Happy St. Patrick’s Day! While everyone else is busy downing shamrock-tinted beers and searching for mythical pots of gold, we here at Celebrity Pets are celebrating a real Irish legend. Forget your leprechauns – we’re talking about Big Bertha, the true-to-life bovine queen who moo-ved through life leaving records in her wake and generations of fans.
Born on St. Patrick’s Day in 1945, this magnificent creature wasn’t just any cow; she was an Irish Droimeann (or possibly Friesian, the details get a little hazy after nearly five decades). Purchased by farmer Jerome O’Leary in County Kerry, Big Bertha went on to live a staggering 48 years and 9 months, before she flew to the Big Pasture in the sky in 1993. This earned her the Guinness World Record for the oldest cow. And think about it – Many humans won’t live that long if they don’t get their drinking under control.
Big Bertha wasn’t just about living large and long; she was also a prolific mother, birthing a whopping 39 calves in her lifetime, another record to her name. This wasn’t just a cow; she was a walking, mooing dynasty. And being the local celebrity she was, Big Bertha even led the St. Patrick’s Day parade in her hometown of Sneem, raising money for cancer research and other charities. She was recorded as raising around $75,000 for charity – Talk about a true Irish hero! They even had to give her a shot of whiskey before the noisy parades to calm her nerves. After her passing, she was stuffed and put on display at a farm in Beaufort, Co Kerry.
So, as you’re out there today, decked out in green and maybe enjoying a pint or two, take a moment to remember Big Bertha. She was the real deal – a record-breaking, charity-loving, hard-drinking parade-leading Irish legend. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I hear the sound of bagpipes and a proud cow approaching. Happy St. Paddy’s Day!