The dispersal sale of the Millburn and Royal County Limousin herds took place in Elphin over the weekend and what promised to be the sale of the year didn’t disappoint.
Taking in nearly €450,000 in total, pedigree females averaged an impressive €4,800 for the 84 animals sold. Over one quarter of these made €5,000 or more to a top price of €20,000.
Along with the €20,000 figure, a further three made €16,000 or more. These prices stand as the top four prices so far this year and will likely be hard passed when it comes to the autumn pedigree sales.
Millburn herd
As featured on these pages a few weeks back, Richard O’Beirne of the Millburn herd has been a prominent character in a number of breeds and it proved very fitting to end his 50-year pedigree breeding career in such style.
Hitting the highlight and a herd record of €20,000 was the November 2019-born heifer calf Millburn Phoebe ET.
This Ampertaine Foreman daughter is out of Richard’s most recent herd purchases Thomastown Ena, which was purchased at the Thomastown dispersal for €4,300.
Bought as a six-year-old cow in 2016, she proved a good investment, selling just before the top seller for €4,700. Her natural calf, also by Foreman and born in December last year, sold directly after Phoebe for €5,000.
Having made nearly €30,000 on the bundle after paying slightly over €4,000 for the cow is a true testament to Richard and the ability he has as a stockman.
Securing the sale-topper was new Limousin breeder Trevor Shields, who also purchased a number of the top-priced lots at the Trueman Limousin online sale.
Mr Shields didn’t stop with the one purchase and secured what many believed would be the sale topper, Millburn Nightingale.
This super December 2018-born heifer is sired by Wilodge Vantastic and is out of the prolific Millburn Bibby Dazzler and hit the market at €17,000.
Knowing her potential when nearing her final price, Richard reminded auctioneer Denis Barrett and bidders that “ones like this don’t come around too often”.
Despite only carrying one star on the replacement index, bidders were willing to pay for the proven pedigree. She sold in calf, calving in the spring to Tomschoice Lexicon.
Famous summer
Nightingale along with her full sister had a famous summer in 2019 winning numerous championships, both breeds and interbreed.
The full sister Millburn Must Have secured the senior female, reserve overall female and reserve supreme championships at last year’s National Show in Tullamore.
She was offered for sale over the weekend with her young April-born heifer calf and hit the market at €16,000.
These weren’t the first of Bibby Dazzler’s progeny to perform, with the two high-sellers’ full brother Millburn Luquacious selling for €13,800 at the society premier in March 2018.
Last of the five-figure prices achieved on the day was a call of €18,500 for Millburn Pretty. This rising 12-month-old heifer is sired by Bova AI bull Loyal and is out of an Ampertaine Gigolo-bred cow.
With five stars on the replacement index, strong online bidding quickly brought this heifer up to her final price. Her dam, Millburn Levy, goes back to one of the herd’s original purchases Benbulben Lola which sold just before Pretty for €9,000. This one is one of many that heads across the water.
Royal County top lot
Also hitting the €9,000 price tag was Drummin Katie, which was the top lot from Thomas and Shane O’Loughlin’s Royal County herd.
This five-year-old cow is a daughter of the popular Ampertaine Foreman and is out of the famous Drummin Cliona, which has bred exceptionally well for breeder John McInerney. She sold scanned in-calf to Whinfellpark Lomu.
Katie’s Lomu calf, born September last year, sold directly after her and fetched a price of €5,300.
Also selling from the Royal County herd was Drummin Jules ET. This rising six-year-old cow is another daughter of Drummin Cliona, this time sired by Wilodge Vantastic. Scanned in-calf to Kaprico Erravelle, she met her reserve at €7,600.
Lot 31a, Millburn Pretty sold for €18,500. \ Alfie Shaw
Two lots hit the €8,000 mark. First at the money was the July 2014-born cow Millburn Jewel. This Sympa daughter is out of a Nenuphar daughter which again goes back to Benbulben Lola.
With one star on the replacement index, she sold scanned in-calf to Ampertaine Metric.
Matching her at the money was one of the last lots through the ring, Millburn Paris. This April 2019-born heifer is sired by Cavelands Jolly, with Ampertaine Commander and Neuf also in the back breeding.
The much-admired Millburn Mojito met her reserve and sold for €7,300. This daughter of Wilodge Joskins is out of a Nenuphar-bred dam.
Hitting a price of €6,100 was Royal County Nikita. This embryo calf is sired by Ronick Hawk and is out of Thomastown Hayley, which was purchased at the same dispersal as the dam of the high seller in 2016.
Hawk was also in the back breeding of Millburn Plum, which sold for €6,000. This yearling heifer is a daughter of Merside Godolphin and is out of Millburn Kriek.
Other lots
A number of select commercial cattle sold at the end of the pedigrees. These were mostly suitable for breeding and also met an incredible trade.
One mature Belgian Blue-sired cow out of a purebred Limousin sold for €4,200. She had previously bred champions at the Winter Fair and sold in-calf to the much talked about Ballinloan Jaegerbomb.
Best of the breeding heifers topped at €2,900 for an all-black Limousin out of a Foreman-bred stock bull.
As it was a full dispersal, the sale also included a small number of embryos and a full tank of semen.
Three embryos from Millburn Bobby Dazzler averaged an impressive €1,100/egg, while a Vern Blossom topped at €800.
Lot 30, Millburn Must Have who sold for €16,000. \ Alfie Shaw
Online bidders proved very useful in the semen sale which followed, with 82 lots adding another nearly €16,000 to the total.
Top here was a pair of Dauphin straws, which sold for €300 apiece, and a further pair selling for €270 each. Nenuphar also proved in high demand, with a lot of three selling for €290 each.
Lot 73, Millburn Paris sold for €8,000. \ Alfie Shaw
The dispersal sale of the Millburn and Royal County Limousin herds took place in Elphin over the weekend and what promised to be the sale of the year didn’t disappoint.
Taking in nearly €450,000 in total, pedigree females averaged an impressive €4,800 for the 84 animals sold. Over one quarter of these made €5,000 or more to a top price of €20,000.
Along with the €20,000 figure, a further three made €16,000 or more. These prices stand as the top four prices so far this year and will likely be hard passed when it comes to the autumn pedigree sales.
Millburn herd
As featured on these pages a few weeks back, Richard O’Beirne of the Millburn herd has been a prominent character in a number of breeds and it proved very fitting to end his 50-year pedigree breeding career in such style.
Hitting the highlight and a herd record of €20,000 was the November 2019-born heifer calf Millburn Phoebe ET.
This Ampertaine Foreman daughter is out of Richard’s most recent herd purchases Thomastown Ena, which was purchased at the Thomastown dispersal for €4,300.
Bought as a six-year-old cow in 2016, she proved a good investment, selling just before the top seller for €4,700. Her natural calf, also by Foreman and born in December last year, sold directly after Phoebe for €5,000.
Having made nearly €30,000 on the bundle after paying slightly over €4,000 for the cow is a true testament to Richard and the ability he has as a stockman.
Securing the sale-topper was new Limousin breeder Trevor Shields, who also purchased a number of the top-priced lots at the Trueman Limousin online sale.
Mr Shields didn’t stop with the one purchase and secured what many believed would be the sale topper, Millburn Nightingale.
This super December 2018-born heifer is sired by Wilodge Vantastic and is out of the prolific Millburn Bibby Dazzler and hit the market at €17,000.
Knowing her potential when nearing her final price, Richard reminded auctioneer Denis Barrett and bidders that “ones like this don’t come around too often”.
Despite only carrying one star on the replacement index, bidders were willing to pay for the proven pedigree. She sold in calf, calving in the spring to Tomschoice Lexicon.
Famous summer
Nightingale along with her full sister had a famous summer in 2019 winning numerous championships, both breeds and interbreed.
The full sister Millburn Must Have secured the senior female, reserve overall female and reserve supreme championships at last year’s National Show in Tullamore.
She was offered for sale over the weekend with her young April-born heifer calf and hit the market at €16,000.
These weren’t the first of Bibby Dazzler’s progeny to perform, with the two high-sellers’ full brother Millburn Luquacious selling for €13,800 at the society premier in March 2018.
Last of the five-figure prices achieved on the day was a call of €18,500 for Millburn Pretty. This rising 12-month-old heifer is sired by Bova AI bull Loyal and is out of an Ampertaine Gigolo-bred cow.
With five stars on the replacement index, strong online bidding quickly brought this heifer up to her final price. Her dam, Millburn Levy, goes back to one of the herd’s original purchases Benbulben Lola which sold just before Pretty for €9,000. This one is one of many that heads across the water.
Royal County top lot
Also hitting the €9,000 price tag was Drummin Katie, which was the top lot from Thomas and Shane O’Loughlin’s Royal County herd.
This five-year-old cow is a daughter of the popular Ampertaine Foreman and is out of the famous Drummin Cliona, which has bred exceptionally well for breeder John McInerney. She sold scanned in-calf to Whinfellpark Lomu.
Katie’s Lomu calf, born September last year, sold directly after her and fetched a price of €5,300.
Also selling from the Royal County herd was Drummin Jules ET. This rising six-year-old cow is another daughter of Drummin Cliona, this time sired by Wilodge Vantastic. Scanned in-calf to Kaprico Erravelle, she met her reserve at €7,600.
Lot 31a, Millburn Pretty sold for €18,500. \ Alfie Shaw
Two lots hit the €8,000 mark. First at the money was the July 2014-born cow Millburn Jewel. This Sympa daughter is out of a Nenuphar daughter which again goes back to Benbulben Lola.
With one star on the replacement index, she sold scanned in-calf to Ampertaine Metric.
Matching her at the money was one of the last lots through the ring, Millburn Paris. This April 2019-born heifer is sired by Cavelands Jolly, with Ampertaine Commander and Neuf also in the back breeding.
The much-admired Millburn Mojito met her reserve and sold for €7,300. This daughter of Wilodge Joskins is out of a Nenuphar-bred dam.
Hitting a price of €6,100 was Royal County Nikita. This embryo calf is sired by Ronick Hawk and is out of Thomastown Hayley, which was purchased at the same dispersal as the dam of the high seller in 2016.
Hawk was also in the back breeding of Millburn Plum, which sold for €6,000. This yearling heifer is a daughter of Merside Godolphin and is out of Millburn Kriek.
Other lots
A number of select commercial cattle sold at the end of the pedigrees. These were mostly suitable for breeding and also met an incredible trade.
One mature Belgian Blue-sired cow out of a purebred Limousin sold for €4,200. She had previously bred champions at the Winter Fair and sold in-calf to the much talked about Ballinloan Jaegerbomb.
Best of the breeding heifers topped at €2,900 for an all-black Limousin out of a Foreman-bred stock bull.
As it was a full dispersal, the sale also included a small number of embryos and a full tank of semen.
Three embryos from Millburn Bobby Dazzler averaged an impressive €1,100/egg, while a Vern Blossom topped at €800.
Lot 30, Millburn Must Have who sold for €16,000. \ Alfie Shaw
Online bidders proved very useful in the semen sale which followed, with 82 lots adding another nearly €16,000 to the total.
Top here was a pair of Dauphin straws, which sold for €300 apiece, and a further pair selling for €270 each. Nenuphar also proved in high demand, with a lot of three selling for €290 each.
Lot 73, Millburn Paris sold for €8,000. \ Alfie Shaw
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: