South of Ireland Branch Premier Show and Sale – Blessington 2020

Blackwater Ram Lamb sold for top price €6,500

Date: 1st August 2020

Auctioneer: JP and M Doyle

Judge: Campbell Watson, Bannview Flock

Blessington Mart was the venue for the South of Ireland Branch of the Suffolk Sheep Society’s Premier Show and Sale this year. To ensure all social distancing and Covid-19 directives and guidance were in place, the Society working closely with Blessington Mart, arranged for an outdoor sale with a portable sales ring and marquee on site.

With online and telephone bidding encouraged the sale was also well supported by breeders and farmers with an eye for commercial tups.  Just under half the ram lambs sold on Saturday went to commercial farmers typically buying in the €400 to €750 price range at an average price €558 for commercial lambs.

Pedigree trade also went well with 31 sheep getting 4 figure sums in the sale. The average pedigree price for ram lambs sold to the pedigree market was €1,330 with AJ and NAJ Robinson (Co Down) paying top price of €6,500 for Patrick O’Keeffe’s lot 41, a Castleisle Kilteskin Prince sired January born lamb out of a Birness Coulter sired Annakisha dam. Click here to view pedigree. Castleisle Kilteskin Prince was purchased at Stirling in 2019 for 20,000gns.

The hammer fell to R Tait (Co Donegal) at €3,000 for Seamus Browne’s (Co Donegal) 4^th placed lamb in the Open Ram Lamb Class. Sired by Limestone Gold Rush, this lamb is out of the Cairnton Eyecatcher sired Cairnton ewe.

John and Esther Gahan got over €2,000 for both their lots in the first ballot with D McCaughren (Co Antrim) paying €2,600 for the Limestone Aston Martin sired Recorded Class Reserve (lot 94) out of a Freightduff ewe sired by Rhaeadr The Real Mccoy. Wexford breeder, Michael O’Neill, bought lot 93 for €2,200, another Limestone Aston Martin sired lamb out of a Forkins Franko sired Barronstown bred ewe.  

Belgium breeder, F Collard, bought AJ and JA Lucas’ late December born lamb for €2,100 (lot 131). This Lakeview Jagermiester sired lamb is out of a Thurston Urastar sired Birness dam. The hammer fell to K Casey (Co Clare) at €2,000 for J and R Thornton’s lot 34, a Strathbogie A Kind of Magic sired lamb out of a Killyclug dam.

The top pen averages were JandE Gahan (Co Wicklow) with €1,825 for 4 sheep and S Browne (Co Donegal) with €1,125 with 6 sheep through the ring.

Top female price was J Hanly’s (Co Tipperary) 1^st place in the Shearling Ewe class (lot 9) going to R H Barkley and Son of Ballymena for €1,900. The second highest female was also a Hanly Shearling ewe going to Brian McDonnell of Co Mayo.

Bidding on Eamonn Duffy’s (Kells Flock) Supreme Champion ram lamb (lot 74) peaked at €22,000, but the sheep was not sold as it had not reached its expected reserve.

Clearance 62% with an average of €576

LOT NO.	FLOCK	PRICE IN EUROS	BUYER
41	BLACKWATER	6,500	AJ & N Robinson
112	ERRIGAL	3,000	R Tait
94	BARRONSTOWN	2,600	D McCaughren
93	BARRONSTOWN	2,200	M O’Neill
131	FINNVALE	2,100	F Collard
34	KILLYCLUG	2,000	K Casey
46	ANNAKISHA	1,800	G Conroy
114	ERRIGAL	1,700	T Feeney
170	BARRONSTOWN	1,700	PJ Howard
42	LIMEPARK	1,600	J Trimble
64	BEECHBROOK	1,500	R Sands
124	CONVOY	1,400	M McNally
150	BEECHBROOK	1,300	C Finnegan

SHOW RESULTS

Male and Supreme Champion

Lot 74 Eamonn Duffy

C46:20:03050 by Limestone T-Rex

Click here to view pedigree

Reserve Male and Overall Reserve Champion

Lot 46 Arthur O’Keeffe

R15:20:06089 by Castleisle Kilteskin Prince

Female Champion

Lot 24 Kenneth Bailey

HDC:20:00121 by Cairness Corker

Reserve Female Champion

Lot 16 James O’Connell

DBJ:20:02213 by Shannagh Synergy

Single Shearling Ewe

1^st Lot 9 J Hanly

G4:19:02544 by Limestone Lowry

2^nd Lot 8 Kenneth Bailey

HDC:19:00066 by Cairness Foremost

3^rd Lot 4 Coote Geelan

F56:19:01208 by Errigal Tubridy

Single Ewe Lamb

1^st Lot 24 Kenneth Bailey

HDC:20:00121 by Cairness Corker

2^nd Lot 16 James O’Connell

DBJ:20:02213 by Shannagh Synergy

3^rd Lot 19 David Quinlan

UHZ:20:01537 by Mullaghboy Goliath

Ram Lamb Sired by a SOI Bred Ram

1^st Lot 46 Arthur O’Keeffe

R15:20:06089 by Castleisle Kilteskin Prince

2^nd Lot 118 Mssrs Wilson

78A:20:06695 by Castleisle Kilteskin Prince

3^rd Lot 78 Susan O’Keeffe

BYD:20:02462 by Castleisle Kilteskin Prince

Novice Ram Lamb

1^st Lot 42 Philip Byrne

TJW:20:00024 by Strathisla Speed

2^nd Lot 91 B and G Doyle

UTX:20:00146 by Castleisle Capaldi

3^rd Lot 170 J and E Gahan

SKW:20:00531 by Ballynacannon Royal Flush

Recorded Ram Lamb Class

1^st Lot 136 Arthur O’Keeffe

R15:20:06082 by Castleisle Kilteskin Prince

2^nd Lot 94 J and E Gahan

SKW20:00546 by Limestone Aston Martin

3^rd Lot 97 J A Doherty

CFN:20:02960 by Strathbogie A Kind Of Magic

Open Ram Lamb

1^st Lot 74 Eamonn Duffy

C46:20:03050 by Limeston T-Rex

2^nd Lot 81 Andrew Wilson

DDX:20:01174 by Castleisle Capaldi

3^rd Lot 41 by Patrick O’Keeffe

NBK:20:06088 by Castleisle Kilteskin Prince

Gigot Class

1^st Lot 123 L and A Kilpatrick

PWW:20:00194 by Birness Hustler

2^nd Lot 137 Arthur O’Keeffe

R15:20:06091 by Castleisle Kilteskin Prince

3^rd Lot 149 Colin Watchorn

PXL:20:00549 by Crewelands Oscar

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