In the female section, show type heifers were very much in demand and heifers that had achieved show ring success over the summer attracted a lot of interest.

The sale topper came in the form of the August 2014-born heifer calf Moyclare Rose 26th, exhibited by Michael Molloy, Glebe, Belmont, Birr, Co Offaly. Rose 26 won the overall breed championship and supreme interbreed beef championship at Trim Show last month. In the sales ring, this heifer attracted a flurry of bids before being eventually knocked down at €5,100 to top the entire sale.

The female champion, Lakelodge Lass Champayne 3, sold for the day’s second highest price of €5,000 to Jim Kingston, Riverstick, Co Cork. This senior heifer is sired by Ballyaville Caradoc and was exhibited by Henry Dudley, The Poplars, Thurles, Co Tipperary. The Lakelodge Herd also claimed the next highest-priced animal with Lakelodge Lass Una 4, selling for €4,200 to Finbarr Cahill, Shankill, Co Cavan. This young August 2014-born heifer was second to the top-priced heifer in the pre-sale show and had also been exhibited with much success over the summer.

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Kilsunny Goliath (KSG) sired the next two highest prices in the female section with David and William Jones, Keenagh, Co Longford, selling Caonachpoll 1 Angela and Caonach Sandra for €3,500 and €3,400, respectively. Both of these heifers were scanned in calf and both were prizewinners in the pre-sale show earlier on the day.

Rounding off the principal prices in the female section were Henry Dudley’s Lakelodge Vera 3 who sold for €3,100, Padraig McGrath’s Cloonshanagh 1 Hanna 657 who made €2,950 and Anne Flynn’s Cloonart Tinkerbell’ who realised €2,900 in the sales ring.

Male section

There was a distinct focus on ICBF beef indices with five-star bulls selling for the top prices.

The top-priced bull was the reserve male champion Grianan Oscar, who sold for €4,000. This five-star bull had compiled an outstanding show record in recent months having won the overall supreme Hereford breed championship at the Tullamore Show in August. Oscar is sired by Smithston Darby and is out of the hugely successful Orange’ cow family at Grianan.

The male champion was awarded to Clooncullane General 2, exhibited by Sean Neary, Strokestown, Co Roscommon. General is also a five-star bull and is sired by Kilsunny Goliath and out of a homebred dam. This bull attracted much interest ringside and was knocked down at €3,800.

JJ Farrell, Longford, Co Longford, whose homebred Trillick Knock Out was recently crowned the 2015 Horned Hereford Bull of the Year in the UK, sold two quality bulls Trillick Paul and Trillick Tom 2, both sired by his stock bull Freetown Hotspur for €3,800 and €3,600, respectively.

Sam and Nigel Heatrick, Glaslough, Co Monaghan sold their second prizewinner Glaslough Nationwide for €3,600 to pedigree Hereford breeder Ted O’Sullivan, Bartlemy, Co Cork. This bull also boasted five stars on the ICBF beef index and had previously stood the reserve male champion at the National Hereford Show, Tullamore, earlier in the summer.

Michael Molloy, Belmont, Birr, Co Offaly sold a Brocca Saviour son Moyclare Norman for €3,600 to a Northern Ireland-based pedigree Hereford breeder. This five-star bull was shown at several key shows over the summer and was also a prizewinner in the pre-sale show earlier in the day.

Another five-star bull, Timolin Cyclone exhibited by Dr John Lalor, Timolin, Co Kildare, sold for €3,500, while Tipperary breeder Trevor Dudley’s five-star bull Kilsunny Lincoln rounded off the day’s main prices selling for €3,350 to pedigree Hereford breeders Joe and Ivor Deverell, Ballyaville, Tullamore, Co Offaly.

Overall, the bull trade was very brisk with several pedigree breeders active among the bidders. The next Irish Hereford Society sale takes place at Kilmallock Mart, Co Limerick, at 1pm this Friday, 23 October, with 40 Hereford bulls catalogued.