On Friday we took to the bus again for a trip through the wilds of Connemara. Please go there, it's lovely. The journey took us north along the banks of Lough Corrib, Ireland's biggest lake to the improbably named village of Cong which has possibly Ireland's best hotel - formerly owned by the Guinness family (where have I heard that name before?). Anyway, it's now a resort. From there we headed into (James?) Joyce country. Close to the banks of the Joyce river we found an innovative farmer - also named Joyce - who had a line in breeding sheep-dogs and selling half-lambs to customers - I don't know whether it was the front or back half! The meat was mail order and run on Amazon.com lines. Customers who want half a lamb ordered in on the web and the meat was dispatched immediately in a large box.
I held one of the collie - border cross dogs which was only a few weeks old and watched the farmer give a great demonstration of dog handling - rounding up his sheep on a steep hillside - and training them to act on his various commands. It was a much more interesting display than watching the dogs on Dumaresq creek back home. He on-sells his trained dogs to farmers who want them.
AS
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