Pure mule proves tourist draw off Galway coast

An island has long been regarded a difficult place for man or beast to seek comfort – so spare a thought then for a family of misfits off the Galway coast on Inis Mór.

Local bus driver and one-time fisherman John Faherty felt his pony was in need of some company in the wild rocky Aran field where he was grazing beneath the shadow of Dun Aengus.

So in he penned his donkey to share the field and help alleviate the loneliness.

To his great surprise one morning last week, the two had become three, with the unexpected birth of a mule foal.

“As far as anyone knows it’s the first mule born on the island. There were a couple here a good few years ago but they were shipped in,” recalled John.

He has since separated the happy couple. “One mule is enough on any farm,” he remarked.

Owner of the Old Courthouse Cafe Michael Muldoon posted news of the new arrival on his Facebook Page. Hoards of visitors on the way to climb the historic fort have stopped off to view the mule foal and learn of its unusual pedigree.

He posted a video of the mother and foal on you tube, with the clear sound of a disgruntled daddy braying in the background.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.