Willie’s goats clean up Ballineen garden

BALLINEEN & Enniskeane Tidy Towns have become the first tidy towns group to employ goats to help clear invasive species and they didn’t have to go too far either by employing ‘Billy’s Rent a Goat.’

Speaking to The Southern Star, Margaret O’Donovan of Ballineen & Enniskeane Tidy Towns said they decided to bring in the goats, owned by Willie Walsh, to help clear some invasive species at the Riverside Garden.

‘Our plan is to repair the riparian area around the river bank because it’s a very important habitat for native plants and animals. We want to ensure that there is a healthy eco-system there and eradicate the invasive species,’ said Margaret.

‘The goats spent a week there grazing the area and we are so lucky that Willie is a local man and we didn’t have to look far for that expertise in our own locality. We were delighted to work with him and his eager goats.’

The group hope to plant native trees and vegetation and provide a habitat there as part of their bio-diversity plan for the area.

Students from two nearby primary schools, St Mary’s Central School and Ballymoney National School also got to come down to meet Willie and his goats and find out more about protecting and managing the environment.

‘They had lots of questions for Willie and it was a very informative session and members of the local community also attended. Willie’s approach is so innovative too and we were delighted to use his goats.’

Willie, who set up ‘Billy’s Rent a Goat’ in 2021, uses re-purposed male goats to clear invasive species and earlier this summer he was employed by Cork Nature Network (CNB) to help removed ‘Old Man’s Beard’ from Beaumont Quarry in Ballintemple in Cork city. He said the educational, social and community aspect has also become an unexpected focus of his business too.

‘The goats impact positively on the social and environmental well-being of the community. Having goats working with communities and schools creates a certain amount of curiosity,’ said Willie.