A CO Donegal man has broken the world record for lamb shearing.
Ivan Scott sheared a record 744 lambs in eight hours in New Zealand. Mr Scott, from Kilmacrennan, beat the previous world record by just two lambs.
His feat is all the more remarkable considering he had little shearing experience until he moved to New Zealand 10 years ago.
“I used to do a bit of shearing back home in the summer, then I came out to New Zealand when I was 20 for what I thought would be just a few months and it turned into 10 years,” he said.
Now based near Taupo, on New Zealand’s north island, Ivan broke the record in front of 100 supporters last Monday.
To beat the previous record, he had to shear on average 185.5 lambs every two hours.
In the first two hours he sheared 187 lambs, then a further 189, 187 and 182 over the following scheduled sessions.
His tally could have been even higher but five lambs were rejected by the adjudicator.
He said he was in good shape in the lead-up to his record attempt.
“You have to be dedicated and treat it like a sport.
“It’s a bit like climbing a mountain, you’ve just got to put in an effort.”
He is already looking forward to the Golden Shears World Championship which will be held in New Zealand later this year.