Sheep breed
Galway
Galway
Ireland's only native sheep breed, with a woolly topknot.
Description1
A breed from County Galway in the west of Ireland, based on the earlier Roscommon sheep of neighbouring County Roscommon. It developed from English Longwools imported from the late 17th century and later Robert Bakewell's Dishley Leicester; it is Ireland's only recognised native breed.
A large, polled, white-faced sheep with a characteristic bob of wool on the head and legs. The lips are dark and dark ear spots are common. Most ewes weigh 80–85 kg.
Raised primarily for meat. In 1999 there were fewer than 1,000 true-to-type sheep in 39 pedigree flocks; as a rare breed it now attracts agri-environment support, and only a few hundred ewes live in the UK.
History1
Late 17th – 18th century
Develops from imported English Longwools and later Dishley Leicesters; long known as the Roscommon.
1923
The Galway Sheep Breeders Society is founded at Athenry.
1969
A recording scheme starts to improve prolificacy.
Breed standard and breed society
The official breed description, breeding goal and herdbook rules are published by the breed's recognised breed society.
- English Wikipedia – Galway sheephttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galway_sheep
Photo gallery
All photos are freely licensed (Wikimedia Commons, Flickr); author, source and licence are shown under each image.
Sources
Accessed: 2026-10-18.