Seven Friesian heifers which were stolen from a farm in Co. Tipperary over the weekend have been recovered, the relieved owner has announced.

Keelan Troy, of Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary, took to social media on Sunday night (May 2) to confirm the news that his animals had been found.

“I would like to thank everyone for everything that was – done all the phone calls messages shared over the last 24 hours,” he said.

“The word got out so much and there was so much heat put on them seven cattle that they were dropped back approximately three miles from where they were taken.

“The cattle were dropped off with a box because a few of them are lame and dirty – but if it wasn’t for each and everyone spreading the word and making them too hot to handle we wouldn’t have got them back,” the relieved farmer said.

The heifers had been taken from Troy’s farm under the cover of darkness between Friday night and Saturday morning (April 30 and May 1).

In a previous statement seeking information on the matter, Troy claimed that an older jeep and trailer had been spotted “driving erratically on the outskirts of Cloughjordan heading toward the Nenagh direction early on Saturday morning at approximately 1:30am”.