We’re halfway through the first semester of this year and there is something on all the clubs’ minds: T-shirt designs. The Gaelic Cultural Society fortunately has a variety of past designs that they can reprint, so they are not scampering for a design quite as feverishly as some other clubs. However, it is noted that all their designs have something in common – sheep. Yes, sheep. Sheep flung from catapults, sheep jumping walls, sheep in a stout, and sheep holding signs. The Gaelic Cultural Society likes sheep.


Sheep may seem like a stereotype of Gaelic icons, but having been to Ireland and Scotland I can tell you that sheep really are there en masse. I have seen the infamous traffic jam of sheep stop our tour bus, just as it is depicted on the comedic postcards. With all those sheep from different farms together on unfenced government land, you may wonder how the farmers tell the sheep apart. I can honestly tell you that to differentiate sheep they spray-paint them.


Yes, you heard what I said – er, wrote. They spray-paint them.


In Scotland it is simple as picking a color and then spray-painting a large “X” on the behind of the animal. In Ireland, however, it is much more colorful. There are different combinations of colors that distinguish one set of sheep from the other. For example, Farmer A’s sheep may have a blue back, green sides, and a red behind, while Farmer B’s sheep may have a green back, red sides, and a green behind. It is all very interesting to see.


So, if you ever go to Ireland, Scotland, or somewhere similar, keep your eyes peeled. Meanwhile, the Gaelic Cultural Society will stay here and remind you every e-mail: “we like sheep.”



Irish fact of the day: The symbol for the Republic of Ireland is, not the shamrock, but the harp.