We arrived at Caitlin's Pub in Kells after a very frustrating drive along The Ring of Kerry, one of the most scenic spots in Ireland. Unfortunately the magnificent vistas along the coast was completely socked in with thick fog and steady rain. The sheepdog demonstration on the mountainside behind Caitlins however was most enjoyable.

Kells Sheep Centre is run by Sheepdog trainer Brendan Ferris and located in Kells on the Ring of Kerry Scenic Drive on the N70, halfway between Cahersiveen and Glenbeigh. If you ever wondered how sheepdogs were trained to round up sheep then a trip to Kells Sheep Centre is a must.
Brendan trains Border Collies in the art of sheep herding over 1.5 years and his amazing skills are on show here with his dogs responding to his every command. Brendan always has four dogs trained and two learning at all times. Visitors can watch demonstrations of sheep dogs rounding up sheep.
Ferris tells you all about the different type of sheep, which ones taste good, which ones have good wool and so on. And then he does a demonstration with his dogs of how they herd sheep. Each dog has a unique set of whistle commands telling them to go left, right, stop and something else (they each have 4 commands).

From "The Irish Times":

"Well, you could spend lots of money on an interpretative centre or, if you are a canny Kerry hill farmer, you could think up an innovative idea that is simple and real at a location where tourists pass. Here you create a beguilingly simple experience that feeds into our universal nostalgia for the ancient, unchanged practices that bring men and animals into perfect harmony.
Arriving at Kells Bay for the renowned sheepdog demonstrations, the location comes across initially as unpretentiously rural and raw, and clearly a place where the smart economy has yet to fetch up.
Then a Tom Selleck lookalike arrives to sprinkle stardust with words at will, a lilting Kerry accent, a shepherd’s crook and an irresistibly unaffected personality.
Soon Brendan Ferris has everybody eating out of his hands as he explains the harsh life of a Kerry hill farmer. Then a whistle sends two Border collies up the sheep-speckled mountainside.
Responding to Brendan’s unintelligible commands and whistles, the dogs guide the sheep downwards – expertly separating them when required – until all are resolutely penned.
The spectacle is watched by several coachloads of tourists each time – up to a couple of hundred at a go.
A question-and-answer session then follows where the dogs are the real stars. People want to find out more about them and inevitably somebody becomes besotted and asks if they’re for sale. The reply to this question is always unambiguous: no."

I hope you enjoy these images of these incredible animals at work.
Mark