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26 Mar 2026

Call for water for Kildare sheep on Curragh Plains during heatwave

Temperatures set to soar to close to 30 degrees in Kildare this weekend

Call for water for Kildare sheep on Curragh Plains during heatwave

Sheep in The Curragh (File Photo)

Reporter:

Kildare Reporter

11 Jul 2025 5:30 PM

There have been calls for adequate water to be provided for the hundreds of sheep on the Curragh Plains in Co Kildare during the mini heatwave this weekend. 
With temperatures soaring close to 30 degrees Celsius, concerns have been raised about the welfare of animals with a lack of shade and water. 
Suzanne O'Neill said: "I was on the road between the roundabout at junction 12 off the M7 and the Curragh Camp on Wednesday morning and again around 3.30 pm.
"The sight of sheep desperately trying to find shade by huddling against the cooler sides of parked cars filled me with dismay. I stopped and looked for water troughs but could not find any."
Suzanne contacted Kildare Co Council about the issue but an employee said the local authority is not responsible for water troughs. 
She added: "I grew up around the Curragh and am old enough to remember sheep dead and dying during long hot spells down through the years, and had hoped that those days were behind us; clearly, they are not."
Suzanne told the Leinster Leader: "With all the warnings about global warming, the signs are hard to miss, and we are increasingly aware of the challenges posed by climate change.
"The animals and plants that live here don't have the luxury of time to wait for the outcomes of long term planning and endless policy debates, and the sheep that have grazed for decades on the Curragh have always suffered during extreme weather. We all know that and have witnessed it.
"It is not only unnecessary suffering, but it is simply inhumane to leave them without very basic needs - shelter  and water." 

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