Midlock Dapper-sired progeny stole the show at the recent Growvite Texel All-Ireland Championships held at Finn Valley Show, Co Donegal, on 18 June.

At the end of an intensive judging schedule, Adrian Liggett selected both the female and male champions from what transpired to be two Dapper-sired shearlings.

Dapper is a son of the famous €20,000 Sportmans Canonball, which was purchased by the Cork-based O’Keeffe family at the Lanark sale in 2020 for €5,294.

This year marked over 25 years of the sponsorship relationship of the Irish Texel Society from Univet/Growvite. Commenting on the partnership, Irish Texel secretary John Neville said: “We are delighted to partner with Univet for the championships.

“It’s a testament of their investment in the Texel breed with many of the prizewinners being turned out annually on Growvite.”

The day kicked off with the aged ram class. Top spot in this class went to Loosebeare Chief from a syndicate of flocks, including Kilduff, Kilcoursey, Dunblaney and Highpark. This ram also carries double five stars for both terminal and replacement indices.

The next class of the day was the aged ewe class. The top position this time was claimed by local man Neville Myles, who runs the Silverhill Flock, with a Mullan Armani daughter who also carries double five stars for both terminal and replacement.

It was then on to the class that produced the champion, the shearling ram class, always a hotly contested competition.

Coming out top in this class was Knockhill Eagle, a Midlock Dapper son who proved a wise investment for the syndicate of Dwayne and Ger Shiels, TJ Duffy, Ciaran Heraghty and John Stewart when they purchased him from Carlow breeder John Redmond at the society premier sale in Blessington last year for €8,500.

Winning streak

After being awarded the male champion and overall supreme champion, the winning streak for Eagle hadn’t finished there as later in the day he also went on to be awarded the overall interbreed champion title at Finn Valley Show.

The Texel breed was again dominant in the interbreed category

Adrian Ligget then moved to the shearling ewe class where top spot was claimed by the O’Keeffe family, with a ewe also being a Dapper daughter out of a Duncryne Ubercool mother. She later went on to claim the female championship and the reserve overall supreme champion title.

The Texel breed was again dominant in the interbreed as she took the reserve interbreed title of the show.

The next class on the day was the senior ram lamb class with the top spot this time going to Donegal breeder Rodney McLoughlin with a strong ram lamb sired by Knock Eclipse.

This powerful ram lamb later went on to take the reserve male champion rosette and heads to the Blessington premier sale later this year.

It was another Knock Eclipse lamb that took the top spot in the junior ram lamb class, exhibited by Roger Doherty, with this lamb also heading to Blessington later this year.

In the novice ram lamb class, local Donegal breeder Dan Bonner came out on top with a Hexel Diamond Joe son, which is sure to be a lamb to look out for at Blessington premier sale.

It was the Donegal Larahirl flock of John Greene that was awarded the red rosette in the senior ewe lamb class – a stylish Sportmans Batman daughter that later went on to be reserve female champion.

Worthwhile journey

In the junior ewe lamb class, it again proved to be a very worthwhile journey for the O’Keeffe duo who made the 800km round trip from Co Cork.

This time, it was their ewe lamb sired yet again by Midlock Dapper that was put forward in pole position.

Leading the novice ewe lamb class was a sparky Teiglum Cinnamon daughter bred by Brian Connelly from Co Galway.

Moving to the young handler exhibitors, which always proves a tough class to select from, the top prize went to Donegal. Coming out top of this class was local Donegal breeder Anna Boal who is no stranger to the breed.

Anna operates the Boals flock and is also a granddaughter of Ronnie Edwards who runs one of the longest established Texel flocks in the country.

Anna was awarded the Gemma Doyle Memorial Cup for 2022.