A farm in Cavan is delighting in its extraordinary new additions to its sheep flock.

Brian and Mary O'Brien who own and run a sheep and beef farm on the outskirts of Cavan town welcomed quintuplet lambs from one ewe last Friday night (February 27).

Lambing began on the busy farm last week and it was a 'one-in-a-million' chance of five lambs being born to one ewe and surviving and thriving.

All five lambs are said to be healthy and doing well and are being assisted with feeding as the ewe would not have enough milk to satisfy all five offspring.

Ewes can generally feed up to two lambs themselves and the rest are being bottle fed, so the who O'Brien family is on hand to ensure the spring lambs are satisfied.

The ewes were scanned just after Christmas by scanning technician, Kieran McGee at a rate of 2.16%, a remarkably high scan rate.

Brian O'Brien said: "The ewe was bought as a hogget at Carrigallen Mart and has been very lucky for us thankfully.

"It was a farmer from Arigna that sold the pen of hoggets we bought in that sale.

"I believe the Leitrim-bred ewes are the best in Ireland; they’re great mothers, but they’re not great neighbours!"

The O'Briens have said the lambing season is going well so far on the Cavan farm.