The Kinsella family started trading in Baltinglass Mart on Wednesday 23 October 1974 and celebrated reaching 50 years on the exactly same date on Wednesday 23 October 2024.

Joe Kinsella was the auctioneer on the first day the mart started and he was again the auctioneer on the 50th anniversary.

There was a very successful cattle sale, with quality U and R grading cattle in particular seeing firm demand both ringside and online.

Good stores sold from €2.90/kg to €3.30/kg, with heavy finished types selling for similar money.

Sample prices included a Limousin-cross bullock weighing 586kg selling for €1,740 (€2.96/kg).

The bidding was brisk at the ringside and the online bidding was super, with the management team noting online bidding being one of the biggest changes on the livestock scene and also one of the biggest assets to marts all over the country in its present form.

Following the cattle, there was a special select sheep sale for factory-fit stock, with buyers keen to secure numbers.

Lambs sold from €2.80/kg to €3.50/kg, with a premium seen for well-fleshed and evenly batched ewe lambs and those with a high kill-out potential.

Cull ewes were an impressive trade as well, with factory-fit ewes with good kill-out potential easily selling above €2/kg.

In pictures

This pen of seven ewes weighing 66.3kg/head sold for €140/head (€2.11/kg).

This pen of ram lambs weighing 50.2kg/head sold for €141/head (€2.80/kg).

This pen of 24 lambs weighing 51.5kg/head sold for €169/head (€3.28/kg).

This pen of 12 ewe lambs weighing 45.8kg/head sold for €154/head (€3.36/kg).

This pen of 10 ewe lambs weighing 41.6kg/head sold for €146/head (€3.50/kg).