The Suffolk Sheep Society South of Ireland held its premier show and sale on Monday (July 25) at Blessington Mart.
A large selection of sheep was placed before judges Mr. John Gibb, of the renowned Cairnton Flock in Scotland, and commercial breeder Mr. Jim Corrigan, who was on hand to judge the gigot class.
Taking supreme champion of the show was a ram lamb from the Finnvale Flock of Andrew and Jonathan Lucas from Co. Donegal.
This stylish son of Salopian Pure Gold (brother to the record-breaking 200,000gns Solid Gold) and a Shannagh Ewe, had been previously tapped out by John Gibb as winner of the open class before lining up in the Championship.
While the champion was unsold, the Lucas’ went on to sell a first-prize pen of three ram lambs for €2,800, €2,600 and €2,600 respectively.
Taking reserve champion in the pre-sale show was a Rookery Rebel-sired ram lamb from Darragh McMenamin’s Mullinvale Flock. McMenamin sold another Rookery Rebel-sired ram lamb for €2,500 to a buyer in Italy.
Topping the sale was local breeder Colin Watchorn’s Limestone Gold Rush-sired ram lamb, which was snapped up by Alistair Barkley for €5,200.
This ram will join the Blackbrae Flock in Northern Ireland. He had been placed second in the novice class behind an animal from the Donegal-based Doherty Bros, who had claimed the red rosette with their Malinhead Rossi-sired lamb.
Other top prices on the day included Richard Wilson’s Shannagh lamb who was second in the ram sired by a South of Ireland-bred ram class. Sired by Kells T-Rex (the 2020 Premier Champion), this ram was purchased by Richard Thompson for €3,700 while another ET brother sold to Mark Priestley for €2,700.
First in this class was a Ballinatone BT Buddy-sired ram from Patrick O Keeffe’s Blackwater Flock. This ram sold for €2,000 to the Walker Family. In the Errigal pen, a January-born The Views Unknown Legend-sired lamb topped the prices at €2,000.
Westport-based Michael Hastings’ flock, Western Suffolks, had a Strathbogie Joel-sired lamb sell for €2,100, after he had placed 4th in the novice class. In the shearling class, John Hanly’s Oakbridge Oscar-sired ram took the top spot selling for €900.
In the female classes, Andrew Smith’s stylish Cloontagh Chieftan-sired ewe took the red rosette in the shearling class and went on to sell in the ring for €1,200.
Top honours in the ewe lamb class went to Colin Watchorn’s Beechbrook Flock. This Limestone Gold Rush ewe lamb went on to take female champion of the show with Andrew Smith’s shearling claiming the reserve spot.
Topping the shearling prices at €1,400 was the Leitrim-based Loughrynn Flock of Coote and Trevor Geelan with its January-born Crewelands Drifter-sired gimmer, which placed third in her class.
Andrew Smith’s second-prize ewe lamb by Kells Wingman topped the females, selling for €2,000 to Northern Ireland breeder Dennis Taylor.
Export trade
A number of sheep were exported to Northern Ireland and Europe from the sale but the export trade was down significantly on the record-breaking 2021 figures. This can be put down to a number of factors, including increased transportation costs.
Commercial trade accounted for 50% of all ram sales and these animals recorded an average of €706, marginally down on last years prices.
Although the amount of rams sold into the commercial sector was down slightly on 2021, which was due in part to the early date of the sale, a number of buyers were filling their orders early to avail of the large selection on offer, the society said. The overall average for the sale was €1,030.
The society said that many new breeders took part in this year’s sale and that it was encouraging to see so many younger breeders getting involved in pedigree breeding.