The Midland and Western Livestock Improvement Society held its annual Carrick Christmas Belles production sale from the Enniscrone and Clew Bay flocks on Thursday 28 December.

This year’s sale saw 54 pedigree Texel ewes and seven embryo transfer (ET) recipients go under the hammer. Trade was brisk, with a 100% clearance for the third consecutive year.

Buyers travelled from as far away as Kilkenny to purchase stock. The average price was up on last year’s sale at €785/ewe, with seven lots breaking the €1,000 barrier.

The top price went to the Enniscrone flock for lot 29, a February 2016 hogget by Shanngah Won O Won. This hogget, which was part of Ronan Gallagher’s show team in 2017, was off a Strathbogie Terminator-bred ewe.

This line has consistently produced the goods at sale, with two of her full sisters also topping the sale in previous years. She sold scanned carrying twin lambs by Plasucha A Class, who was purchased at Lanark for £3,360.

After a flurry of bids, she was eventually knocked down to Paddy Morrissey, Ballintaggart, Callan, Co Kilkenny, at €3,400.

Next highest price was lot 17, another ewe from Gallagher’s Enniscrone flock. This February 2016 ewe was also by Shannagh Won O Won and out of an Enniscrone Uncle Jerry-bred ewe.

This stylish ewe’s full sister was heavily involved in the successful show career the flock had throughout the summer. Her maternal brothers have also reached heights of €2,600.

She was again served by Plasucha A Class and was scanned carrying twins. She was knocked down at €2,800 to Liam Browne, Listillion, Letterkenny, Co Donegal.

The third top price went to lot 18, a Stainton Vantage II daughter out of a Tamnamoney Ned ewe. This ewe was scanned carrying twins to Garrigour Aerosmith due in March 2018. She was knocked down to Ben Kelly, Borefield, Strokestown, Co Roscommom.

Following that, lot 30 another Shannagh Won O Won daughter, which was a full sister to the top price ewe at the sale, made €1,900.

This ewe is a full sister to Enniscrone Yuval, reserve champion at Blessington 2016, and sold for €2,000. Her dam, WWB 1300469, is the Enniscrone flock’s noted Blackstown ewe that was purchased at the Northern lights sale in 2014. This ewe was scanned carrying a single to Plasucha A Class.

Three more full ET sisters to this notable ewe then sold for €1,750, €1,400 and €950 respectively.

GAI 16053 sold to Patrick Friel, Kerrykeel, Co Donegal. This one secured the €1,750 bid, selling scanned with twins to Plasucha A Class.

Aidan Deegan, Thurles, Co Tipperary, secured the second top of the lots at €1,400. This ewe, GAI 16050, again sold scanned with twins to Plasucha A Class.

And the last ET sister sold at €950 to Ben Kelly, Strokestown, Co Roscommon. She was carrying a single to Plasucha A Class.

The top-priced entry from the Clewbay flock went to lot 23, another Shannagh Won O Won daughter going back to Enniscrone Playboy.

This January 2016 ewe was scanned in lamb carrying twins to Darrylahan Ware Wolf, due in February 2018. She was knocked down at €1,850 to Liam Browne, Listillion, Letterkenny, Co Donegal.

The Enniscrone flock also offered four recipients with Suffolk ET lambs at foot. They generated a lot of interest, with the top lot selling at €620 to Michael and Marie Jennings from the well-known Ballygarris flock in Hollymount, Co Mayo.

Overall, the Enniscrone flock averaged €1,055 for 27 ewes and seven recipients carrying embryos averaged at €607. The Clewbay flock sold their 25 lots for an average of €702.

Texels sell to €2,200 at twilight sale in Cootehill

Station Road Mart, Cootehill, was the venue for this year’s North Eastern Texel Club twilight sale of 64 pedigree Texel in-lamb ewes.

This is the second year for this sale to take place and it has become an important date in the Texel pedigree sale calendar.

The sale achieved an almost 100% clearance, with 62 out of the 63 ewes offered for sale sold to an average of €737/ewe. This was up from €712 on the previous year, with a further three ewes sold.

The Co Meath Oberstown flock of Pat and Barry Farrell had a very successful night, selling six ewes and one ewe lamb to average €1,650/head. Leading their pen and indeed the sale was lot 30, a daughter of the 85,000gns Cornmore Velvet Jacket. She sold in lamb to Arkel A One, the reserve champion at Lanark last year when bought for 4,500gns. She was knocked down at €2,200. The Farrell flock also topped the sale last year, selling seven for €1,580, with a top of €2,130.

The next-highest price also came from the Oberstown flock. Lot 61, a Proctors Ventura daughter, sold in-lamb carrying twins to Strathbogie Yabba Dabba Do who was bought for 10,000gns. She was knocked down at €2,000.

The duo also sold lot 59, another Cornmore Velvet Jacket ewe scanned with twins to Strathbogie Yabba Dabba Do lambing in February for €1,720.

Monaghan man Charles Clarke Junior took the next-highest price with his ewe sired by the 2016 Irish senior champion Hillcrest Topshot going back to Ballynahone Nectar. She sold for €1,540 to Liam, Justin and Fergal McDermott, Killeshandra, Co Cavan, to join their expanding pedigree Texel flock.

A special entry on the night from the Farrell family was lot 35, a ewe lamb which saw the proceeds going to the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association. This ewe achieved a price of €1,360. The dam of this ewe is a full sister to the top-priced hogget sold at the twilight sale in 2016. Her sire is Kildowney Victorious, purchased at the Ballymena Texel sale for £3,200gns.

Commenting on the sale, mart manager Jimmy O’Reilly said: “The sale attracted a huge attendance on the night, with new and established breeders purchasing stock. Breeders were very happy with the sale and the clearance rate. The Texel breed is very popular in the border counties and local breeders have built up a very good name for producing quality stock.”