The south of Ireland branch of the Suffolk Sheep Society held an elite sale at Blessington Mart on Saturday 2 July. This was a new initiative set up by the branch in a bid to provide top rams to earlier-lambing flocks.

The sale consisted of 30 mainly Sheep Ireland-recorded lambs and, with a packed ringside, the hammer fell on the champion ram lamb at €2,000gns.

Owned by Arthur O’Keeffe of the Annakisha flock and sired by Rookery Classic, this embryo lamb was purchased by breeder Terence Colleran from Co Galway.

John Doherty from Donegal radiated joy and jubilation when the hammer fell on his January-born ram lamb at €2,600gns. This ram lamb travelled west of the Shannon also, this time to breeder Stephen Govin from Claremorris.

Andrew Wilson from Donegal sold his Birness Murray-sired ram lamb DDX 1600649 to breeder Martin Butler from Ballymena for €1,500gns.

Andrew’s brother, Richard, also secured €1,500gns for his ram 78A 1605539, which went to Jim Jeffery from Cork. Again sired by Birness Murray, this one is out of the same dam that bred the €11,000 Shannagh Resolve.

Another of Richard’s Murray sons sold to a Monaghan breeder for €1,250gns.

Seamus Brown of the Errigal flock secured €1,000gns apiece for his two embryo sons of the 10,000gns Rhaedr Rhonn.

Seamus Brown of the Errigal flock and Eamonn Duffy of the Kells flock pocketed €1,000 for their rams.

While the average price for rams sold hit in excess of €1,350gns, less than 40% found new homes on the day.

Clean sweep

In conjunction with the sale, the 2016 National Suffolk Championships were held and judge Ronnie Black of the Collessie flock in Fife had a strenuous few hours when over 100 outstanding sheep were paraded in front of him in 11 different classes.

Susan O’Keeffe’s aged ewe was deemed female champion and eventually supreme champion of the show after capturing first place in the aged ewe class earlier in the day.

The ewe was sired by the successful stock ram Rookery Classic, which also sired the reserve supreme champion. Arthur O’Keeffe was the successful breeder this time with his untrimmed ewe lamb R15 1605310.

The O’Keeffes also secured the reserve male championship, adding further to their tally.

This embryo-born lamb was yet again sired by the show ram of choice Rookery Classic and was the successful winner of the open ram lamb class.

Wm J & R Wilson from the Shannagh flock in Co Donegal captured the male champion rosette as well as first place in the shearling ram class. Born in February 2014, this twin is sired by Ballymacannon Commander.

National Suffolk Championships:

Class 1

Shearling ram Pat Rossiter

bred in south of Ireland

Class 2

Shearling ram & upwards Wm J & R Wilson

Class 3

Aged ewe Susan O’Keeffe

Class 4

Shearling ewe & upwards Arthur O’Keeffe

Class 5

Novice ram lamb Doherty Bros

Class 6

Ram lamb Andrew Wilson

sired by an Irish-bred ram

Class 7

Open ram lamb Arthur O’Keeffe

Class 8

Novice ewe lamb Alan Kilpatrick

Class 9

Untrimmed ewe lamb Arthur O’Keeffe

Class 10

Trimmed ewe lamb Patrick O’Keeffe

Class 11

Group of three Arthur O’Keeffe