A YOUNG boy from Ballyconnell has taken the country by storm in recent days with both his love of calves and words of wisdom.
Ten-year-old William Woods found himself in a bit of money earlier this year, having won €1,000 he won in the Ballyconnell Credit Union Christmas draw. A lover of animals, and particularly cows, the schoolboy decided to invest his winnings in six calves, and he hasn’t looked back since.
William, who said he feels like he is “going to blow up” every time he remembers they are his calves, was featured on RTE news on Monday night in a piece called ‘William’s Field of Dreams’. He has since gone viral on social media, with the general public charmed not only by his passion for cows but also his practical outlook on life.
William told the broadcaster he was “proud” that the had bought the calves and was looking forward to looking after his small heard this summer after a “weird” year of homeschooling. He also said he plans to sell the calves on for profit in two years.
“I love checking them, making sure they’re eating, making sure they’re healthy, eating grass, all that stuff,” he said. “If they’re not eating, they’ll get sick.”
Exhibiting a wisdom well beyond his years, William said while he was surprised at the amount of work involved he was “quite pleased” with what was involved in looking after the animals.
“It’s a new experience for me, I’ve never bought my own cattle before,” he said.
Turning his mind to homeschoooling, which he confessed “didn’t really work in our house”, he said the calves had helped take his mind off missing his friends.
“Now the calves have sort of become my friends,” he said. “I’ll laugh with them in the field, they’re funny.”
As for what’s next, William has clearly caught the farming bug and wants to follow in his father’s footsteps. He vowed to buy more calves next year, which he will also sell on, and even has a plan to always make sure he has some bovine friends in the field.
“Whenever they’re sold, I’ll have more that will be a year old,” he said. “It’ll be great fun.”
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