Irish Moiled at Croxteth Country Park

Image: © Sue Adair Taken: 26 Nov 2006

The Irish Moiled is our rarest cattle breed, there are fewer than 250 breeding cattle in existence. It is a traditional Irish breed of ancient lineage with a long history as a dual purpose hardy animal, producing both high quality beef and milk. Moile means polled or hornless and some sources credit their ancestry with the cattle brought with the Vikings in the 8th and 9th century. It is of medium size with a varied colouration, characteristically red in colour marked by a white line or 'finching' on the back and under parts, but can vary from white with red ears to nearly all red. In the 20th. century the breed declined so dramatically that by the 1970's the breed had been reduced to less than 30 cows and two bulls. The Farm at Croxteth Hall is a Rare Breed Centre (with close links to the Rare Breed Survival Trust) and home to many unusual breeds of cattle and other livestock.

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