A close-knit community in Cork have come up with a novel way of keeping their local graveyard tidy while at the same time being environmentally conscious by bringing in four lively mountain goats.
These new ‘employees’ have been brought in to reside at the Templebreedy’s St. Matthews graveyard to keep the community’s final resting spot free of weeds and overgrowth as the summer fully kicks in.
Templebreedy Church, built in 1788, and just up from Church Bay beach, is a popular local attraction.
Bringing in the new residents is also a way to prevent potential damage to the gravestones as no weed killers will be used.
‘Goatscaping will hopefully be the new novel idea of clearing our delicate heritage sites and graveyards’, Audrey Buckley of the Templebreedy Save Our Steeple community tells me.
‘We were delighted to be able to push through after a year and a half to accomplish this. It’s an environmentally alternative to mowing and clearing areas without using petrol driven tools. The goats are a welcome addition to any community looking to get brushes, brambles eliminate invasive or nuisance plant species. The area will be left free of anything!’
Oscar, Harris, Keane and one unnamed goat, are now proud residents of this graveyard with the community looking out for them as they keep hard at work clearing the weeds.
(Images kindly credited to the Templebreedy Save Our Steeple FB Page and Siobhan Russell Photographer)