This is a subscriber-only article
This year the Irish Simmental Cattle Society has moved its premier sale forward by a week. It now tales place on Saturday 26 October. The catalogue sees 54 bulls forward and 36 heifers, with the addition of a further 33 female lots as part of three separate draft sales.
The three herds presenting drafts are three of the most notable in the country – Clonagh, Raceview and Lissadell. Over the past five years the three have topped numerous sales and won nearly all major shows. For this reason it is no surprise that this year’s premier sale catalogue is one of the most impressive I’ve seen across any breed to date.
Clonagh
The Clonagh hed of Garrett and Lyndsey Behan have the biggest draft, with 15 on offer to celebrate their 30th year of breeding Simmentals. The Behan family have had an incredible few years at sales and in the show ring. Last year the herd won all three championships at the spring premier sale and took home the top price of €12,500. This year at the national finals in Tullamore, the herd did the double double, taking both overall and reserve male and female championships. Eight national titles were won by the herd that day, including all the senior female classes.
Of the 15 heifers offered by the herd, three are national champions including this year’s overall Simmental of the year Clonagh Jubilant Fabulous. It’s understood an animal of this title has never before been offered for sale. Jubilant Fabulous is one of four daughters of Kilbride Farm Dragoon on offer. He bred heifers to €12,100 and bulls to €12,500 for the herd along with numerous national prize-winners.
National male champion 2018 Brushag Glenfiddich also has four daughters offered for sale. One of the most interesting is the cross with Clonagh Darling Eyes, two-time overall national champion and current Simmental Miss World.
The draft also includes daughters of Derreen Declan, Clonagh Tiger Gallant and three time National champion Banwy T-Rex.
The final four daughters in the sale are some of the very first daughters offered for sale by the 22,000gns Manor Park Hansome.
Included in this mix is a direct daughter of Milton Senorita, dam of the current Simmental Miss World and foundation female for the herd’s highly successful Eyes family.
Lissadell
The Lissadell herd of Kieran and Paul Mullarkey will also be having a draft sale, selling five select heifers. Four of these heifers are the mating of the famous Hillcrest Champion with the highly successful Tawley Gretta. This cow won numerous top accolades such as Balmoral overall champion and the reserve overall national championship at Tullamore Show. Her four daughters offered for sale have also collected a number of top placing throughout the summer months.
Raceview
Peter and Marion O’Connell of the Raceview herd in Mallow, Co Cork are offering 13 elite heifers. These include the entire autumn 2018-born crop of females plus two of the oldest 2019-born females. Also offered are four older heifers ready for breeding.
These females come from the successful lines, Beauty, Matilda Stella, Winty Matilda and of course the Ballingar Kim line.
Sires of these females are the highly popular Kilbride Farm Delboy, Kilbride Farm Newry, Curaheen Gunshot, Dermotstown Delboy, Samark Superman and the renowned Raceview King.
SHARING OPTIONS: