The Irish National Heritage Park has two new members of staff with the arrival of two Iron Age piglets (Wild boar mother and Tamworth Boar father)!
Our two Iron Age Pigs can be seen in the pig range which has been created in the woodland area between the Ringfort [site 7] and the Monastery [site 8]. These Ancient bred piglets are now a significant visitor attraction and have settled well into their new home within the Irish National Heritage Park.
The old Irish pig was a small, long legged hairy animal. An early Irish text tells us that these pigs could be many different colours: fine, or light coloured; liath, or grey; loch or black; crón, or reddish brown and forglas, which possibly means blue-black. A prosperous farmer would be expected to own two breeding sows. The pigs belonging to several farmers might be herded together 
and a swine herd
would protect them as they foraged for food in the wild. Pigs can eat almost anything, but acorns were a favourite food. Like today, pigs were kept exclusively for their meat and pork was the favourite meat of the heroes of Irish legends.
These pigs you see here have been specially bred to show you what the pigs on a Ringfort farm of 1,500 years ago might have looked like. St Patrick tells us that he was forced to work as a slave for many years herding pigs here in Ireland, and these are probably the type of pigs he would have seen.
These pigs are a cross between a Wild Boar and Tamworth Pig. Wild Boar retain all the agility and ferocity of their ancient ancestors, while the Tamworth is a very old breed, descended ultimately from a type of pig known as an Irish Grazier. A cross between a Wild Boar and a Tamworth is often
described as an Iron Age Pig.
To celebrate their arrival we are running a NAME THE PIGLET competition in which all visitors to the park can enter with the opportunity of winning an Annual family Pass.
For details on opening times and admission prices please click here.
