The recent Mayo Connemara Sheep Society and Mayo Mountain Blackface sale at Aurivo Mart, Ballinrobe, returned record prices. The top-priced hogget ram, bred by Stephen Grealis, Lettra, Ballycroy, Co Mayo, was purchased by Thomas Mulcrone, Newport, Co Mayo, for a record price of €1,300.

The ram had earlier claimed the title of champion hogget ram – the Bernard Grealis Memorial Cup – and overall sale champion. The third prize winner was owned by James Grealis, Ballycroy, and purchased by Sean Conway, Ballycroy, Co Mayo, for €1,200 – the second highest price at the sale.

The second prize winner, owned by John Ginty, Ballycroy, sold for €1,020 to Tony Masterson, Ballycroy, Co Mayo. The average price for hogget rams on the day was €510, with aged rams selling for an average of €420 and ram lambs selling for €180.

The Mayo Mountain Blackface show and sale of about 2,000 ewe lambs, hoggets and aged ewes also sold swiftly. Ewe lambs averaged €86/head, a significant increase on previous years, with sale prices ranging from a minimum of €50, to a top price of €130. Martin Kerrigan, Glentreague, Clonbur, Co Galway, claimed first prize in the ewe lamb show and sale for his pen of top-quality ewe lambs. Hoggets were also a vibrant trade, selling for an average of €123/head, with a range in price of €85-170/head. Helen O’Malley, Tourmakeady, claimed the best pen of ewe hoggets, while John McGing, Kinnuary, Killawalla, Westport, claimed the accolade of the best pen of mature. An entry of about 600 mature ewes sold from €60 for older ewes, to €130 for younger ewes, with an average price of €88.

Sales of Scottish Blackface sheep in recent weeks have been extremely active, with some mart managers and society members reporting a lift in demand. This is being boosted by a higher number of farmers crossbreeding and purchasing their replacements, and also by proposed changes to stocking rates required on commonages.