Premium Red Ladies, the first production sale of the Grangeford, Baileys and Ballinrahin herds, takes place the Monday of the June bank holiday in Roscrea Mart. The sale offers 51 quality pedigree Limousin heifers, giving buyers a chance to secure some of the best female lines in each of the three herds.

The Grangeford herd of Gary Morrissey has achieved much success in recent years, claiming two all-Ireland championships with Grangeford Jojo and Grangeford Lady. The sale offers the first daughters from the retained AI bull and 2015 male national champion Grangeford Jojo.

As well as this, one of the picks of the catalogue is lot 4, Grangeford Lady, a full sister to Jojo and national calf champion at last year’s Tullamore Show. Other notable cows throughout the herd include Procters Ena, a daughter of the 100,000gns Haltcliffe Vermount, and Woodroad Ann, a daughter of the well-known Nadia B.

The Baileys Limousin herd was founded in 1998 with the purchase of eight heifers. There are 60 cows currently in the herd, with four cows being used in a flushing programme. The cows are Turquoise, Dunmore Valerie, Roundhill Vjoyeuse, and Red Paths Unity.

The herd has bred some outstanding males and females in the past years. Leading these was Baileys Ice Princess, a daughter of Roundhill Vjoyeuse that was purchased by Karl Connell and was crowned the champion at the World Limousin Congress 2016, national champion Tullamore 2015 and 2016 and Balmoral champion 2015.

Baileys Aubergine was another stand-out, securing the reserve female championship at Balmoral in 2007 and going on to breed Baileys Eldorado, who sold for £17,000gns to the Grahams herd. The Baileys offering will feature these lines, as well as the first calves by the imported stock bull Goldie’s Jackpot.

Ballinrahin Limousin was established in 2004 with the purchase of two females from the Pelletstown Limousin herd owned by Dr Rodger McCarrick.

Following this, the herd began to build numbers with purchases from the Castleview and Roundhill herds to name but a few.

The herd began to grow even further with the purchase of Foxhill Farm Isadora at the Red Ladies sale in Carlisle and Ampertaine Harmony soon after at the Cowportation dispersal sale. Both of these cows have females in the sale. Isadora goes back to the great breeding cow Bankdale Channel, while Ampertaine Harmony-bred Ballinrahin Kent was a September champion at the World Limousin Congress in 2016 and is currently the herd’s senior stock bull.

The sale also offers discounts for young breeders and newly registered breeders. Any purchasers under the age of 25 or new breeders who have only registered within the last two years will receive a 5% discount. The sale will take place at 1pm on 4 June under the watchful eyes of auctioneer Denis Barrett. For catalogues, visit the Irish Limousin Cattle Society website.