An improvement in the weather and a packed ringside helped to build the great atmosphere around the ring in Elphin on Saturday, as did the quality of stock brought forward for the Irish Charolais Cattle Society’s spring premier show and sale.

There were 60 bulls and 24 heifers on offer, with the top call going to Barry Quinn’s Cleanagh2 Sultan.

The November 2021-born bull was tapped out as the senior champion by judge Stephen Nesbitt from the Alwent herd and junior judge Desmond Boyd from the Faus herd and sold for the top price of €13,000 to a Donegal breeder.

Sultan, sired by Clenagh Lyle, was also bred by the Quinns from Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co Clare, and is out of a Whitecliffe James dam.

Boasting an impressive sire stack including Domino, Aimable, Pirate, Blelack Digger and Uni, the champion bull also carried one copy of the Q204X myostatin gene and one copy of the F94L myostatin gene.

The second highest price was secured by junior champion Heartly Tom ET from the herd of Gene McCann, Julianstown, Co Meath, that sold for €10,000.

The March 2022-born bull was sired by Neptune out of a Glasgow dam and was a single carrier of the F94L profit gene.

The highest price paid for a heifer came when auctioneer Tom Cox’s hammer fell at €7,600 for female champion Cloughbrack Sapphire from Mattie Kelly, Ballinasloe, Co Galway.

Mattie Kelly with female champion Cloughbrack Sapphire, also the top priced female at €7,600. /S. Kinahan

This October 2021-born heifer was sired by Knockmoyle10 Loki ET and bred from a Sportsmans Columbo dam, again boasting an excellent pedigree with Meilliard RJ, CF52, Thrunton Voldemort and Bowerhouse Topper all in the mix.

Hot on her tail was reserve female champion Bonnavella Tait from Martin Killeen, Mullagh, Co Clare. This February 2022-born heifer was sired by Fiston out of a CF52 dam.

Some 13 heifers sold on the day for an average price of €4,171 and 45 bulls sold for an average price of €5,398.

For a full report including photographs, make sure to pick up a copy of next week’s Irish Farmers Journal.