The Irish Limousin Cattle Society hosted its premier sale at Roscrea Mart, Co. Tipperary, on the May bank holiday Monday.

The event was the society’s second premier show and sale of 2023 and was held at the Tipperary-based venue, where Limousin breeders and enthusiasts gathered in advance of the sale to watch Llyr Hughes judge the Senior Male, Junior Male, and Female Championships.

The sale commenced after this and the auctioneer on the day was George Candler.

According to the society, a number of records were broken, with a blistering trade for both bulls and heifers witnessed.

It was Lot 26, Liverpool Salah, who took home the top price of €10,000. Salah was bred by Co. Roscommon breeder Kevin Graham.

While this was the standout top price, it was closely followed on numerous occasions.

The sale had an average sale price for bulls of €5,480, a new record for the Irish Limousin Society and an increase of €1,000 on the 2022 spring Roscrea premier.

Up from a clearance rate of 93% last spring, 97% of the bulls presented for sale found new homes on the day, with pedigree and commercial cattle breeders battling it out it to secure the Limousin bulls on offer.

The trend continued when the females entered the ring, with breeders bidding to secure new additions to their herds. This led to a top price of €6,400 for the Reserve Female Champion, Templequain Sally, bred by Thomas O’Shea from Co. Laois.

Some 82% of heifers found new homes on the day selling to an average price of €4,035. This represents an increase of €800 on the equivalent sale in spring 2022.

Starting with the show champions, the Senior Male Championship was awarded to lot Lot 14, Carrefour Sambo, bred by John Kenny.

Sambo is a 18-month-old son of Ampertaine Majestic and a Ampertaine Foreman-bred dam. He carries a five-star terminal index of €163 and a calving figure of 5.1% on beef cows; he made €9,400.

The Reserve Senior Champion was bred by Co. Clare breeder James O’Grady. His bull Meenross Scooby Doo is son of Wilodge Cerberus and Meenross Prospect. Scooby Doo has a terminal index value of €149 and a 3% calving difficulty on beef cows. He sold for €5,200.

Taking the Reserve Junior Male Champion was Lot 38, Ballyline Tonga. He was bred by Bertie Mannion from Co. Roscommon and sired by Mereside Godolphin.

He impresses with four stars on the replacement index and five stars on the terminal index, while also carrying five stars for carcass and conformation.

He is 3.8% for calving difficulty on beef cows. In the sale ring, he went under the hammer for €6,300. He was purchased by William and Michael Dorgan, Watergrasshill, Co. Cork, to join their pedigree Limousin herd Hollyview Limousin.

The second bull led into the ring was Rutland Silver, who was bred by Co. Mayo man Noel Ruttledge and sold for €8,700.

Sired by Ampertaine Metric, Silver boasts five stars on both the replacement and terminal index and for carcass and conformation. He has a 3.5% calving difficulty on beef cows.

Selling for €7,600 was Cranmore Supersonic bred by Swinford, Co. Mayo native, Ray O’Hara. An Ampertaine Elgin son going back to a Sympa-bred dam, this bull is 3.8% calving difficulty on beef cows and carries an impressive set of indexes, including five stars for terminal, carcass weight and conformation.

Supersonic was one of three grandsons of Castleview Felicity that were sold to a combined price of €19,500.

The other two grandsons included the Reserve Senior Champion Meenross Scooby Doo and Meenross Showman – who was second in his class.

Lot 33, Meenross Showman was sold for €6,700. Bred by James O’Grady, this bull was sired by Ampertaine Elgin going back to a Ronick Hawk-bred dam.

Hitting €6,000 was Lot 34, Ballyline Tom. Born in January 2022, Tom carries five stars on the replacement and terminal indices and five stars for carcass weight and conformation. He was sired by Loyal.

Lot 37, Faughill Tyson ET, was sold for €5,500. This bull, bred by Charlie Clancy, was born in January 2022 and carries four stars on the replacement index and five stars on the terminal index. He was sired by Sympa and out of a Nenuphar daughter.

The Co. Monaghan-based Treanor brothers achieved €5,400 for their bull, Clontown Snoppy. This bull is sired by Neuf and born in September 2021 and has 5-stars across the terminal, carcass weight and conformation indexes.

Lot 42 Ballyline Tango owned by Bertie Mannion sold for €5,200. Tango was born in January 2022 and carries five stars on the replacement index and five stars on the terminal index. He was sired by Ampertaine Metric out of a Keltic Handsome-sired dam Ballyline P 706.

Limousin heifers

Topping the trade in the heifer section was the Reserve Female Champion, Templequain Sally, a daughter of Haltcliffe Newton. She was bred by Co. Laois breeder, Thomas O’Shea and she went under the hammer for €6,400.

The Female Championship was awarded to lot 60, Liscarn Tina, bred by Philip Dunne. Born in April 2022 and sired by Plumtree Fantastic, she was purchased for €4,400.

Roscommon breeder, Kevin Graham, was back in the ring with his heifer Liverpool Stella. Born in February 2021, Stella is a daughter Ampertaine Magnum and Liverpool Melanie; she sold for €3,500.

The next society sale will take place in Roscommon Mart on Saturday, May 20.