With the excitement mounting ahead of Ireland’s Gaelic football final this weekend, one man has enlisted some extra supporters to back his favourite team — the animals on his farm.
Brendan O’Connor (36), who farms in the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks mountains in County Kerry, has painted 30 ducks, 10 sheep, two cows, three goats and several geese in Kerry’s green-and-gold colours, the Irish Times reported on Wednesday.
Additionally, he had a Kerry jersey knitted for one cow and asked a local dressmaker to make jackets for several sheep and ducks, as well as his trusted sheepdog, Pup.
O’Connor said the main difficulty was catching the animals and persuading them to stand still as they acquired their new colours, although he had a lot of assistance from local children.
”The goats came out mighty because of their short hair,” he told the newspaper.
Played with 15-a-side teams, Gaelic football is one of Ireland’s national sports. Played with a round ball like in soccer, it is a high-scoring game with a lot of passing.
The ball can be handled, punched or kicked, with the goal posts having a crossbar between the uprights, like in rugby.
The island’s 32 counties, north and south of the border, play against each other every year for the coveted all-Ireland title that dates back to 1887.
In Sunday’s final, Kerry in the south-west of the republic will meet Tyrone, one of the six counties in British-ruled Northern Ireland.
Kerry are on a revenge mission after losing heavily to Tyrone in the 2003 all-Ireland semifinal. — Sapa-AFP