The South of Ireland Bluefaced Leicester club held its annual sale of in-lamb ewes and ewe lambs at the Midland and Western Livestock Improvement Society’s showgrounds in Carrick-on-Shannon on 28 December.

This shearling ewe from the Quigabar flock was scanned in lamb with one lamb and sold for €680.

The sale has grown in popularity over the last number of years and this year had 47 in-lamb ewes and 53 ewe lambs catalogued for sale.

The sale included the dispersal of the Aughavoy flock of David Lyttle, Rosefield, Pettigo, Co Donegal.

David had one of the oldest flocks of Bluefaced Leicester ewes in the country, having established the flock in 1981, and it attracted a lot of interest on the day.

This shearling ewe from the Aughavoy flock was scanned in lamb with one lamb and sold for €800.

No stranger to rosettes or top prices, Tom Staunton, Tourmakeady, Co Mayo, got the top price of the sale for his shearling ewe.

By a Mullaghwee ram and out of a Nunsleugh-sired ewe, the shearling ewe, due on 20 March, was scanned in lamb with two lambs.

After a marathon bidding session, she was eventually knocked down at €2,150.

This shearling ewe from the Maskview flock was scanned in lamb with triplets, due on 20 March 2021. She sold for €1,250.

Tom went on to sell his second in-lamb shearling ewe for €1,250. This ewe was scanned in lamb with three lambs and is also due on 20 March.

Tom’s Maskview flock also brought forward eight ewe lambs for sale.

The top ewe lamb in this pen sold for €800. She was by a Mullaghwee ram and out of a Blairmount-sired ewe.

Tom’s pen of eight ewe lambs averaged €571 each.

This shearling ewe from the Aughavoy flock was scanned in lamb with twins and sold for €780.

It was also a good day for Joe Scahill, Westport, Co Mayo, and his Faughburren flock.

Joe sold his pen of eight ewe lambs to average €670. His two top ewe lambs were knocked down at €1,020 each.

This second-crop ewe from the Aughavoy scanned in lamb with twins and sold for €800.

John Morahan, Kilmaine, Co Mayo, sold his pen of five ewe lambs to average €592, with a top price of €780 for a Hilltop farm-sired ewe lamb.

The Aughavoy flock saw a very good clearance, with the top price going to a second-crop ewe out of a Holmview ram and a Tymawr-bred ewe.

This second-crop ewe from the Aughavoy flock was scanned with twins and sold for €1,500.

She was scanned in-lamb with two lambs and sold for €1,500. The Aughavoy flock averaged €543 for 29 in-lamb ewes sold and averaged €338 for 15 ewe lambs sold.

Overall, 35 in-lamb ewes sold to average €633 head and 42 ewe lambs sold to average €538.