The 2021 year will again be one to remember for pedigree, commercial cattle and sheep breeders with record-highs across a number of breeds.
Securing the top price of the year and setting an all-breed record for a sheep of €44,000 was Ballinatone Show Stopper.
This price was achieved at the Suffolk Sheep Society South of Ireland branch premier sale back in August.
This ram lamb was bred by Richard Thompson from Lifford in Co Donegal. Sired by the 5,000gn Solwaybank Sapphire 2, he is out of a Ballynacannon ewe by Mountford Mustang.
Securing the high seller was Dennis Taylor who runs the Ballynacannon flock in Co Derry.
Charolais
Securing top price Charolais of 2021 was Garra Rockey ET, who hit the market at €19,000.
Charolais high seller Garra Rocky who sold for €19,000. \ Alfie Shaw
The October 2020-born bull was bred by Galway breeder David Watts and had placed junior champion at the Christmas Cracker before selling for the top price. Sired by Maerdy Sinndar, he is out of KIlcumeragh Dorothee, a cow imported from France by Brendan Canning. Rockey is a full brother to the Bova AI bull Sagesse Pierre.
Securing the high seller under the gavel of auctioneer Tom Cox was Jonathon Watson of the Tweedale herd in England, who bought him in partnership with judge Chris Curry.
This marks the highest price achieved by the breed since Cottage Devon sold for €24,000 at the Christmas Cracker in 2009.
Angus
Setting the top price of 2021 in the Angus breed was Mercury Red Unbeatable Kim ET.
Exhibited for sale at the Irish Angus Elite sale in December, the January 2021-born red Angus heifer garnered much interest pre-sale before securing a bid of €13,200.
Mercury Red Unbeatable Kim ET who sold for a new Elite sale record price of €13,200.
This price sets an all-time new record price for the Elite sale, which continues to garner reputation.
Securing the sale topper after a spirited bidding war was Oliver Haugh of the Feenagh herd in Co Clare. The same purchaser set the previous Elite sale record at last year’s sale when he secured Ernehill Samson for €8,600.
The €13,200 price tag is also understood to be a European record price at auction for a red Angus and stands as the second-highest price paid for an Angus female in Ireland after the €31,000 Lavally Angie.
Oozing with style and show ring presence, Unbeatable Kim is sired by Luddenmore Fionn, with her dam the powerful donor cow Gigginstown House Kestrel N146.
Breeder of this young prospect, I’m proud to say was both myself and my father John Murphy, Banteer, Co Cork.
Hereford
The inaugural Genetic Gems sale of select Hereford females took place in Tullamore in October, and with it came a new breed record price of €9,000.
This price was secured by the 12-month-old heifer, Herberry 1 Lucy-Ray, from Ray Hunt and Veronica Brennan.
Record-priced Hereford, Herberry 1 Lucy-Ray who sold for €9,000.
No stranger to hitting the headlines, this young polled heifer took female champion at the Hereford show back in September and just hours before the sale won the female championship at the National Calf Show.
Full sister to this heifer was also a calf show champion with another full sister selling to 7,000gns at the Designer Gene Sale. This Dendor 1 Kohinoor daughter headed north to Armagh to the Ballytrue herd of Phillip Murdock, Co from Kilmore.
Simmental
Topping the Simmental trade for another year was well-known breeders Garrett and Lyndsey Behan of the Clonagh herd in Co Laois.
Clonagh Matador who sold for €18,000. \ Mullagh Photography
Top lot this year for them was Clonagh Matador who sold for €18,000 at the Simmental premier sale in Roscommon in October.
This August 2020-born bull was sired by Manor Park Hansome and out of a Kilbride Farm Dragoon bred dam. Having secured senior bull champion in the pre-sale show he was hotly followed with an online bid from the Crudie herd in Scotland eventually the successful bid.
Hansome also bred the all-breed record priced bull, Clonagh Lucky Explorer, for the duo at the previous year’s premier sale when he sold for €52,000.
Limousin
Taking the top Limousin price of 2021 was Aughalion Prince ET who sold for €14,000.
Aughalion Prince, who sold for €14,000. \ Alfie Shaw
This young bull was bred by Patrick Clerkin from Ballyjamesduff in Co Cavan and was secured by well-known UK breeder Craig Ridley who runs the famous Haltcliffe herd. Sired by the 20,000gns Telfers Munster, Prince is out of successful breeder Whitehall Iris, a Haltcliffe Dancer daughter who stood reserve overall champion at the National Livestock Show.
Texel
Top price for the Texel breed was €10,000, which was hit on two occasions.
Annakisha high seller who sold for the joint top Texel price of €10,000. \ MacGregor Photography
First at the money was a ram lamb from the Annakisha flock of Arthur and Patrick O’Keeffe, Mallow, Co Cork. The February-born ram is a son of Hexel Born To Be Wild and out of a Hope Valley bred ewe. A second prize-winner to the overall champion the five-star ram was knocked down to the Blue Gate flock in Northern Ireland.
Fellow Munster breeder Robert Walker from Co Limerick was the second to hit the sale topping price. His young ram, Kilcurley Ed, is sired by Stainton Coca Cola and out of a homebred Carbo Wagon Wheel bred dam. Four stars on the replacement index and five stars on the terminal he was secured by the McHugh family.
Kilcurley Ed who sold for the joint top Texel price of €10,000. \ MacGregor Photography
Commercial
A commercial heifer broke all previous records when she sold for €18,000 at this year’s Carrick Winter Fair. The high-selling Limousin calf was exhibited by Laois breeder Seam Ramsbottom.
Record-priced commercial heifer at €18,000 from Sean Ramsbottom.
Weighing 433kg, the February 2021-born heifer was sired by Ampertaine Elgin and was awarded the junior female championship the previous day. Having opened at €10,000 the hammer finally fell at €18,000 in favour of a syndicate of Northern Irish and Scottish buyers.
These are just some of the highlights across a number of breeds in southern Ireland, many of high prices both within and outside these breeds were achieved.
The 2021 year will again be one to remember for pedigree, commercial cattle and sheep breeders with record-highs across a number of breeds.
Securing the top price of the year and setting an all-breed record for a sheep of €44,000 was Ballinatone Show Stopper.
This price was achieved at the Suffolk Sheep Society South of Ireland branch premier sale back in August.
This ram lamb was bred by Richard Thompson from Lifford in Co Donegal. Sired by the 5,000gn Solwaybank Sapphire 2, he is out of a Ballynacannon ewe by Mountford Mustang.
Securing the high seller was Dennis Taylor who runs the Ballynacannon flock in Co Derry.
Charolais
Securing top price Charolais of 2021 was Garra Rockey ET, who hit the market at €19,000.
Charolais high seller Garra Rocky who sold for €19,000. \ Alfie Shaw
The October 2020-born bull was bred by Galway breeder David Watts and had placed junior champion at the Christmas Cracker before selling for the top price. Sired by Maerdy Sinndar, he is out of KIlcumeragh Dorothee, a cow imported from France by Brendan Canning. Rockey is a full brother to the Bova AI bull Sagesse Pierre.
Securing the high seller under the gavel of auctioneer Tom Cox was Jonathon Watson of the Tweedale herd in England, who bought him in partnership with judge Chris Curry.
This marks the highest price achieved by the breed since Cottage Devon sold for €24,000 at the Christmas Cracker in 2009.
Angus
Setting the top price of 2021 in the Angus breed was Mercury Red Unbeatable Kim ET.
Exhibited for sale at the Irish Angus Elite sale in December, the January 2021-born red Angus heifer garnered much interest pre-sale before securing a bid of €13,200.
Mercury Red Unbeatable Kim ET who sold for a new Elite sale record price of €13,200.
This price sets an all-time new record price for the Elite sale, which continues to garner reputation.
Securing the sale topper after a spirited bidding war was Oliver Haugh of the Feenagh herd in Co Clare. The same purchaser set the previous Elite sale record at last year’s sale when he secured Ernehill Samson for €8,600.
The €13,200 price tag is also understood to be a European record price at auction for a red Angus and stands as the second-highest price paid for an Angus female in Ireland after the €31,000 Lavally Angie.
Oozing with style and show ring presence, Unbeatable Kim is sired by Luddenmore Fionn, with her dam the powerful donor cow Gigginstown House Kestrel N146.
Breeder of this young prospect, I’m proud to say was both myself and my father John Murphy, Banteer, Co Cork.
Hereford
The inaugural Genetic Gems sale of select Hereford females took place in Tullamore in October, and with it came a new breed record price of €9,000.
This price was secured by the 12-month-old heifer, Herberry 1 Lucy-Ray, from Ray Hunt and Veronica Brennan.
Record-priced Hereford, Herberry 1 Lucy-Ray who sold for €9,000.
No stranger to hitting the headlines, this young polled heifer took female champion at the Hereford show back in September and just hours before the sale won the female championship at the National Calf Show.
Full sister to this heifer was also a calf show champion with another full sister selling to 7,000gns at the Designer Gene Sale. This Dendor 1 Kohinoor daughter headed north to Armagh to the Ballytrue herd of Phillip Murdock, Co from Kilmore.
Simmental
Topping the Simmental trade for another year was well-known breeders Garrett and Lyndsey Behan of the Clonagh herd in Co Laois.
Clonagh Matador who sold for €18,000. \ Mullagh Photography
Top lot this year for them was Clonagh Matador who sold for €18,000 at the Simmental premier sale in Roscommon in October.
This August 2020-born bull was sired by Manor Park Hansome and out of a Kilbride Farm Dragoon bred dam. Having secured senior bull champion in the pre-sale show he was hotly followed with an online bid from the Crudie herd in Scotland eventually the successful bid.
Hansome also bred the all-breed record priced bull, Clonagh Lucky Explorer, for the duo at the previous year’s premier sale when he sold for €52,000.
Limousin
Taking the top Limousin price of 2021 was Aughalion Prince ET who sold for €14,000.
Aughalion Prince, who sold for €14,000. \ Alfie Shaw
This young bull was bred by Patrick Clerkin from Ballyjamesduff in Co Cavan and was secured by well-known UK breeder Craig Ridley who runs the famous Haltcliffe herd. Sired by the 20,000gns Telfers Munster, Prince is out of successful breeder Whitehall Iris, a Haltcliffe Dancer daughter who stood reserve overall champion at the National Livestock Show.
Texel
Top price for the Texel breed was €10,000, which was hit on two occasions.
Annakisha high seller who sold for the joint top Texel price of €10,000. \ MacGregor Photography
First at the money was a ram lamb from the Annakisha flock of Arthur and Patrick O’Keeffe, Mallow, Co Cork. The February-born ram is a son of Hexel Born To Be Wild and out of a Hope Valley bred ewe. A second prize-winner to the overall champion the five-star ram was knocked down to the Blue Gate flock in Northern Ireland.
Fellow Munster breeder Robert Walker from Co Limerick was the second to hit the sale topping price. His young ram, Kilcurley Ed, is sired by Stainton Coca Cola and out of a homebred Carbo Wagon Wheel bred dam. Four stars on the replacement index and five stars on the terminal he was secured by the McHugh family.
Kilcurley Ed who sold for the joint top Texel price of €10,000. \ MacGregor Photography
Commercial
A commercial heifer broke all previous records when she sold for €18,000 at this year’s Carrick Winter Fair. The high-selling Limousin calf was exhibited by Laois breeder Seam Ramsbottom.
Record-priced commercial heifer at €18,000 from Sean Ramsbottom.
Weighing 433kg, the February 2021-born heifer was sired by Ampertaine Elgin and was awarded the junior female championship the previous day. Having opened at €10,000 the hammer finally fell at €18,000 in favour of a syndicate of Northern Irish and Scottish buyers.
These are just some of the highlights across a number of breeds in southern Ireland, many of high prices both within and outside these breeds were achieved.
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