This Easter Monday sees the complete clearance sale of Michael Sexton’s Mount Scott Limousin herd in Roscrea. The west Clare-based herd was established nearly 30 years ago, collecting a number of top accolades throughout the years.

Michael said: “I would’ve started the herd back in 1991. I liked the Limousin then. I had remembered when they were first imported and researched it a bit before I got into them. While many things have changed since then, one thing for sure is Limousin still remain number one for me.”

The herd initially began with the purchase of one Limousin cow from Liam Williams’ Poulnasherry herd in Kilrush.

French straws

“I started using French straws and I would’ve bred up from the first cow I bought. I ran her beside the dairy herd I had at the time. Then I got out of dairying in the late 1990s and expanded the Limousin herd a bit more. I went down to Kerry and bought off a man who was selling out. I bought his nine or 10 and a few other lots in other places as well.”

One of the first notable purchases the herd would’ve made was back in 1996 after a trip to the home of the breed, France.

“In 1996, I went on a trip to Limoges in France with a group of Limousin breeders. Throughout the trip, we visited a number of herds and saw a lot of progeny off a bull called Gamin. With a lot of advice from our expert group, I decided to buy Gamin.”

This bull went on to leave a remarkable legacy both within Michael’s herd and many others throughout the country through the use of AI. In 2002, Gamin went on to sire 19 first prize-winners, which included six senior and three junior champions.

With the importation of Gamin, the herd was quick to climb the ranks in the show and sale scene. Showing became the norm for Michael and in 2002 the Mount Scott herd reached the top tier of Limousin cattle breeding in Ireland when a homebred bull secured the overall champion title at the RDS spring show with Mount Scott Percy.

“Winning the RDS is definitely one of my biggest highlights. As well as the RDS, Percy won 30 red rosettes. Also, Mount Scott Tara was another of my animals that was unbeaten in her show career and sold at 20 months old for €10,400.”

The herd now uses 80% AI to make best use of the strong female lines on farm. Through the years bulls such as Dauphin, Villy, Highlander, Espor, Ideal 23 and Hawk were used. However, Michael commends some of the newer bulls on stream as it shows just how far the breed has come.

“People ask me about bulls. Sympa, Cerberus and Foreman, they are serious bulls. Anytime I bred off them on my cows they always did a good job. They are bulls I’ll always remember.”

Through selective breeding, aligning both phenotypic characteristics and pedigrees to suitable bulls, Michael has developed a herd of cows that is the envy of many not only in Ireland but throughout the UK. A testament to this is the awards the herd has accumulated throughout the years. Along with the many show and sale successes, the herd has triumphed in the Clare herds competition. In the last 10 years the herd has claimed best large herd on all but one occasion.

While taking a step back from the Limousin, Michael sees a very bright future for the breed in Ireland

“Breeders need to stay on top of their game going forward, the day of the middling animal is gone.

“You see it in every mart, in any breed, if you have good-quality cattle, it pays. But saying that the standard of Limousin cattle we have here in Ireland is second to none.

“The breed is in a very good place at the moment and our breeders and society need to be thanked for that. We have an excellent man inside there in Paul Sykes. I’m a member of a few different societies and the Limousin is up there with the best. You can see it yourself – the world conference held in Ireland, they really put on some show – you wouldn’t see it anywhere in the world.

“After my 27 years breeding I’ll definitely miss it, but my family are away and a fellow can’t stay at it forever. To keep this operation of 110 pedigree cattle going is no easy game so I’m looking forward to enjoying a few years. It’s time to move on to the next chapter.”

The Mount Scott clearance sale takes place Monday 2 April at 2pm and sees a total of 38 cows with calves at foot, four in-calf heifers, nine maiden heifers and 16 bulls go under the hammer.