Large crowds of farmers and Texel sheep breed enthusiasts gathered at Carnaross Mart in Co. Meath, yesterday evening, Friday, December 30, for the North East Irish Texel Club’s annual Texel Twilight Sale.
The sale featured almost 70 in-lamb pedigree-registered Texel hoggets as well as a scanned pedigree Texel embryo for charity. 11 flocks exhibited in the sale from counties Cavan, Meath and Monaghan.
The sale kicked off shortly after 6:00p.m with auctioneer Rodney Windrum taking the bids in Guineas. The minimum bid in the sale was 500 Guineas.
1 Guinea = €1 + 5c commission.
The top price of the sale went to the Kilduff Flock by way of Lot 19 owned by Robert Dunne and exhibited by his son James Dunne from Belturbet, Co. Cavan.
The double five-star Everest-sired hogget was served on September 8 to Hilltop Golden Eye and sold as scanned in-lamb carrying twins. This lot made €5,100.
The second-top price of €4,400 went to a Texel hogget from the pen of Pat and Barry Farrell from Tara, Co. Meath.
Their Rhaeadr Entrepreneur-sired hogget was served to Hilltop Golden Eye and sold as scanned in lamb carrying a single lamb.
The Farrells’ Oberstown Flock always generates significant attention at the sale and took the top price at the 2023 event.
The annual Texel Twilight sale seen a 98% clearance rate with a record average sale price of €1,400 recorded on the night.
A charity fundraiser on the night seen the sale proceeds of a recipient ewe scanned in lamb donated to Embrace FARM. This lot was donated by Robert Dunne and made €1,500. There was also a raffle on the night with the proceeds from this also going to Embrace FARM.
The Dunne’s Kilduff Flock from Co. Cavan dominated the trade on the night with their 11 in-lamb hoggets averaging just over €2,972/head.
The Farrells’ Oberstown Flock also had an impressive sale average of just over €1,804 for their 11 in-lamb Texel hoggets exhibited on the night.
Some of the other flocks which exhibited on the night:
The sale included ewes with pedigrees containing “the top genetics of the Texel breed both in Ireland and the UK”, according to the sale organisers.
“Some of the top-performing sheep at both shows and sales over the past year came from flocks exhibited at this sale,” the organisers added.