Donkeys: ENGLISH IRISH DONKEY

Origin : England, Ireland

Australian Status:

International Status: Unknown

Arrived in Australia: 1970's.

Australian population: Forty two breeding age registered jennies, Fourteen registered jacks (2021)

Distribution: Unknown

History:  Donkeys were used during the years of the Roman Empire throughout all the lands which the Romans conquered. The donkeys which were brought to the English Isles by the Romans two thousand years ago were likely used as pack animals. There is little evidence of donkeys in Ireland before the seventeenth century insofar as they are not mentioned in the early literature nor are they depicted in art very much.  One reference is from 1642 when an ass is taken as part of the spoils after the burning of Maynooth Castle. There is also a painting by Thomas Roberts entitled A Bay Hunter and two Donkeys (1773).

There is some evidence that during the Napoleonic Wars, in particular the Peninsular War (1808-1814), donkeys were brought to Ireland from England and traded for horses.  By 1808 the donkey seems to have been in extensive use in Co. Clare on the western seaboard.

The donkey proved to be eminently suitable for the topographical and economic demands of the western landscape. Carts were not suitable for the steep and rocky fields which characterised this area, but a sure-footed donkey, equipped with two baskets or creels or pulling a type of sled was suitable for a multitude of activities: clearing stones from fields, transporting turf for fuel, moving crops or fertiliser or as a simple mode of transport on market days.  The so-called ‘poor man’s tractor’ survived well into the 20th century.

By 1897 there were 247,000 donkeys in Ireland, many if not most of them, working on farms and in villages. After World War 1, horses were no longer needed for war and so they became plentiful again for working on the farm and donkeys were no longer needed.

Donkeys came to England at the same time that they came to Ireland (around AD43). But until 1550 donkeys were not mentioned much in historical documents. In the mid-17th Century, Oliver Cromwell’s invasion of England saw donkeys replace horses (which were needed as mounts for the war) on many farms. From then until WW1 donkeys picked up the shortfall when horses were needed for war work.

However, mechanisation changed things and by the 1960s the donkey was hardly ever seen in England and Wales apart from in Summer giving rides to children. There has recently been a resurgence in the popularity of the donkey for riding, showing etc.

The English/Irish Donkey in Australia: English/Irish donkeys began to be imported into Australia in the 1970s. One of the early imports was Novington Benjamin who arrived in 1973 or 1974 and was imported by Len Knight. He also imported a jenny named Heathton Autumn Folly. Ann Walker from Keysoe Stud bought their first foal born in 1976. Some of the other first donkeys imported were from Spanish Point Stud in Ireland by Justine Finnegan, and also Keith and Barbara Hoole. 

While some breeders refer to their donkeys as “Irish” and others as “English”, they are essentially the same breed and are often grouped together as the “English and Irish Donkey”.

The English and Irish Donkey is compact and small, but strong and sturdy, with an excellent temperament. Pure English/Irish donkeys are no more than 11 hands in height. They come in every colour.  They are a very active and willing Donkey and are an ideal pet or a safe mount for children and adults alike and an eager and sturdy harness animal.

Breed traits: Small. Strong.

Uses : riding, driving, packing.

Breed Organisation :  Donkey All Breeds Society of Australia

Photo : Novington Benjamin.

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