This article is more than 11 years old

This article is more than 11 years old

A bull filmed rampaging around a supermarket after escaping from a cattle market has put a small town in the west of Ireland on the international map.

CCTV footage from the security cameras in Cummins' SuperValu store in Ballinrobe, County Mayo, put on YouTube has been viewed by thousands of people around the world.

Residents' relatives have been calling from as far afield as Sydney and Hong Kong to say they have seen it.

It was market day when the bull jumped out of the cattle ring and headed up the main street.

The supermarket owner John Cummins said today: "He got out of the mart about a kilometre away and galloped right up the town – past Tesco – turned left, then right and came straight into the front door.

"He went straight through the shop, out into the store, had a good look about, turned around and went straight out again. I could not believe my eyes."

While Mr Cummins is laughing about it now, he said it could have been a very different story.

"It is a good news story but it could have been a bad news story, a pregnant woman could have been hurt, a child could have been hurt, anyone in the store. There could have been a lot of damage or there could have been damage to cars, thank goodness no one was injured."

The film footage, put together from various CCTV camera's in the store, shows the bull entering through the electronic double doors and racing to the rear of the store before, appropriately, a butcher tries to corral it with a shopping trolley. But the bull turned and charged at him.

Another camera showed the bull's owner running into the store, then running out even faster when the beast decided to chase him.

Mr Cummins said: "No one can say we don't have the freshest beef in my store – and we have full traceability!"

"It has been very, very busy the last few days with people coming in – it's amazing the comments we have been getting.

"One customer said he had had a call from a relative in Sydney and another from a brother in Hong Kong.".

Mr Cummins praised his staff for their calm reaction to the incident. "They were excellent."

One staff member, Helen McDonnell, said: "I could smell the bull and when he was charging out again I never moved so fast in my life."

The bull was later recaptured and returned to the cattle market.