Brothers Kieran and Kevin Swift from Ballymoe in Co. Galway took home the top price at the Irish Blue Texel premier show and sale on Saturday (August 20).
Their ewe lamb – lot 63 ‘Swifts Fantasy’ – sold for a record-breaking price seen at an Irish Blue Texel sale of €3,050 and was swooped up by a UK-based breeder.
In the pre-sale show judge Brian Matthews – a well-known Beltex breeder – awarded male champion to Cashelview Frankie ET an embryo lamb from Martin McLaughlin Gleeneely, Co. Donegal, and a son of Saltire blues Derek. Frankie went on to make €2,220 in the sale.
Reserve male champion went to lot 38, Johnstown Fire Cracker, a son of Cleenagh Dominator and out of a homebred ewe by Powerful Bigbang. Shown by Francis and Jennifer Donohoe, in Collinstown Co. Westmeath, this young ram lamb sold for €940.
First prize-winning ram lamb Johnstown Farrell by Cooraclevin Doubleoseven, a ram purchased at the first Blue Texel premier sale two years ago and out of a powerful bred ewe, sold for €1,000.
Female and overall champion went to Cashelvew Frisky, who is a full sister to the male champion, who sold for €1,860.
Reserve female champion on the day was Limestone Fatima from John Walsh Ballintra Co. Donegal, again by Cooraclevin Doubleoseven and out of a powerful ewe – Fatima later sold for €920.
The top price on the day, as mentioned, went to the Swift brothers Kevin and Kieran, for lot 63, Swift’s Fantasy, a Derg Einstein daughter out of a Powerful ewe by the Dutch champion ram 609 and sold for €3,050.
First-prize winning shearling ewe was lot 16, Johnstown Ellie, by the home-bred ram Johnstown Dynamite out of a homebred ewe – she sold for €940 and her comrade lot 15, Johnstown Ellie sold for €960.
Shearling rams sold very well, with Donegal-native Robert Johnston selling his four shearlings for an average of €800.
Other leading prices on the day:
- Lot 9, Creggan Blues Everly bred by Robert Johnston sold for €1,060;
- Lot 65, Hurricane Fantastic bred by James Higgins sold for €1,000;
- Lot 70, Johnstown Foxy bred by Francis and Jennifer Donohoe sold for €900.
Dassenkops ‘on fire’
A selection of Dassenkop ram and ewe lambs were on offer the same day, with the ewe lambs making some cracking prices.
The Dassenkop ewe lambs were all by Dutch champion Magic Mike. Lot 99, Powerful Faketan, belonging to Philp Crowe from Co. Cavan sold for €2,000. Other notable prices were for lot 97 and lot 98, that sold for €1,200 and €1,000 respectively.