The Irish Charolais Cattle Society hosted a show and sale of pedigree Charolais bulls at GVM Tullamore Mart, Co. Offaly, on Saturday, November 2.

There were 95 bulls catalogued for the event but, according to the society, due to a number of home sales and a large double entry for an upcoming sale, this left 45 bulls on offer on the day, of which 30 sold.

The top price on the day was €7,100 and the average price for the sale was €4,006, which is on par with the same sale of last year, according to the society. 13 bulls were sold with a price tag of €4,000 or higher.

Topping the sale at €7,100 was Ballym U Prince, exhibited by Colm and Louise Quinn from Edenderry, Co. Offaly. This bull was sired by their stock bull Ballym Romeo and with Clyth Diplomat and Oldstone Egbert in the dam’s back pedigree.

The judge on the day was Gary Henderson from the Sandelford Charolais Herd in Bushmills, Co. Antrim.

Liscally Uranium was tapped forward as the Senior Champion in the pre-sale show and it was this bull that sold for the next highest price of the sale at €6,200.

Exhibited by Jon Regan from Co. Leitrim, the April 2023-born bull was sired by Ocean and out of a female bred by Doonally New.

The bull catalogued with a five-star terminal index of €147, a 4% calving difficulty and carried one copy of the F94L gene. He made his way North to his new home in Co. Antrim.

Hot on the heels at €6,100 was the second-prize winner from the second last class of the day, Limkiln Unite, exhibited by Co. Clare breeder Richard Hackett.

This September 2023-born bull is another son of the society’s bull Ocean and out of a home-bred dam by Pirate.

He catalogued with a five-star terminal index and terminal value of €180. He went home to a purchaser based in Co. Kildare.

The second-prize winner from class seven made the next highest price of €5,700. Inish Unrivaled was bought by a farmer in Co. Mayo and was exhibited by Louis McGonagle from Lifford in Co. Donegal.

The August 2023-born bull was sired by Neptune and out of a female by Fiston. He carried five stars for terminal index with one of the top terminal values of the sale at €183 and a 4.1% easy calving index.

Selling at €5,200 was the Junior Champion of the show, Clenagh2 Urban, exhibited by Barry Quinn from Co. Clare.

Also sired by the society-owned bull Ocean, he was out of home-bred dam Clenagh Royalty with Goldstar Ludwig as the maternal grand-sire.

He also carried five stars for terminal index and a calving index of 4.6%. This bull found a new home in Co. Laois.

Selling for €5,000 was the Reserve Junior Champion Carrigwood Uiseann 2. Exhibited by Thomas Kilmartin from Co. Offaly, he was sold to a breeder in Co. Limerick.

Sired by Drumcullen Nevada 2 and with Whitecliffe James as the maternal grand-sire, he also had a five-star terminal index of €167 and a calving difficulty of just 2.6%. The bull carried one copy of the F94L gene.

Other top prices on the day included:

  • €4,800 for Tawny Unsung Hero exhibited by Ciaran Daly from Co. Leitrim;
  • €4,600 for Cattanview Utopia exhibited by Tim Higgins from Co. Leitrim;
  • €4,300 for Caltun Utrillo exhibited by Maria and Martin Calvey from Co. Mayo;
  • €4,100 for Cattanview Ulysses exhibited by Tim Higgins from Co. Leitrim;
  • €4,100 for Pottlereagh Ugene exhibited by Patrick Hughes from Co. Cavan;
  • €4,000 for Baurnafea Ulick exhibted by John Bambrick from Co. Kilkenny;
  • €4,000 for Ballym U King exhibited by Colm and Louise Quinn from Co. Offaly.

Reserve Senior Champion Larahill Urban Cowboy (et) sold with a price tag of €3,500 to a farmer in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway.

Bred off the society’s bull Jupiter and with Doonally New as the maternal grand-sire, he was exhibited by John O’Connor from Mullingar in Co. Westmeath.

The Irish Charolais Cattle Society thanked the judge Gary Henderson as well as the stewards, Tullamore Mart, the exhibitors and purchasers.