Talks are underway to redesign the Roscommon GAA crest, after it emerged the current emblem features the wrong breed of sheep.

In the 1950s, the Roscommon Herald and the Roscommon Men's Association sent out a call across the county for designs that might be suitable as a Roscommon crest.

Sean O'Dowd, founder of realboyle.com, tied for first place, and his design of a white-faced Roscommon sheep was adopted by the county as their regional symbol.

"Unfortunately, when the Roscommon GAA got their crest designed – by whom I don't know – they used a sheep with a black face on it," Mr O'Dowd told Moncrieff.

"That really annoyed the Roscommon Sheep Owners Association," he said.

"[The team has] been using it for years and years and years, and it has appeared on jerseys and printed material of various kinds – but all of a sudden, it seems to have surfaced now as a source of annoyance."

2 May 2021; A detailed view of the Roscommon jersey before a Roscommon football squad portrait session at Dr Hyde Park in Roscommon. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

'I knew'

Mr O'Dowd said he has known for several years that the crest was incorrect but did not feel it was his place to object.

"There's a native sheep, which is the Roscommon sheep. It has a white face. It doesn't have a black face," he said.

Mr O'Dowd said he would be happy to help redesign a new crest, featuring the correct breed.

"It was based, basically on the county crest, except for the colour of the sheep," he said.

"I would be 120% happy to redesign it for them using the other elements they have, and I would do it in two days for them, free of charge."

Main image shows a split of Roscommon Sheep (Photo by Irish rare Breeds Association) and Roscommon GAA crest (Photo by Roscommon GAA)