Based in Ballyfin, Co. Laois, Garrett and Lyndsey Behan are set to host a special sale of heifers, bulls and embryos from their renowned Clonagh Herd. The timed auction will run from February 10-13.
This year, they have teamed up with MartEye, Mid Tipp Mart in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, and Harrison and Hetherington (H and H) Borderway Mart in Carlisle, Scotland.
The sale marks H and H’s first venture in the Republic of Ireland.
H and H auctioneer James Little has said “the reputation of the Clonagh Herd and the exceptional strength of the H and H-approved UK customer following could make this a record-breaking sale”.
The Clonagh Herd made the headlines both at home and further afield a little over three years ago when one of its Simmental bulls – Cloonagh Lucky Explorer – sold for an impressive €52,000.
This year’s sale will be titled ‘Valentine’s Vixens’ and speaking to Agriland ahead of the event, Garrett Behan said: “Our sale will comprise of 50 lots made up of 36 females, 12 bulls and two frozen embryos.”
Heifers
Of the 36 pedigree females presented in the sale, there are 23 Simmental, 10 Limousin and three Charolais animals.
Included in the sale is a National Calf Champion, sisters of champions, daughters of champions and two full sisters of the €52,000 bull, Clonagh Lucky Explorer.
Of the 10 Limousin heifers on offer, eight are by Tomschoice Lexicon, a bull which Garrett said he “has been delighted with” over the past two seasons.
“Not only are his progeny oozing with shape and style, they are without a doubt the most docile Limousin cattle we have ever worked with,” said.
“There are three Charolais heifers for sale, the first we have ever offered from the herd,” he added.
“They go back to our two foundation females, Goldstar Beatrix and Castlemartin Rachel.”
Bulls
Of the 12 bulls entered in the sale, seven are Simmentals, three are Limousin, one is a Charolais and one is a hybrid bull.
The hybrid bull is by Clonagh’s senior herd sire Manor Park Handsome out of an extremely muscly Limousin cow, Clonagh Lyndsey Babe.
In 2022, the Clonagh Herd took home a grand total of 26 rosettes from the 18 cattle that the herd had turned out at the Tullamore Show.
Commenting on the bulls on offer, Garrett said: “We feel we have a special one in Lot 37 Clonagh Noddy. This bull has the stamp of his father Handsome, if not a touch better, and comes from a cracking Banwy T-Rex cow.”
Clonagh Herd embryos
The two frozen embryo offerings are from Clonagh Gold Card and Cloneygowan Temptress Posh, making them full embryo-transfer siblings to both the Overall Senior Female Simmental Champion of the Year, 2022 and the Overall Junior Female Simmental Champion of the Year, 2022, Clonagh Majestic Trixie and Clonagh Nymphette Posh ET.
All bulls will be fertility tested prior to collection and Clonagh Herd is offering the option for all bulls sold to remain on farm until April 1, 2023.
The event is an online sale and Garrett and Lyndsey said they have placed “the highest emphasis on the videos of the cattle for sale with as many angles given as possible”.
Photographs of dams, siblings and sires are available on the Clonagh Herd website and social media platforms for as many lots as possible.