Last week saw the Belclare Sheep Society hold its annual premier sale at Kilkenny Mart, Cillin Hill. Breed secretary Michael Neenan described the sale as being on fire from the get-go, with the first ram into the ring making €1,000.

All in, nine rams breached the €1,000 mark, three rams breached the €2,000 mark and a new breed record price was set.

The record price of €2,100 that had been set in 2004 was broken on no less than three occasions.

First to break the record was the sale champion and national champion ram lamb Knockcroghery Champion, exhibited by Declan and Joe Miley. Selling for €2,900, this quality young ram found a new home in Castlepollard with Killian Kiernan. From the same pen also came the reserve champion, Knockcroghery Barney. This hogget ram later sold for €900.

Next up to break the record was the second-placed ram lamb and all-Ireland male champion Rathkenty Chopin, bred by Richard and John Lalor. This ram was sold to fellow breeder Barry Cunningham from Tuam for €2,450. The third ram to breach the record, Cahergal Casimiro, was bred by Sonny Jennings and was sired by the 2016 premier sale supreme champion Rathkenty Beethoven. He changed hands at €2,200, finding a new home in the Knockcroghery flock of Declan and Joe Miley.

Other notable prices included Tim Keady’s hogget ram, which sold to Michael Gottstein, Co Cork, for €1,620.

Selling as well as buying, Michael Gottstein sold his sixth-prizewinning ram lamb for €1,480 to JJ McDermott, Co Donegal.

The Miley duo were back in the money when they sold a third-prizewinning ram lamb to P Hegarty, Co Donegal, for €1,300. Further adding to their take-home cheque, Richard and John Lalor secured €1,160 for their fourth-prizewinning ram which sold to T Finn, Co Cork.

The sale saw an 85% clearance of all males offered and averages were up almost €200 on the previous year. Average prices are outlined in Table 1.