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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Henry McDonald Ireland correspondent

Billy goat's rough: video of Northern Ireland goat rampage goes viral

Goat runs amok in Carrickfergus

Never mind the proverbial bull in a china shop – a goat in Northern Ireland has shot to internet fame after causing chaos at a County Antrim shop.

Video footage of the rogue goat terrorising shoppers at a Eurospar convenience store in the coastal town of Carrickfergus, north of Belfast, has gone viral.

During the incident at the weekend the billy goat headbutted a pensioner named Billy, munched on flowerbeds, and forced staff and customers to shelter in nearby cars as it reared up on its hind legs.

The goat was eventually grabbed by the horns and removed from the scene.

Store manager Jonathan Smyth said the goat incident has been the “talk of the store” since it occurred at the weekend.

After knocking on the store door the goat, according to Smyth, “was into the baskets eating all the plants and running round the car park. I thought: ‘You’ve got to be kidding me!’”

Smyth told local paper the Carrick Times: “It has really captured people’s imagination. I’ve been fielding calls all morning from major papers and the BBC came out to do a radio interview. The goat’s gone viral, especially on Facebook!”

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