Last weekend (Saturday, September 10), Bluefaced Leicesters from all parts of the country ascended on the annual Ballinrobe sale in Co. Mayo.
Judging the sale was Shannon O’Kane from the Mullaghwee flock in Co. Antrim. She found her champion in the first-prize ram lamb exhibited by John Morahan of the Woodview Farm Flock.
This powerful and coloured lamb sold for €2,050 and went to new breeder Charlie Tector.
The reserve champion title went to the first-prize ewe lamb exhibited by Paul Sammon of the Firmount Flock. This sheep was bred by N001 Drummuck, a ram with great influence in the Firmount Flock presently.
She sold for €800 to Shane O’Haire of the Uilliam Flock.
Other leading prices were found in the shearling pen of Tom Staunton, Maskview where a shearling bought last year as a lamb from Dominic McCrystal, P011 Drummuck sold for €1,600.
Danbywiske Limited Maskview’s top lamb R001 by N009 Temain sold for €2,050 to the flock of George Love in Donegal.
Aidan Killeen of the Ballinchalla Flock enjoyed an excellent trade in the aged and shearling ram class, selling his two shear tup N001 by a homebred M002 for €1,900 and a shearling P001, again by a homebred M001, for €1,600.
Joe Scahill of the Faughburren flock sold his R003 lamb by Temain N009 to Johnny Paterson’s Golard flock in Co. Donegal for €1,900.
Leonard Fawl of the Parkalough Flock sold his R002 ram lamb, bred by N003 Starbog, for €1,650 to Peter Ward.
Overall, aged and shearling rams averaged €976 for 38 sold, ram lambs averaged €704 for 81 sold and emales averaged €421 for 16 sold.
Leading flock averages from the sale
Who got how much and for what?
Aged and shearling rams:
- Tom Staunton, Maskview €1,480 for five sold;
- Aidan Killeen, Ballinchalla €1,466 for three sold;
- John Morahan, Woodview farm €1,320 for one sold;
- Jonathan Wall, Clogher €1,250 for one sold;
- Kieran and Patrick McGrath, Caoramor €1,225 for two sold;
- Richard Staunton, Hillview Farm €1,025 for two sold.
Ram lambs:
- Joe Scahill, Faughburren €1,140 for three sold;
- John Morahan, Woodview Farm €986 for five sold;
- Tom Staunton, Maskview €971 for seven sold;
- Leonard Fawl, Parkalough €930 for three sold;
- Kieran and Patrick McGrath, Caoramor €926 for five sold.
Females:
- Tom Staunton, Maskview €600 for one sold;
- Paul Sammon, Firmount €590 for three sold.