The annual Black Beauties Suffolk female sale met spectacular demand on Saturday in Blessington Mart, leading to a new record sale average and a highly impressive clearance rate of 93% of the 91 females on offer. The average price recorded across was €1,962, with hogget ewes averaging €1,927 and ewe lambs €2,371. There were lots of high prices, with hoggets selling to a top of 6,000gns (€7,160) and ewe lambs to 7,500 (€8,950).
The trade was underpinned by excellent competition, with strong domestic breeder demand competing with a strong contingent of buyers from Northern Ireland and keen interest from across Europe.
Flurry of bids
Auctioneer Tom Doyle was busy with online and ringside interest and a flurry of bids for choice lots. The hammer fell at 6,000gns (€7,160) on two occasions, with Andrew and Richard Wilson’s lot 42 and Arthur and Patrick O’Keeffe’s lot 49 sharing the accolade of top price in the hogget section.
Lot 42 was described as an outstanding daughter of the 11,0000gns Shannagh Resolve, with strong pedigree throughout. Her dam was sired by the 40,000gns Limestone Aston Martin, while she sold scanned carrying twin lambs to Castleisle Dancing Brave, supreme champion at the South of Ireland Premier 2025, where he sold for 9,000gns. After a flurry of bids she was knocked down to J&L Doyle from Tyrone.
Lot 49 from Arthur and Patrick O’Keeffe’s Annakisha Flock was a powerful daughter of the 10,000gns Blackbrae AB President, who sired the supreme champion at South of Ireland Premier in 2023, selling for 20,000gns. She also had plenty of pedigree to boast. Her dam is a daughter of the great stockram, Ballinatone BT Buddy, who has sired the supreme champion at the South of Ireland Championships 2024 and 2025. She sold scanned carrying a single to the 11,000gns Limestone Dream Maker, to Owen Doran of the Drumgowna Flock.
High prices
The Wilson’s flock also received 5,000gns (€5,965) for another full sister to their lead gimmer. She was scanned carrying twins to Limestone Dream Maker, purchased for 11,000gns at the Northern Ireland Premier this year. Signing the cheque for this quality ewe were Sean and Jim Gahan of the Barrowlands Flock.
Third highest price for the Wilsons was a Kells T-Rex daughter out of a Lakeview Armani dam. She sold carrying twins to Malinhead Cannonball, who sired the Supreme Champion at South of Ireland Premier in Blessington this year. She is joining the renowned Limestone Flock of Mark Priestley.
An embryo transfer daughter of Claycrop Classy Boy with a Castleisle Kilteskin Prince dam was knocked down to Michael Hastings of Western Suffolks for 4,000gns (€4,772). She was sold carrying twins to Limestone Dream Maker. The Wilsons enjoyed a fantastic day’s trading, with their 20 gimmers forward averaging €2,540. The O’Keeffes also had two other daughters of Blackbrae AB President selling at 3,000gns each (€3,580). The first, a double five-star, was scanned carrying twins to Limestone Dream Maker selling to Eamonn Duffy of the Kells Flock and the second, scanned carrying twins to Blackbrae Dropdead Gorgeous, to Jimmy Screene of the Windfield Flock. Arthur and Patrick O’Keeffe recorded a pen average of €2,005.
Also receiving 3,000gns (€3,580) were JJ and Martin Doherty of the Malinhead Flock when they sold their double five-star Limestone Aldaniti-sired gimmer scanned carrying twins to Duncan’s Cantona, sire of the 13,000gns reserve champion at South of Ireland Premier this year, to new breeder Edward Buckley of Kilbarry Suffolks. Malinhead enjoyed a pen average of €1,935 for their gimmers.
Dennis Taylor’s lead sired by Limestone Springbok is packing her bags for an overseas trip, having being purchased for by a breeder in Portugal. Dennis’s pen of gimmers sold to average €1,544.
The Finnvale flock also enjoyed a super trade, with their pen averaging €1,622. While newcomer to the sale Derek Baskin also enjoyed a successful day, with his pen averaging €1610.
Ewe lambs
Topping the ewe lambs trade was a strong, smart ewe lamb from the Malinhead Flock of JJ and Martin Doherty. Sired by Crewelands Dancing Brave she is from the most successful family in their flock. She sold for 7,500gns (€8,950) to a breeder in Belgium.
