Holy well driveWater from 25 Irish Holy Wells will help build life-saving projects in Malawi if a unique two-week charity event achieves its aim, writes Niall O'Connor.
The Cork and Kerry Carriage Ride, organised jointly by the charity Christian Aid and the west Cork community, is taking place with the power of two chestnut ponies. Dr Robert Fountain will drive the carriage, which will cover around 40 km a day, stopping at wells along the way for a blessing. At night the ponies will be accommodated in stables while the humans enjoy bed-and-breakfast.
"In Ireland we have an infrastructure of three thousand wells while in Malawi they are desperate for water. We take it for granted. But with this fundraiser we can help the young and old," Dr Fountain said.
Each well costs on average of €3,000 to construct but organisers of the carriage ride expect to raise thousands for wells in communities in the drought- hit country. Actor Jeremy Irons, who has a home in west Cork, offered his support to the event yesterday but could not make the launch.
Coals to Newcastle
A small Northern Ireland company has started selling herbal medicine to China.
Botanica International from Warrenpoint, Co Down, manufactures healing products for both animals and humans using natural and non-toxic ingredients. Yesterday it announced it had signed a 10-year export deal with leading Chinese veterinary products company, Kangmu.
Wanted: ugly sheep
Australian scientists have called on the country's farmers to report any ugly sheep found in their flocks. A campaign called "Xtreme sheep" aims to study sheep with undesirable wool features to unlock the genetic makeup of the prized merino and ensure high quality fleece.
The South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) said yesterday its search for "Australia's ugliest merino lambs" could hold the key to securing the nation's A$2.8 billion (€1.67 billion) wool industry.
The institute said ugly lambs - with uneven wool, strange fibres, clumps of wool that fall out, or highly wrinkled skin - are usually culled.
"It might seem a paradox that ugly wool may be good, but when looking through a genetic profile, the random genetic mistakes act like a flag, speeding up our search to finding genes critical to wool formation and synthesis," team leader Simon Bawden said.
So far only 10 ugly sheep have been found. - (Reuters)