Scurlogstown Olympiad welcome you to the 2016 Donkey Derby at Haymaking Festival. The Donkey holds a special place in Irish Traditional rural life. The Donkey was a friend of the rural family carrying turf, straw and other farm goods and pulling carts. Until recently experts disagreed about the origins of the modern donkey in Ireland. However a recent study that analysed donkey DNA came to the con
clusion that the modern donkey descends from two species of African wild asses, the Nubian wild ass and the Somali wild ass. These asses were first domesticated between 5000 and 6000 years ago. Today we celebrate the donkey among all the activities of our Festival. Enjoy your day and good luck to owners, trainers, jockeys and especially to the donkeys. Scurlogstown Olympiad thanks all our sponsors and supporters.
