South of Ireland Branch Premier Show & Sale – Blessington 2021

South of Ireland Branch Premier Show & Sale – Blessington 2021

Ballinatone Flock Suffolk Ram sets New Irish Record at Blessington

Date: 2nd August 2021

Auctioneer: JP & M Doyle

Judge: William Tait, Burnview Flock

Blessington Mart was the place to be on August Bank Holiday Monday. A packed mart saw the highest price paid for a sheep in Ireland when the hammer fell on Richard Thompson’s (Donegal) ram lamb at €44,000. But this wasn’t just a breeder’s sale, an excellent clearance of 81% in the ram lamb class had the lot, breeders lambs at record prices, forty-one sheep exported and a strong commercial turnout with over 60% of sheep sold meeting the needs of the Irish commercial farmer. Although the  overall sale average was €1.884 with a clearance of over 83%, the average price for commercial sheep was €660 to €670.

The record breaking top priced Lot 70 from Richard’s Ballinatone Flock is a son of the 2017 born Solwaybank Sapphire 2 out of a Mountford Mustang sired Ballynacannon ewe. Coming second in the Novice class, he was bought by Northern Ireland breeders Dennis Taylor, for his Ballynacannon flock based near Coleraine, County Antrim’s Alaistair Gault (Forkins flock), Ronan McLaughlin from Donegal (Ballyboe flock) and Portuguese breeder Joao Guilherme with Richard Thompson retaining a share. The Ballinatone pen also had the highest average at €15,625 for three sheep sold.

Darragh McMenamin’s (Mullinvale Flock, Donegal) Breed Champion, and winner of both the Novice and Open Ram Lamb classes, was next in the money list with Judge William Tait (S & W Tait, Burnview Flock) paying €34,000 for this Salopian Scuderia sired ram lamb out of a Balquhain dam for his Co Tyrone based flock. The Mullinvale pen had the second highest average after Ballinatone at €6,575 for 6 ram lambs sold.

Maghera breeder, Stephen Sufferin (Crewelands Flock, N Ireland) paid €7,500 and €6,500 for Philip Byrne’s (Kilkenny) lot 119 and Richard Wilson’s (Donegal) lot 194 respectively. Byrne’s Limepark flock  bred Muirton One Direction sired lamb is out of a Limepark ewe. Richard Wilson’s February born Shannagh ram lamb is by last years Champion, Kells T-Rex, out of a Birness Murray sired Shannagh dam.

 Two sheep then sold for €5,000. Brian and Gus Doyle’s (Kilmacoo Flock) lot 129 was the top price ram going to mainland Europe and was bought by French breeder, Sebastian Delval. This Kilmacoo ram lamb is the son of Errigal Grim Reaper out of a Birness dam. The other €5,000 priced sheep was lot 173 from J & M Doherty’s Malinhead Flock. P J Howard (Co Clare) bought this Limestone Red Rum sired ram lamb out of a homebred dam.

The females got the sale off to an excellent start with James O’Connell’s lot 7 Knockogan Shearling Ewe topping the female money list at €1,600 for his Female Champion purchased by F & S Brigdale for their Co Clare based Atomic Flock. The Reserve Female Champion, Kenneth Bailey’s winner of the Ewe Lamb Class got €1,400 from Michael McHugh of Co Wicklow.

Averages:

Overall:

Top: €44,000

Clearance: 83% (160 sold)

Average: €1,884

Shearling Ewes:

Top: €1,600

Clearance: 89% (16 sold)

Average: €909

Ewe Lambs:

Top: €1,400

Clearance: 95% (20 sold)

Average: €732

Ram Lambs:

Top: €44,000

Clearance: 81% (124 sold)

Average: €1,851

LOT NO.FLOCKPRICE IN EUROSBUYER
70BALLINATONE44,000PDW Taylor, A Gault, R McLaughlin, R Thompson & J Guilherme
158MULLINVALE34,000S & W Tait
119LIMEPARK7,500S Sufferin
194SHANNAGH6,500S Sufferin
129KILMACOO5,000S Delval
173MALINHEAD5,000PJ Howard

Show Results

Male and Supreme Champion

1st Lot 158 Darragh McMenamin

UJU:21:02676 by Salopian Scuderia

Reserve Male and Overall Reserve Champion

1st Lot 133 Arthur O’Keeffe

R15:21:06302 by Castleisle Kilteskin Prince

Female Champion

Lot 7 James O’Connell

DBJ:20:02212 by Shannagh Synergy

Reserve Female Champion

Lot 31 Kenneth Bailey

HDC:21:00172 by Cairness Cobra

Class 1- Shearling Ewe

1stLot 7 James O’Connell

DBJ:20:02212 by Shannagh Synergy

2nd Lot 11 Kenneth Bailey

HDC:20:00125 by Cairness Corker

3rd Lot 5 John Hanly

G4:20:02645 by Limestone Lowry

Class 2- Ewe Lamb

1st Lot 31 Kenneth Bailey

HDC:21:00172 by Cairness Cobra

2nd Lot 35 Robert Tait

18W:21:02433 by Glenagh Gideon

3rd Lot 32 Philip Lynch

CZK:21:01017 by Benedyglen Big Jack

Class 3- Shearling Ram

1st Lot 47 James O’Connell

DBJ:20:02276 by Shannagh Synergy

Class 4- Ram Lamb Sired by a SOI Bred Ram

1st Lot 133 Arthur O’Keeffe

R15:21:06302 by Castleisle Kilteskin Prince

2nd Lot 211 Brian & Gus Doyle

UTX:21:00174 by Errigal Grim Reaper

3rd Lot 77 John A Doherty

CFN:21:03102 by Shannagh Top Gun II

Class 5- Recorded Ram Lamb Class

1st Lot 128 Susan O’Keeffe

BYD:21:02580 by Burnview One For Arthur

2nd Lot 121 Philip Lynch

CZK:21:01024 by Strathbogie Kind Of Magic

3rd Lot 78 John A Doherty

CFN:21:03103 by Shannagh Top Gun II

Class 6- Novice Ram Lamb

1st Lot 158 Darragh McMenamin

UJU:21:02676 by Salopian Scuderia

2nd Lot 70 Richard Thompson

TDL:21:03062 by Solwaybank Sapphire 2

3rd Lot 129 Brian & Gus Doyle

UTX:21:00179 by Errigal Grim Reaper

Class 7 – Open Ram Lamb

1st Lot 158 Darragh McMenamin

UJU:21:02676 by Salopian Scuderia

2nd Lot 122 Philip Lynch

CZK:21:01024 by Strathbogie A Kind Of Magic

3rd Lot 119 Philip Byrne

TJW:21:00048 by Muirton One Direction

Class 8 – Gigot Class

1st Lot 81 Robert Tait

18W:21:02446 by Errigal Masterpiece

2nd Lot 85 John Stacey

JYO:21:01152 by Benrafton Panther

3rd Lot 161 John & Esther Gahan

SKW:21:00558 by Forkins Franko

Group of Three

1st Lots 156, 58, 60 Darragh McMenamin

UJU:21:02650, UJU:21:02624, UJU:21:02643

2nd Lots 108, 109, 110 Eamon Duffy

C46:21:03216, C46:21:02176, C46:21:03158

3rd Lots 70, 71, 165 Richard Thompson

TDL:21:03062, TDL:21:03064, TDL:21:03065