Texel sheep enthusiasts from far and near flocked to Carnaross Mart, Kells, Co. Meath, on Friday evening (December 29), for the annual North East Irish Texel Club’s Texel Twilight sale.
The sale of in-lamb pedigree-registered Texel hogget’s proved to be a successful event, with a 94% clearance rate of the 46 sheep catalogued for the sale. The average sale price was €1,238.
A pedigree registered Texel ewe lamb was also offered for sale on the night and it’s sale price of €550 as well as all other donations on the night was donated to SOSAD Ireland.
This ewe lamb was kindly donated by Patrick and Pearse Leonard (Glassdrummond Texels).
The top-priced entry came into the ring in the later-half of the sale, and sold for an impressive €4,500.
Auctioneer Rodney Windrum conducted the sale in Guineas so a commission rate of 5% applied to all lots.
Lot 38 from the pen of Pat and Barry Farrell from Tara, Co. Meath, took the top price on the night, and was purchased by Texel breeder James Dunne from Co. Cavan, who himself sold the second-highest priced lot on the night.
The top-priced gimmer from the Farrell’s Oberstown flock was sold, having been scanned 30 days in lamb to Lylehill Got Ewe.
The second-top price from the sale was lot 13, which hailed from the Kilduff Flock, belonging to Robert and James Dunne from Belturbet, Co. Cavan.
Selling for €4,400, this one was sold as having been scanned carrying twins and was described as “a real, smart, powerful ewe with exceptional Eurostars” and it took an intense round of bidding to determine whose flock would secure this in-lamb hogget.
Selling for €3,200 was lot 19, again from Pat and Barry Farrell. This hogget was scanned carrying twins to Lylehill Got Ewe.
There were a total of 10 different vendors in the sale from counties Cavan, Meath and Monaghan.