A flock of 12 sheep arrived in a field in Carlingford, Co Louth, yesterday despite foot-and-mouth restrictions. But these were no ordinary sheep. They were 12 wooden sheep, made by an art group at a sheltered workshop at St Michael's House, Templeogue, Dublin.
The life-sized sheep, each with a different pose, were presented to the Carlingford residents as a gesture of solidarity, following the culling of all sheep in the Cooley peninsula due to the foot-and-mouth crisis.
The art students had heard that the empty green fields in the Cooley peninsula were a constant reminder of the foot-and-mouth crisis for local residents.
"During our weekly art class, my workers expressed a wish to give something back to Carlingford," explained art teacher Mr Paul O'Hare, who comes from the village. "We, even in Dublin, have not forgotten all those sheep families affected by this plague. We wanted to lift the hearts of the community which had been rocked by the foot-and-mouth epidemic."
The class decided to create a flock of sheep for exhibition in one of the empty fields above the village. Each of the 12 wooden sheep was covered in an authentic woollen fabric. "They now look super-real, having been rendered with special paints," Mr O'Hare said.
The art group presented the sheep to the people of Carlingford yesterday and said they hoped the project would help the healing process.
Mr O'Hare said he hoped the project would be the start of a whole new approach to art therapy "using mother nature, the greatest art teacher of all".
The sheltered workshop is used by people with learning disabilities. "The basic concept is that of normalisation," Mr O'Hare said. "The service users at our centre are integrated into the community and also they learn and see the value in giving happiness to others."
About 49,000 sheep were culled from the fields of Co Louth since the State's only case of foot-and-mouth was confirmed at a farm in Proleek on March 22nd. The Department of Agriculture has not yet confirmed a date for the restocking of sheep on the peninsula.
