The eighth annual Big Boy ram sale acted as an early temperature test for breeding ram sales in 2025. The multibreed sale catalogued 177 rams from 10 breeds, including specialised crossbred rams, such as Chartex and Suftex.
It was the Texels who wrestled back supremacy from the Suffolks at this year’s sale, as Galway man Ray Heneghan exited the ring to a rapturous applause after the hammer fell at €5,500 for Loughgeorge Illuminati.
His Texel lamb, sired by Tamnamoney Heverlee and out of a Drumderg bred ewe, sold to a purebred syndicate from north and south of the border.
He outshone Heneghans first lot of the same breeding, which sold for €3,000. Of the 40 Texel rams on offer, 39 sold for an average of €1,370.
Commercial demand
The leading Charollais ram came from David Argues sale pen. Sired by Tackwood Bankok, he sold for €2,800. A strong presence of commercial buyers kept demand high, leveling the average for Charollais rams at €782.
Trade for Suffolks was as ever buoyant, producing a sale average of €1,125.
The specialised crossbred breeds were back with a boom this year with Damien Daveron from Corkscrewhill commercials topping out at €2,050 for a well-marked Suftex, with James Dunne’s Aberblue shearling receiving a call of €2,000. Not to be left behind, Peter Rooney sold two Chartex at €1,500 a piece.
The maternal specialised breed the Lleyn had a sticky evening, but the quality lot of the night, bred by David Oliver, broke the trend, selling at €1,020. Meanwhile, Belclares had a steady sale, producing an average of €670.
In summary, a large sale day attendance led to an 85% clearance and a total sale average of €1,073.
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