New documentary on Mayo's 'gay' bull

FIVE years ago a 'gay' Mayo bull, Benjy, was saved from slaughter after an international campaign.

A new RTÉ radio production by Doc-On-One, scheduled for broadcast on August 31, entitled Benjy The Little Gay Bull, traces the story of Ireland’s most famous bovine.

In autumn 2014 The Connaught Telegraph published an exclusive story about a breeding bull who was more interested in mating with a young male bull than in impregnating the herd of cows alongside him in the field. The animal had cost a lot of money and the only way for the anonymous farmer to recoup the cost was to send the ‘non-working’ bull to the slaughterhouse.

The Connaught Telegraph story got the world talking and as a result a group of people came to the bull’s rescue.

The international media were in pursuit of the animal but for six weeks the farmer’s identity and the bull’s location were kept a closely guarded secret. Finally, just before Christmas 2014 the bull was rehomed in a sanctuary in the UK.

That was five years ago and Benjy the bull has disappeared from the headlines and no one knows exactly where he is. However, this new documentary by RTÉ Radio Doc-on-One attempts to find out if the animal is still alive.

They travel with Benjy’s former owner, Joe Kelly, and freelance journalist Joanna McNicholas, who broke the news story, as they go in search of the once famous bull.

The documentary is co-produced by RTÉ’s Nicoline Greer and Joanna McNicholas who produces and presents a weekly arts programme on CRCfm, Castlebar’s Community Radio station.

Benjy The Little Gay Bull will be broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 on Saturday, August 31, at 1 p.m. with a repeat on Sunday, September 1, at 7 p.m. The documentary will also be available on the Doc-On-One website and on YouTube.

See https://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/2019/0817/1069356-benjy-the-little-gay-bull/