The annual Carrick Christmas Belles sale saw over 100 lots of sheep on offer, ranging from in-lamb Texel gimmers to Texel ewe lambs and a selection of ET Suffolk and in-lamb Suffolk gimmers put forward between the Enniscrone and Clew Bay flocks, with guest consignments from the Brideswell and Carnaculla flocks.
In celebration of 30 years of Texel breeding, the Enniscrone flock had held a pre-sale youth stockjudging competition, with all participants receiving a €50 voucher to spend at the sale, which a large number of young breeders did.
The sale average was back on last year’s average of €959, with gimmers this year averaging €702.
There was some excellent value for money for purchasers, although last year’s top price of €2,100 was beaten on two occasions displaying that quality wasn’t lacking.
It was the Enniscrone flock, property of Ronan Gallagher, that saw the sale’s highest price when one of their lots was knocked down for €2,850.
The in-lamb gimmer was sired by homebred Enniscrone Donovan off a Garngour Aerosmith ewe, which Gallagher described as one of the flock’s best females.
She was scanned carrying a single lamb to Blessington champion 2022 Clara Fandango, who himself was purchased for €13,000.
The gimmer’s full sister was the lead gimmer in the Enniscrone Summer Belles when she sold for €3,300 to Fintan Hackett.
Gangour Aerosmith was seen in the bloodlines of the second top-priced ewe as well, when a daughter of his, again from the Enniscrone flock, sold for the second highest price of the day when the hammer fell at €2,420. She scanned in-lamb to Clara Fandango carrying a single lamb.
Her dam is a daughter of Tophill Wall Street, who herself is a full sister to 9.5k Enniscrone Brasil.
Lot 42 from the Enniscrone flock, a Garngour Aerosmith gimmer, carrying a single to Clara Fandango sold for €2,420. \ MacGregor Photography
The sale had heated up early in the evening when lot 8, a Stainton Coca Cola bred gimmer from a Shannagh Won O Won, saw auctioneer Francis McGowan’s hammer fall at €1,850.
The gimmer’s dam was a hugely successful show ewe for the Enniscrone flock in 2017, picking up numerous breed and interbreed champions that year. The gimmer sold scanned in lamb carrying triplets to Clara Fandango.
Ewe lambs
The uniformity of the Texel ewe lambs put forward for sale was seen in the sale prices, with lambs selling for €380 to €560.
The top-priced ewe lamb was an Annaghdown Edoarda-sired lamb, with the March-born lamb going back to a Shannagh Won O Won dam.
Lot 69 from the Enniscrone flock was a charity lot put forward by the Gallagher family, with sale proceeds going to North West Hospice, a charity described as close to the hearts of the family.
The smart February-born ewe lamb had Aerosmith and Sportsman A Star in her pedigree and sold for the second highest price in the ewe lambs at €500. The sole Charollais sheep of the sale, a ewe lamb sired by Springhill Viper, sold for €420.
A selection of recipient ewes with pedigree Suffolk and commercial Suftex lambs were sold towards the end of the sale alongside a trio of pedigree Suffolk gimmers.
Lot 23 from the Clew Bay flock, a Stainton Coca Cola gimmer carrying twins to Clara Fandango sold for €920. \ MacGregor Photography
The top price in the recipient section went to a Mule ewe with an ET Suftex ewe lamb at foot who sold for €620. The three Suffolk gimmers, all scanned in lamb to Augustins Formula 1, sold for between €520 and €540.
The second highest priced ewe lamb from the Enniscrone flock sold for €500 with all proceeds to Mayo-Roscommon Hospice. \ MacGregor Photography
Averages
Gimmers: €702.Lambs: €430. Recipients and ET lambs: €504.
The annual Carrick Christmas Belles sale saw over 100 lots of sheep on offer, ranging from in-lamb Texel gimmers to Texel ewe lambs and a selection of ET Suffolk and in-lamb Suffolk gimmers put forward between the Enniscrone and Clew Bay flocks, with guest consignments from the Brideswell and Carnaculla flocks.
In celebration of 30 years of Texel breeding, the Enniscrone flock had held a pre-sale youth stockjudging competition, with all participants receiving a €50 voucher to spend at the sale, which a large number of young breeders did.
The sale average was back on last year’s average of €959, with gimmers this year averaging €702.
There was some excellent value for money for purchasers, although last year’s top price of €2,100 was beaten on two occasions displaying that quality wasn’t lacking.
It was the Enniscrone flock, property of Ronan Gallagher, that saw the sale’s highest price when one of their lots was knocked down for €2,850.
The in-lamb gimmer was sired by homebred Enniscrone Donovan off a Garngour Aerosmith ewe, which Gallagher described as one of the flock’s best females.
She was scanned carrying a single lamb to Blessington champion 2022 Clara Fandango, who himself was purchased for €13,000.
The gimmer’s full sister was the lead gimmer in the Enniscrone Summer Belles when she sold for €3,300 to Fintan Hackett.
Gangour Aerosmith was seen in the bloodlines of the second top-priced ewe as well, when a daughter of his, again from the Enniscrone flock, sold for the second highest price of the day when the hammer fell at €2,420. She scanned in-lamb to Clara Fandango carrying a single lamb.
Her dam is a daughter of Tophill Wall Street, who herself is a full sister to 9.5k Enniscrone Brasil.
Lot 42 from the Enniscrone flock, a Garngour Aerosmith gimmer, carrying a single to Clara Fandango sold for €2,420. \ MacGregor Photography
The sale had heated up early in the evening when lot 8, a Stainton Coca Cola bred gimmer from a Shannagh Won O Won, saw auctioneer Francis McGowan’s hammer fall at €1,850.
The gimmer’s dam was a hugely successful show ewe for the Enniscrone flock in 2017, picking up numerous breed and interbreed champions that year. The gimmer sold scanned in lamb carrying triplets to Clara Fandango.
Ewe lambs
The uniformity of the Texel ewe lambs put forward for sale was seen in the sale prices, with lambs selling for €380 to €560.
The top-priced ewe lamb was an Annaghdown Edoarda-sired lamb, with the March-born lamb going back to a Shannagh Won O Won dam.
Lot 69 from the Enniscrone flock was a charity lot put forward by the Gallagher family, with sale proceeds going to North West Hospice, a charity described as close to the hearts of the family.
The smart February-born ewe lamb had Aerosmith and Sportsman A Star in her pedigree and sold for the second highest price in the ewe lambs at €500. The sole Charollais sheep of the sale, a ewe lamb sired by Springhill Viper, sold for €420.
A selection of recipient ewes with pedigree Suffolk and commercial Suftex lambs were sold towards the end of the sale alongside a trio of pedigree Suffolk gimmers.
Lot 23 from the Clew Bay flock, a Stainton Coca Cola gimmer carrying twins to Clara Fandango sold for €920. \ MacGregor Photography
The top price in the recipient section went to a Mule ewe with an ET Suftex ewe lamb at foot who sold for €620. The three Suffolk gimmers, all scanned in lamb to Augustins Formula 1, sold for between €520 and €540.
The second highest priced ewe lamb from the Enniscrone flock sold for €500 with all proceeds to Mayo-Roscommon Hospice. \ MacGregor Photography
Averages
Gimmers: €702.Lambs: €430. Recipients and ET lambs: €504. 
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