The Irish Charolais Cattle Society hosted its elite heifer sale in Tullamore on Saturday, smashing a number of records. The average price rose to an all-time high of €5,300, with a 92% clearance rate. This is up €2,150 on the year, with the clearance rising by 25 percentage points. Of the three heifers through the ring that didn’t sell, two were withdrawn at €6,400 each.
Speaking after the sale, society secretary Nevan McKiernan said: “It was a great sale. I think the standard was reflected in the prices, with a couple over €10,000. You can see the prices commercial cattle are making every week. People are getting paid for Charolais cattle. We knew it was going to filter down to the pedigrees and now it clearly has.”
Goldstar Portia sold for €12,200. \ Tricia Kennedy
One of the prices over €10,000 that Nevan speaks of was a call of €13,200 for Ballymorrishill Prettypolly ET. This is the highest price paid for a heifer at the sale.
Destined to make a mark, the sale-topper was brought out by first-time exhibitor Paul Sheridan from Kilcogy, Co Cavan. She is sired by Aimable and out of one of the herd’s only two cows, Tobar Lila, who is a daughter of Inverlochy Gurkha. No stranger to success, this heifer won a string of rosettes in 2019, including reserve junior heifer champion at the society national finals in Tullamore. A number of interested parties quickly brought the heifer up to her selling price before auctioneer Tom Cox finally dropped the hammer to Co Down-based Claire Ferris.
This sale-topping price came directly after her full-sister Farmer Polly ET sold for a second five-figure sum, this time €10,200. This 20-month-old heifer was secured by the same buyer.
Speaking after the sale, an ecstatic Paul said: “We’re absolutely delighted. It was our first day at a sale and it went way above all expectations.”
Farmer Polly ET sold for €10,200 and was exhibited by Jack Sheridan. \ Tricia Kennedy
Record-breaking average of €5,300
These were two of four five-figure prices, with the other two paid for heifers from the Ryan family’s well-known Goldstar herd.
Top of these prices was €12,200 for Goldstar Portia. This 18-month-old daughter of Goldstar Ludwig is out of Goldstar Grace and also heads north of the border, this time to join Harry Heron’s Loughriscouse pedigree herd.
Just behind this, at €11,800, was Goldstar Paula ET. This Goldstar Echo daughter was born in January 2019 and is out of the same dam, Goldstar Grace. Paula was the pick of Colm and Louise Quinn who run the well-established Ballym herd in Edenderry.
These two heifers helped to boost the Goldstar average to an impressive €8,760 for five animals.
Adding to these, the Ryan family sold two full sisters, Goldstar Pearle ET at €8,000 and Goldstar Prada ET at €7,400. These were again sired by the aforementioned Goldstar Echo.
The dam behind the two was Goldstar Nightingale, a Tombapik daughter which goes back to the show cow Goldstar Falkland. Harry Heron again splashed out for Pearle, while Prada headed home with Stephen Crampton from Birr, Co Offaly.
The Ryans traded their final offering, Goldstar Pandora ET, for €4,600, a 14-month-old daughter of the French sire, Oscar.
Liscally Pretty Polly 1 ET sold for €8,500. \ Tricia Kennedy
Also hitting the high notes was Leitrim breeder Jon Regan, who sold his two heifers at €8,500 and €7,600. First up and taking the higher of the two prices was Liscally Pretty Polly 1 ET.
This February 2019-born heifer is a daughter of Domino and out of UK-bred cow Maerdy Entry, herself sired by Padraic. This heifer again headed north of the border, having been secured by Tyrone-based Peter McCaffery.
Liscally Pretty Polly ET sold for €7,600 and was exhibited by Jon Regan. \ Tricia Kennedy
Second offering
Jon’s second offering was Liscally Pretty Polly 4 ET, a daughter of the popular Goldstar Echo. This 14-month-old is out of the homebred Liscally My Fair Lady, a daughter of Balmyle Vagabond. She will now take up residence with Ronald Baker from Rathkeale, Co Limerick.
Securing a bid of €7,100 was Knockmoyle10 Oonagh ET from Clare-based Gerry Lynch. This in-calf heifer is a full sister to Dovea AI bull Knockmoyle10 Loki and was knocked down by Jimmy Kelly, Co Clare. Gerry also received a bid of €4,300 for Knockmoyle10 Orelia, a 24-month-old daughter of Fiston.
Fiston was also the sire behind Carrowbeg Olga which hit the market at €5,400. Bred and exhibited by Michael and Kevin Graham, Co Roscommon, she is out of a Goldstar Echo-bred dam and headed north with Tammy McCammond.
Just before that, Richard Nerney’s Windmill18 Oasis was knocked down at €5,300. This two-year-old heifer had a calving figure of just 3.6%, with her sire being Voimo and grandsire the easy-calving Blelack Digger. Heading west, she was the choice of Galway-based Stanley Clarke.
Matt and PJ Ryan from Co Tipperary traded their 23-month-old Kilvilcorris Ottie for €5,200. This high-index daughter of Blelack Digger and an Enfield Plexus-bred dam sold to the previously mentioned Ronald Baker from Co Limerick. Matt and PJ went on to sell all three of their offerings for a total sum of €13,500.
The final lot to hit the €5,000 mark was Drumbeera Patricia, sired by Goldstar Echo.
Exhibited by Thomas and Patrick Beirne from Co Leitrim, this 20-month-old heifer sold to Raymond Dallas from Northern Ireland.
Three of the four five-figure animals, along with six other lots, headed north from the sale.
Along with the quality on offer, much praise must be attributed to the society for enticing this demand.
Any Northern or UK buyers who secured cattle on Saturday had free transport, paid for by the Irish Charolais Cattle Society.
Seeing as over 25% of lots went north, the incentive is obviously working and is something other breed societies should look at, if they are not doing it already.
Read more
Watch: in-calf heifers hit €9,000 in Elphin on Martbids
Beef prices: chinks of light appearing in trade
Sheep price update: €5.50/kg to €5.60/kg hit more frequently
The Irish Charolais Cattle Society hosted its elite heifer sale in Tullamore on Saturday, smashing a number of records. The average price rose to an all-time high of €5,300, with a 92% clearance rate. This is up €2,150 on the year, with the clearance rising by 25 percentage points. Of the three heifers through the ring that didn’t sell, two were withdrawn at €6,400 each.
Speaking after the sale, society secretary Nevan McKiernan said: “It was a great sale. I think the standard was reflected in the prices, with a couple over €10,000. You can see the prices commercial cattle are making every week. People are getting paid for Charolais cattle. We knew it was going to filter down to the pedigrees and now it clearly has.”
Goldstar Portia sold for €12,200. \ Tricia Kennedy
One of the prices over €10,000 that Nevan speaks of was a call of €13,200 for Ballymorrishill Prettypolly ET. This is the highest price paid for a heifer at the sale.
Destined to make a mark, the sale-topper was brought out by first-time exhibitor Paul Sheridan from Kilcogy, Co Cavan. She is sired by Aimable and out of one of the herd’s only two cows, Tobar Lila, who is a daughter of Inverlochy Gurkha. No stranger to success, this heifer won a string of rosettes in 2019, including reserve junior heifer champion at the society national finals in Tullamore. A number of interested parties quickly brought the heifer up to her selling price before auctioneer Tom Cox finally dropped the hammer to Co Down-based Claire Ferris.
This sale-topping price came directly after her full-sister Farmer Polly ET sold for a second five-figure sum, this time €10,200. This 20-month-old heifer was secured by the same buyer.
Speaking after the sale, an ecstatic Paul said: “We’re absolutely delighted. It was our first day at a sale and it went way above all expectations.”
Farmer Polly ET sold for €10,200 and was exhibited by Jack Sheridan. \ Tricia Kennedy
Record-breaking average of €5,300
These were two of four five-figure prices, with the other two paid for heifers from the Ryan family’s well-known Goldstar herd.
Top of these prices was €12,200 for Goldstar Portia. This 18-month-old daughter of Goldstar Ludwig is out of Goldstar Grace and also heads north of the border, this time to join Harry Heron’s Loughriscouse pedigree herd.
Just behind this, at €11,800, was Goldstar Paula ET. This Goldstar Echo daughter was born in January 2019 and is out of the same dam, Goldstar Grace. Paula was the pick of Colm and Louise Quinn who run the well-established Ballym herd in Edenderry.
These two heifers helped to boost the Goldstar average to an impressive €8,760 for five animals.
Adding to these, the Ryan family sold two full sisters, Goldstar Pearle ET at €8,000 and Goldstar Prada ET at €7,400. These were again sired by the aforementioned Goldstar Echo.
The dam behind the two was Goldstar Nightingale, a Tombapik daughter which goes back to the show cow Goldstar Falkland. Harry Heron again splashed out for Pearle, while Prada headed home with Stephen Crampton from Birr, Co Offaly.
The Ryans traded their final offering, Goldstar Pandora ET, for €4,600, a 14-month-old daughter of the French sire, Oscar.
Liscally Pretty Polly 1 ET sold for €8,500. \ Tricia Kennedy
Also hitting the high notes was Leitrim breeder Jon Regan, who sold his two heifers at €8,500 and €7,600. First up and taking the higher of the two prices was Liscally Pretty Polly 1 ET.
This February 2019-born heifer is a daughter of Domino and out of UK-bred cow Maerdy Entry, herself sired by Padraic. This heifer again headed north of the border, having been secured by Tyrone-based Peter McCaffery.
Liscally Pretty Polly ET sold for €7,600 and was exhibited by Jon Regan. \ Tricia Kennedy
Second offering
Jon’s second offering was Liscally Pretty Polly 4 ET, a daughter of the popular Goldstar Echo. This 14-month-old is out of the homebred Liscally My Fair Lady, a daughter of Balmyle Vagabond. She will now take up residence with Ronald Baker from Rathkeale, Co Limerick.
Securing a bid of €7,100 was Knockmoyle10 Oonagh ET from Clare-based Gerry Lynch. This in-calf heifer is a full sister to Dovea AI bull Knockmoyle10 Loki and was knocked down by Jimmy Kelly, Co Clare. Gerry also received a bid of €4,300 for Knockmoyle10 Orelia, a 24-month-old daughter of Fiston.
Fiston was also the sire behind Carrowbeg Olga which hit the market at €5,400. Bred and exhibited by Michael and Kevin Graham, Co Roscommon, she is out of a Goldstar Echo-bred dam and headed north with Tammy McCammond.
Just before that, Richard Nerney’s Windmill18 Oasis was knocked down at €5,300. This two-year-old heifer had a calving figure of just 3.6%, with her sire being Voimo and grandsire the easy-calving Blelack Digger. Heading west, she was the choice of Galway-based Stanley Clarke.
Matt and PJ Ryan from Co Tipperary traded their 23-month-old Kilvilcorris Ottie for €5,200. This high-index daughter of Blelack Digger and an Enfield Plexus-bred dam sold to the previously mentioned Ronald Baker from Co Limerick. Matt and PJ went on to sell all three of their offerings for a total sum of €13,500.
The final lot to hit the €5,000 mark was Drumbeera Patricia, sired by Goldstar Echo.
Exhibited by Thomas and Patrick Beirne from Co Leitrim, this 20-month-old heifer sold to Raymond Dallas from Northern Ireland.
Three of the four five-figure animals, along with six other lots, headed north from the sale.
Along with the quality on offer, much praise must be attributed to the society for enticing this demand.
Any Northern or UK buyers who secured cattle on Saturday had free transport, paid for by the Irish Charolais Cattle Society.
Seeing as over 25% of lots went north, the incentive is obviously working and is something other breed societies should look at, if they are not doing it already.
Read more
Watch: in-calf heifers hit €9,000 in Elphin on Martbids
Beef prices: chinks of light appearing in trade
Sheep price update: €5.50/kg to €5.60/kg hit more frequently
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