There are still some today being used to haul the Turf or Peat. The Irish still burn Turf in their fire places. It is a fuel like coal. You can find working donkeys, mostly in the West of Ireland but not like in the old days when roads were very poor and so were many of the people. Donkeys make the perfect work mates as they walk at about the same pace as people and tend to be able to do more work for their size than any other beast of burden except mules. Donkeys are thrifty and don't need the high protein a horse or pony requires. They are patient and long suffering to boot. Often donkeys will work without even a halter or bridle and will stay with their masters all day working willingly. |
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A Plate from an antique, Irish, school book
in English and Gaelic
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In Ireland they also often used them to move seaweed from the beaches to gardens and fields to be used as fertilizer. They hitched donkeys to stout little carts to go to market or move heavy cans of milk. In the West of Ireland you may be able to still see a few traditional farmers using them. The classic, donkey baskets that were hand made are called creels. They are made of strong willow and can hold allot of weight. Once the cut turf was dry it could be packed home in creels over rocky terrain and brushy burns by donkey. | |
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Donkeys are almost dog like in
devotion and are far from being the sluggish, ornery animals most people believe them to be.
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This 19th Century Market Place was
captured by the Photographer for a sterioview
in Kerry, Ireland. Most Irish donkeys are
about the size of the small standard donkeys
found in the USA .
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Often today donkeys are used for tourists to enjoy and many people still see them as symbols of Irish peasant life. Sadly in recent times thousands have been sold for sausage meat in Italy because they are no longer of value in the countryside as they once were. England made use of donkeys too for drought animals and even for their milk but never to the extent they were used in the Emerald Isle. The remote and harsh farmland made the donkey perfect as a beast of burden and they were bred in large numbers all over Ireland at one time. |
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Just imagine how handy it would be to have a donkey to carry things around the farm in days past. You can still see donkeys in use in Italy and Greece as they have been for thousands of years; also in Africa and the Middle East where the donkey was first domesticated. It is believed the Romans were the first to introduce donkeys into the British Isles. Often it is women who have used donkeys the most and their size and gentle nature make them very easy for even children to handle. Only donkeys who have been misused and treated harshly are nasty. A donkey wronged by people is a sad and often dangerous creature but it is hardly difficult to understand why an animal would not be tractable after such treatment. Donkeys are very bright and will not work if it will cause them injury unlike horses who can be prodded into working so hard they become unsound. |
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Here you can see the traditional creels for
moving turf or peat as it is known in Scotland.
Seaweed for the garden and other things
could be moved this way as well.
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Having a wheelbarrow you don't have to push that can go through water and over bumpy ground is something that is still useful today. We use donkeys here at Thistledown Croft to move things around and having company while you toil is rather nice too! For people who ask me why I care so much for donkeys I say "Having a horse's body and a dog's brain makes for the perfect companion. " Donkeys come in many sizes so you can find one that fits your lifestyle. I have never been hurt by a donkey nor kicked. I have owned ten different ones and even the shy ones who were somewhat fearful never caused me harm. | |
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Loading Turf on a grazing donkey.
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This is a fairly recent photo of
two boys and donkey cart.
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