Dances with Sheep

One day, as we were returning from a walk, we came upon a little girl at a curve in the road.  At first, we thought she was dancing.  She would plant herself in the center of the road, and then move to one side and then to the other.  

Hearing us approach, she glanced over her shoulder.

Yes, she was helping to herd the sheep. She was trying to keep them from going down the road. She was doing a good job too, even though she was so small that the sheep could have easily knocked her down, had they wanted to.

Soon there was a mad rush with a lot of yelling, as her father (?) and several sheep dogs appeared to herd the sheep down a side road to the farm.  The little shepherdess* held her ground and helped keep the sheep from coming further down the road we were on. Finally, her grandpa (?) came along on a three wheeler (with two other kids hanging on) and she climbed on, held tight, and they followed the sheep to the farm.

 What a delightful glimpse of rural Ireland!

(Thanks, Kevin for snapping these photos.)

*Apologies for not using the gender-neutral form, "shepherd," but somehow "shepherdess" seemed more appropriate in this context.