Donkeys in a class of their own for Clare

Lifestyle –    Judy Murphy meets a family whose passion for donkeys is helping change attitudes to this former beast of burden

When 29-year-old Clare Heneghan was a child, she asked her parents, JJ and Mary for a pony.

Instead she got a rabbit as they felt it would be easier to care for. She loved that rabbit, but she still pushed for a pony. However, her next animal wasn’t a pony – it was a donkey. 

“Donkeys are easier to handle and they make great pets,” says JJ about their decision.

The 11-year-old may not have wanted a donkey, but Flash’s arrival marked the beginning of a love affair with donkeys that has since led Clare to become an expert in breeding and showing these often maligned creatures.

Anybody who has visions of sad, grey longhaired creatures should cast these aside now, because Clare’s donkeys are glossy, shiny animals, which are lavished with care and attention. They take pride of place in the 75-acre family farm at Knocknagur, Tuam, where they share the land with dry cattle and sheep, as well as three Connemara ponies, which are also highly treasured.

Clare’s donkeys and ponies have rewarded her with trophies, rosettes, clocks and vases from agricultural shows all over Connacht and further afield, which are displayed proudly in the kitchen of the Heneghans’ farmhouse.

Until a decade ago there was no tradition of having donkey classes at agricultural shows. There were classes for horses, ponies, cattle and sheep, and even dogs, but donkeys didn’t feature. The first time Clare saw a donkey class advertised was in the Farmers Journal in 2002 for a show in Lanesboro, Co Longford. She persuaded her parents, JJ and Mary go there and she showed Flash, who was voted Donkey of the Fair.

“She is an unusual colour. Coloured donkeys are very rare. She is lovely and nicely marked, with more grey than white,” explains Clare of her pride and joy. Flash, who at 20 now is the nearest she has to a traditional Irish donkey, with its long grey coat. Most of Clare’s have short glossy coats. “It’s a personal preference,” she says.

After Lanesboro, there was a significant pick-up in the number of agricultural shows with donkey classes, says JJ.

“Once one show does it, they all do; it attracts crowds. Children love them so they are great for families.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.