The Mayo Blackface Sheep Breeders sale of aged ewes, hogget ewes and ewe lambs was described by the group as a fantastic sale with aged Mayo Blackface ewes hitting the headlines and selling for €400. A spokesperson for the group said the ewes were of excellent quality and true to type of the Mayo Blackface breed.

The entry of over 250 aged ewes sold to average €163/head. Outside of the top price another handful of lots topped the €200 mark, selling from €210 to €245 for aged Lanark ewes. The main run of ewes ranged between €150 and €180 with some lesser-quality lots back to €105.

There was an entry of about 750 Mayo Blackface and Lanark-type hoggets. Mayo Blackface hoggets sold to a top of €330 while Lanark-type hoggets sold to a top of €460 per head.

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From L to R: Noel McElroy, committee member, Jo Barber with his three grandsons Noah, Daniel and Evan Barber and judge Kevin Staunton with first-prize-winning ewe lambs which sold for €350 each.

Hoggets sold in a lively trade to average €260/head. Two lots topped the €400 mark including the top priced lot with another 20 lots or about 200 hoggets or 27% of entries selling from €300 to €375/head. Another 40% of hoggets sold from €200 to €295 with just a couple of lots back to €190/head.

Ewe lambs comprised the greatest entry of about 1,000 head. Mayo Blackface ewe lambs sold to a top of €245/head with Lanark-type ewe lambs meeting solid demand and selling to €350 on two occasions. Another handful of lots sold from €250 to €290 with about 45% of lots from €170 to €240 and another 45% from €120 to €165/head.