Sheep breed
Belclare
Belclare
A highly prolific composite sheep born of Irish research.
Description1
An Irish composite sheep breed developed at the Belclare research centre of An Foras Talúntais (now Teagasc), led by J. P. Hanrahan, to raise lamb output in Irish lowland flocks.
Its components are a High Fertility line, Galway × Finnish Landrace (Fingalway), Welsh Lleyn selected for litter size, Finnish Landrace selected for high ovulation rate, and Texel. The source gives no body weights, fleece or colour description (tbc).
It met its target average litter size of 2.1; daughters of Belclare Improver rams averaged about 1.8 under farm conditions. Pedigree flocks stayed close to 2.1 between 1993 and 2007.
History1
1962
An Foras Talúntais sets the aim of a uniform, highly productive new strain.
1966–1976
Finnish Landrace imported (1966), Fingalway and High Fertility lines; selected Lleyn ewes and rams arrive from Wales in 1976.
1980–1996
Belclare Improver rams sold to farmers by lottery (1980–85); breed society 1985; Texel infusion (“Mark-2”) completed by 1996.
Breed standard and breed society
The official breed description, breeding goal and herdbook rules are published by the breed's recognised breed society.
- Belclare Sheep Breed Society – Belclare sheep: Origins and Development (J P Hanrahan)https://www.belclaresheep.com/post/belclare-sheep-origins-and-development
Photo gallery
All photos are freely licensed (Wikimedia Commons, Flickr); author, source and licence are shown under each image.
Sources
Accessed: 2026-10-18.