While an emotional sale for the Simmental community, the Curaheen dispersal was met with flying trade standing as a further tribute to the late David Wall who dedicated the last 20 years of his life to making the Curaheen herd prefix one of the most prestigious throughout Ireland and the UK.

Founded in the early 1990s, the herd attained unrivalled success in the show and sale rings, setting numerous breed records along the way.

Making the day even more special for the Wall family was the fact that the herd continued its record-breaking ability for one last time in remembrance of the man who has driven the breed for the past two decades.

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One of the last lots into the ring, Auroch Hillary ET, went on to set a new Irish record price for a Simmental when sold for €26,000 to the Wood family, which runs the well-known Popes Simmental herd in Lancashire, England.

This January-born Hillcrest Champion daughter out of Raceview Misty-Jade had two bidders locked in before eventually smashing the previous male and female top prices. The female record title went back to before the euro was introduced when John Stone of the Milton herd achieved £20,000 for his heifer, while the male record of €20,000 is held by the Wall family for Curaheen Tyson, sold in 2006.

Just like the majority of the cattle in the sale, Hillary came with a proven pedigree, with her full brother Auroch Ace sold for the Tullamore society sale record price of €11,000, her half-brother Curaheen Whiskey sold for €17,000 and a half-sister, having bred Curaheen Bossman, now in Progressive Genetics.

While great for the breed as a whole when the hammer finally fell at €26,000, it can be said that the result was met with emotion as well as delight.

Hillcrest Champion was again behind Curaheen Cheyenne ET, who sold for the second top price of €18,000. This big stylish five-year-old was sold with her June bull calf at foot and found a new home in Co Monaghan with the O’Harte family.

Carrying five stars all the way down the catalogue, she is out of national prize winner Curaheen Washita. Her bull calf from the previous year Curaheen Gunshot sold directly after and was met with strong demand when he sold for €15,500.

Sired by Tiset Darwin P, this polled March 2015 bull found a new home with Dovea Genetics, which will further help in keeping the Curaheen name to the forefront of Simmental breeding in the future.

National prize winner

Curaheen Flame reached €17,000 when sold to John Murphy, who runs the Knockane herd in Co Waterford. Born December 2014, Flame was a national prize winner at Tullamore in 2015.

Sired by the €18,500 Curaheen Drifter, her dam is Curaheen Tatiana, who bred numerous prizewinners such as Curaheen Dakota, Curaheen Explosion and Auroch Bullet. Tatiana later sold for €4,800, again to the Wood family.

Curaheen Gilda, a November 2015 heifer who made her way into the ring after the record breaker, was next in the money at €10,500. Sired by Tiset Darwin P, she is out of Curaheen Via, a deep-bodied Hillcrest Jerome daughter who bred the €18,500 Curaheen Drifter. Michael Hogan from Co Carlow was the successful bidder, while the dam Via headed to Donegal at €7,200.

A further seven more animals made over €5,000. The highest of these was Curaheen Bright Eyes at €8,500. Sired by Carnkern Titan, she is out of proven breeder Raceview Merie-Beauty, a Raceview King daughter.

The successful bidder was John Tuohy, Co Clare, who also secured the Simmental bull championship at the Ploughing earlier in the week.

The O’Harte family were again back on the cards to pick up the mother of Auroch Eve, the Royal Highland show champion in 2015 and 2016. Another daughter of Merie-Beauty, this time crossed with Darsham Playboy, Auroch Wave met her reserve at €8,000.

Average

In what was described by many as the best Simmental sale seen in many years, all but one lot sold on the day to an average just shy of €4,200.

These animals have found new homes throughout Ireland as well as 16 being exported to Northern Ireland and across the water to the UK, to carry the Curaheen prefix on well into the future.