Sheep worth well over €4,000 have gone missing in the Glen Bride region of Wicklow and their owners are appealing to the public to keep an eye out for them. 

Ellie Geoghegan told the Farming Independent that the 26 ewe hoggets were last seen in the area around three weeks ago on Glen Bride. “We had put them up there as a flock and it was their first time on the mountain, so we checked on them every few days for three weeks and they were settled. Then they disappeared.”

The Cheviot Suffolk cross sheep are tagged according to Ellie and were put out for summer grazing in the first week of June.

“It was one flock of 26 ewe hoggets and are tagged and notched out and they have a branding on the left kidney, it’s EG but looks like EC,” she said.

"The sheep there can wander tens of thousands of acres but we have not seen them up there for a month now.”

"We posted an appeal on Facebook and are asking walkers to keep an eye out for them.”

Other farmers, she said, have seen sheep go missing down the years, but she is hopefully the missing ewes will be found. “They are 18 months old now and could have wandered to the Wicklow Gap. Local farmers have not seen then and we hope walkers in the area might see them.”

Trade for ewe hoggets at the moment is strong and the sheep are valued in excess of €4,000.