CAHERCONNELL STONE FORT & SHEEPDOG DEMONSTRATIONS

Located in the Burren region of County Clare, the Caherconnell Stone Fort is over a thousand years old! Some parts of the structure have collapsed or have been destroyed (as the fort was used to protect against attack), but the fort is still very much intact. 

Here you can see a section of the stone fort!

And while the fort is cool to see, the real treat here is the sheepdog demonstration! I highly recommend booking tickets beforehand and showing up in advance of your designated timeslot. This is because there is a wonderful little gift shop as well as a café on site. (We purchased a super cute Christmas ornament of a sheep donning a Santa hat!)

Once you’ve purchased some goodies, head out the gift shop’s side door to nab a spot for the sheepdog demonstration. There are two viewing areas, and both of these spots are covered to protect you from the elements. The spot that everyone gravitates towards is the area on the right that has stadium seating. If you do not want to stand the whole time, this is a great option! Unfortunately, it is not a wonderful spot to take photos. However, the spot on the left where you have to stand the whole time allows you to be flush up against the barrier. You are able to see the demonstration really well and take unobstructed photos. In addition, near the end of the viewing, the shepherd will move the demonstration, and if you are standing, you will be in a prime spot again.  

So, what will occur during your 50-minute sheepdog demonstration? Using a combination of whistle and voice commands, a shepherd will guide dogs to skillfully round up sheep. With the backdrop of the stone fort and the Burren landscape, your shepherd will explain the differences between sheep and cow dogs and go over the different breeds of sheep that you see on the farm, all while the dogs display incredible focus. However, there were indeed adorable moments when the dogs would ignore the calls and whistles that were directed at them. Take a peek at the photo below, where one of the dogs can be seen belly up lounging in the grass, neglecting her duties!

The coolest part of the demonstration for us was when the dogs worked together to specifically only get four of the sheep into an enclosure, which was super impressive. The crowd held their breath as the dogs got the 4th sheep to run for the pen, and the whole group clapped! After the dogs’ work is done, there is plenty of time for photos and pets with the collies (we saw Lynn, Lee, Rose, and Jess). This was a really lovely way to spend an afternoon!