The Irish Limousin Cattle Society’s annual bank holiday premier show and sale took place at Roscrea Mart on Monday, October 30.
The auctioneer on the day was George Candler and judging cattle in the the pre-sale show was renowned commercial producer Gareth Corrie.
There was a clearance rate of 87% for bulls and 55% for the heifers that were offered in the sale.
Seven cattle from the sale were purchased by customers from the UK and Northern Ireland. Bulls ranged in price from €2,900 to €16,500 with an average price of €5,144.
The heifers on offer ranged from €2,400 to €6,100 with an average price of €3,760.
Top-price bull
Lot 62, Carrefour Turbo from John Kenny, Dunkerrin, Co. Offaly, was tapped forward as junior champion in the pre-sale show and went on to take the top price of €16,500.
Turbo is a son of Derrygullinane Kingbull and the Wilodge Cerberus dam Carrefour Madonna, his full brother was a first-prize winner at the premier show and sale last year.
Mayo-bred Derrygullinane Kingbull is producing offspring that are commanding top placings at shows, including the Junior Championships at the noted Royal Welsh show.
Carrefour Turbo boasts five-star indexes in terminal, docility, carcass weight, and carcass conformation. A leading pedigree and commercial producer acquired the bull.
Sean Ryan of the Sliabh Felim herd, Cappamore, Co. Limerick presented Lot 77, an outstanding Damona-sired Sliabh Felim Toddy.
Standing second in his class, Toddy took the second-highest price of the day when the gavel fell at €8,800.
This young bull is very well related, with his dam a full sister to Sliabh Felim Sterling standing in Dovea AI.
His grand-dam Sliabh Felim Jenny is also dam to the 2019 top-priced bull Sliabh Felim Mourinho, a herd sire to the highly-regarded Maraiscote herd of the Nimmo family in Scotland.
Mourinho is proving his credentials with a son sold at the recent Sterling bull sale for 9,000gns. Toddy is heading to an established pedigree herd in the south-east.
Lot 86 Baileys Trump ET was the reserve junior champion selling for €8,600. This 13-month-old bull was bred by Thomas Bailey, Batterstown, Co. Meath.
Trump is a son of Wilodge Vantastic and Baileys Norma Et, a daughter of Goldies Jackpot and Roundhill Vjoyeuse 820 Et, a granddam that needs no introduction – she is the dam of world congress and national show champion, Baileys Ice Princess.
Trump has proved himself in the show ring taking the junior male champion sash at this year’s national show. Trump was purchased by a UK-based customer.
Lot 41 was tapped out as the reserve senior champion. Ballyline Thomas sold for €8,200 and is also heading to the UK.
April-2022-born Thomas was bred by Bertie Mannion, Athlone, Co. Roscommon.
He is a son of Mereside Godolphin and like the reserve junior champion, his dam Ballyline Norma is also sired by Goldies Jackpot. Thomas has five-star indexes in replacement, terminal, docility, carcass weight and carcass conformation.
Lot 91 Bracken Tick Tok ET also breached the €8,000 mark and was second-prize winner.
13-month-old Tick Tok is a son of the aforementioned Derrygullinane Kingbull, and the Sympa daughter Esker-Hill Karen Et.
Tick Tok was bred by Padraig Gormley, Carrigallen, Co. Leitrim. No stranger to success, Tick Tok won the Reserve Junior Male Champion at Tullamore Show.
Lot 25, Ballybrown Toby ET was the senior champion selling for €7,300. Toby was the overall male champion at this year’s national show.
Born in March 2022, Toby was bred by Bobby O’Connell, Clarina, Limerick. He is a son of Ampertaine Foreman and the Elite Ice Cream dam Roundhill Punanime 1945 Et.
Toby has five-star indexes in terminal, carcass weight, and carcass conformation.
Teleri Thomas from Longwood, Co. Meath sold her April-2022-born bull Keltic Tinder for €7,000. Tinder is a son of homebred bull the renowned OKH – Keltic Handsome and the Kaprico Eravelle daughter Keltic Nepeta.
Tinder came to the ring as one of the highest-index bulls of any beef breed on replacement index with a value of €209. Tinder placed fourth in his class in the pre-sale show.
Third prize winner Ernevalley Topnotch realised a selling price of €6,800 for his breeder Eddie Lynch, Loughduff, Cavan.
Topnotch is a son of Loyal and the Ampertaine Majestic daughter Ernevalley Partygirl Et. Boasting five-star indexes in most traits, 16-month-old Topnotch was one of nine bulls presented by the Ernevalley herd.
First-prize winner Clonlara Todd sold for €6,200. Todd is a son of Plumtree Fantastic and the Neuf daughter Clonlara Irish Rose.
Todd came to the ring with five-star indexes in terminal, carcass weight, and carcass conformation. Todd was bred by Colin Hogg of Clonlara, Clare.
Lot 65 also realised €6,200. Mullary Tomato from Michael Molloy, Dunleer, Co. Louth. Tomato is a Tomschoice Lexicon, he boasts an array of five-star ratings coupled with +5.4 for daughter milk.
Lot 28, the second bull on offer from Bobby O’Connell was Ballybrown Turbo selling for €6,000.
This April-2022-born bull is a son of Plumtree Fantastic. He placed second in his class in the show ring.
Limousin heifers
Heifers on the day sold for an average price of €3,760, with a clearance rate of 56%.
Taking the reserve female champion title was Carrickmore Sasha ET from the herd of John and Karol Connell, Oldcastle, Co. Meath.
Sasha is an in-calf daughter of Sympa and Carrickmore Miss Dynamite Et, a daughter of the renowned Baileys Iceprincess.
Sasha came to the ring with a replacement index of €104 and a terminal index of €151. She found a new home for €6,100.
The second prize winner Meelickaduff Take On Me sold for €5,500. Take On Me is a daughter of Plumtree Fantastic and the Ampertaine Elgin dam Meelickaduff Rinka.
This yearling heifer was bred by Michael Hester, Castlerea, Roscommon. Take On Me is the reigning North West Calf Champion 2023 and Overall Limousin Champion at Elphin and Castlerea for 2023.
Female champion Clontown Stooki realised €5,200. Stooki has Ionesco, Wilodge Vantastic and Sympa in her sire stack.
Her maternal grand dam is the renowned Haltcliffe Avon (a consistent breeder of show winning cattle). Stooki was bred by Stephen Treanor, Scotstown, Monaghan. She had a very successful show season.
Upcoming Limousin sales
The next Irish Limousin Cattle Society sale will be held at Athenry Mart, Co. Galway on Saturday December 9. The catalogue will be available in mid-November.
This month, the Clare Limousin club is holding a pedigree heifer sale at Sixmilebridge Mart on Friday evening, November 17.
Also in the west of Ireland, the Cavelands herd is holding a reduction sale of all 2022-born females at Tuam Mart, Co. Galway, on Saturday, November 18.
The North West Limousin club will host its annual elite heifer sale at Elphin Mart on Monday, December 4.