Animal crackers

SMALL PRINT:THE ENNISCRONE BLACK Pig Festival is in full swing this weekend. The Sligo festival features a giant sculpture of a black pig along with a funfair, fishing competitions, markets, a fun run and a duck race. In honour of the Enniscrone Black Pig Festival, we've compiled the top-five animal-related Irish festivals.

ROSCOMMON LAMB FESTIVAL

This woolly festival runs from the end of April to the start of May. Roscommon has the highest output of lambs in the country, apparently, hence this festival bigging up lamb as a dish and all kinds of wool-related family fun, including this year’s world record attempt at having the most knitters in one place.

SHEEP AND WOOL FESTIVAL

More wooly antics, this time in early June in Kilkenny, featuring international sheep shearing and wool handling championships. Throwing sheep around the place while shearing them is slightly more vigorous than gathering knitters together, so Kilkenny ups the lamb stakes, or should that be steaks?

THE PUCK FAIRIreland's oldest fair, which can be traced back to the 1600s, kicks off next week in Killorglin. As always a goat from the mountains, aka King Puck, will be reigning over proceedings. There's also a permanent King Puck sculpture in the town just in case the live one goes missing. There's a young beauty contest too if you're interested in being Queen Puck.

GALWAY OYSTER FESTIVAL

Now in its 57th year, the Galway Oyster Festival from September 23rd to 25th of September is a moveable feast (literally) of oyster eating, oyster opening, oyster tasting, a parade and more. And yes, an oyster is an animal, so deal with it.

LÁ AN DREOILINThankfully for wren safety, the birds can fly freely as they are no longer hunted on St Stephen's Day, but the festival still remains, with the Wren Boys of the Dingle Peninsula dressing up in straw suits and parading around during the day.