News

Great American Irish Festival Goes to the Dogs

July 12, 2007

When you think of Ireland, you may think of green and leprechauns and shamrocks, but dogs may not be the first thing to come to mind. Yet Ireland holds the ancestry of five dog breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club. Once again, all five breeds – Irish Wolfhound, Irish Water Spaniel, Irish Setter, Kerry Blue Terrier and Irish Terrier – will be on display on the Herkimer County Fairgrounds at the 2007 Great American Irish Festival on July 27-29, 2007. The Celtic canines will be featured in the Smurfit-Stone Irish Cultural Center and will be paraded through the festival grounds
The tallest of all canine breeds with a breed standard of close to three feet at the shoulder, the majestic Irish Wolfhound was a favorite of the ancient Irish kings and queens and is frequently mentioned in poems and stories. At one time only kings, poets and noblemen were allowed to own the breed, which was frequently given as gifts.
Another very old breed, the Water Spaniel is a descendant of Portuguese water dogs and spaniel root stock that came over to Ireland via the Iberian peninsula when natives of that region made raids to Ireland. Its lineage dates back as far as the 7th century. At one time, they were the most popular of spaniels, although they have since been overtaken by the Labrador Retriever and Golden Labradors.
The Irish Setter's immediately recognizable solid, deep red color is a fairly new variation of the breed, which started off as a red and white dog up until the 19th century. They are a descendant of old Irish spaniel breeds mixed with the Gordon, English, Water and Springer Spaniel as well as the pointer. The Irish Setter is treasured worldwide by sportsmen who enjoy strenuous hunting and who have the stamina to follow its relentless pace.
Black at birth, the adult Kerry Blue's fur ends up a dark blue. For 150 years, the breed was predominately found in the mountains of Lake Killarney in County Kerry, used to hunt small game and birds and to herd sheep and cattle. The Kerry Blue is extremely intelligent and tractable. For a terrier they are large, 33-40 lbs, and require very strict grooming standards for the show ring.
There is some debate over their exact history of the Irish Terrier, but it is thought to be derived from the Scottish Terrier, possibly Black and Tin Terrier, and the Irish Wolfhound. Originally used to hunt woodchuck, rats and badgers among the hedgerows, they became a familiar site at the "potato pit", guarding the onetime Irish staple diet against a marauding family pig. The dense, wiry coat is yellow to a red or wheaten color with the usual white patch on the chest, The Irish Terrier normally weighs in about 18 lbs.