The South of Ireland branch of the Suffolk sheep society hosted its premier sale in Blessington over the weekend, with many people leaving the sale in shock.

While a highly successful day for some breeders, with prices reaching as high as €6,500, the refusal of a big figure was the real talk of the place.

Meath breeder Eamonn Duffy exhibited rams from his successful Kells flock which led to one being tapped out as supreme champion in the pre-sale show. This son of Limestone T-Rex out of a Shannagh-bred ewe was the ram of choice for judge Campbell Watson.

Watson wasn’t the only person in the yard who had the Kells ram as first pick, as once the ram entered the sales ring he quickly rose to a five-figure sum. Two interested parties ringside eventually brought the ram up to his finishing price of €22,000.

However, the crowd was left shocked when Duffy turned down the very substantial bid, letting the champion leave the ring unsold. It’s understood that negotiations took place after the sale but no deal was struck.

The trade, which had started well, eased considerably for a number of lots after the refusal of the offer for the champion. Overall clearance rate was back from 75% last year to just over 58% this year, however numbers present were up. In total, 45 of the 59 ram lambs which left unsold entered the ring after the champion.

While clearance was back, there were still highs, with 25 rams coming into four-figure prices. A further five female lots also hit this benchmark.

Top price

Topping the trade with a call of €6,500 was a January-born ram lamb from Patrick O’Keeffe’s Blackwater flock outside Mallow in Cork. This was one of the first sons offered at auction from stock ram Castleisle Kilteskin Prince who was purchased in a syndicate for 20,000gns last year. This lamb stood third in the open class to the day’s champion.

Patrick’s father Arthur O’Keeffe exhibited the day’s reserve male and reserve supreme champion from his Annakisha flock. This young ram is another son of the aforementioned Kilteskin Prince, while the dam line goes back to a full sister to the successful Annakisha Apache. This stylish ram met his reserve at €1,800.

Taking home the second top price of the day was a ram lamb from Seamus Browne’s Errigal flock which sold for €3,000. The son of the 23,000gns Limestone Gold Rush is out of a Cairnton-bred ewe which was purchased for 5,000gns.

Good day

John and Esther Gahan of the Barronstown flock in Co Wicklow had a very good day, selling their two top rams for over €2,000. Securing a price of €2,600 was a twin ram sired by the 2019 sire of the year Limestone Aston Martin which was sold for 40,000gns. The Gahans’ second ram secured a price of €2,200. This January-born single ram was also sired by Aston Martin, this time out of a homebred dam by Forkins Franko.

Messrs Lucas’s Finnvale flock were next in line, with their top ram selling for €2,100. This son of Lakeview Jagermiester is out of the best ewe in the flock, having already bred a premier sale champion.

Just behind this was a call of €2,000 for one of the first ram lambs into the ring. This one came from Jeffrey and Robert Thornton of the Killyclug flock. Sired by Straghbogie A Kind Of Magic, he was out of a Birness Bacardi-bred ewe. Selling directly after him was his twin brother which fetched €1,000.

Females

The females got the sale under way, with a ready demand for better-quality lots. Topping the female section was the first-prize-winning shearling ewe which sold for €1,900. Bred and exhibited by John Hanly of the Noan flock, she is a daughter of Limestone Lowry and out of a Forkins Franko-bred dam.

Hanly also bred the second-top-priced ewe at €1,200. This one is a direct daughter of Franko and out of a Freighduff-bred ewe by Cairness Gold Rush.

Securing the female championship was Kenneth Bailey with a ewe lamb from his Lismurthagh flock based in Co Roscommon. This stylish ewe was sired by the 20,000gns Cairness Corker with the dam out of Cairness X-Factor. The champion met her reserve and left the ring at €1,100.

Standing second in the ewe lamb class and eventually reserve female champion was a sheep from James O’Connell’s Knockogan flock. This single sheep born in January 2020 was sired by Shannagh Synergy and sold for €950.

Jeffrey and Robert Thornton were back in the money when they sold two ewe lambs for €1,000 each. First up was a daughter of Birness Bacardi while the second was a Straghbogie A Kind of Magic daughter.