Big Bertha (17 March 1945 – 31 December 1993) was a cow who held two

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

: she was the oldest cow recorded, dying just three months short of her 49th birthday, and she also held the record for lifetime breeding, having produced 39 calves. During her lifetime she helped raise $75,000 for

cancer research Cancer research is research into cancer to identify causes and develop strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure. Cancer research ranges from epidemiology, molecular bioscience to the performance of clinical trials to evaluate and ...

and other charities.

Life

Big Bertha was born in Ireland on 17 March 1945,

St Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patr ...

. Her breed has been given as either Droimeann (a native Irish cattle breed), or Friesian. She was bought at a cattle fair by farmer Jerome O'Leary and lived at his farm near the market town of

Sneem Sneem () is a village situated on the Iveragh Peninsula (part of the Ring of Kerry), in County Kerry, in the southwest of Ireland. It lies on the estuary of the River Sneem. National route N70 runs through the town. While the 2016 census recor ...

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

, southwest Ireland. Big Bertha held two

: she was the oldest cow recorded, dying just three months short of her 49th birthday, and she also held the record for lifetime breeding, having produced 39 calves. However, by 2006, the categories had been dropped from the ''

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

''. Due to her record-breaking status, Big Bertha became a local celebrity. Her appearances at cattle fairs helped raise $75,000 for cancer research and other charities, and she would lead the St Patrick's Day parade in

to aid with fundraising. Before her appearances at the noisy parades, O'Leary would feed Big Bertha

whiskey Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden cask ...

to steady her nerves. After her death on New Year's Eve 1993, a

wake Wake or The Wake may refer to: Culture *Wake (ceremony), a ritual which takes place during some funeral ceremonies *Wakes week, an English holiday tradition * Parish Wake, another name of the Welsh ', the fairs held on the local parish's patron s ...

was held for her in a pub, the Blackwater Tavern at Raycoslough, Blackwater, in County Kerry. On Big Bertha's death, O'Leary still had several of her offspring in his herd, the oldest of whom was then 35. Following her death, Big Bertha was stuffed, and now resides at a farm at Beaufort in County Kerry.

References

Individual cows 1945 animal births 1993 animal deaths Individual animals in Ireland Oldest animals County Kerry {{Cattle-stub