While an emotional sale for the Simmental community, the day was met with flying trade standing as a further tribute to the late David Wall who dedicated the last 20 years of his life to making the Curaheen herd prefix one of the most prestigious throughout Ireland and the UK.

Founded in the early nineties, the herd attained unrivalled success in both the show and sale rings, setting numerous breed records along the way.

Making the day even more special for the Wall family was when the herd continued its record breaking ability for one last time in remembrance of the man who has driven the breed for the past two decades.

One of the last lots into the ring, Auroch Hillary ET, went on to set a new Irish record price for a Simmental when sold for €26,000 to the Wood family. The Wood family run the well-known Popes Simmental herd in Lancashire, England.

Smashing previous top prices

This January born Hillcrest Champion daughter, out of Raceview Misty-Jade, had two bidders locked in before eventually smashing the previous male and female top prices. Just like the majority of the cattle in the sale, Hillary came with a proven pedigree with her full brother Auroch Ace selling for the Tullamore society sale record price of €11,000, her half-brother Curaheen Whiskey selling for €17,000 and a half-sister having bred Curaheen Bossman now in Progressive Genetics.

While great for the breed as a whole when the hammer finally fell at €26,000, it can be said that the crowd was met with emotion as well as delight.

Hillcrest Champion was again behind Curaheen Cheyenne ET who sold for the second top price of €18,000. This big stylish five year old was sold with her June bull calf at foot and found a new home in Co Monaghan with the O’Harte family.

Carrying five stars all the way down the catalogue she is out of National prize winner Curaheen Washita. Her bull calf from the previous year sold directly after and was met with flying trade when he sold for €15,500. Sired by Tiset Darwin P, this polled March 2015 bull found a new home with Dovea Genetics which will further help in keeping the Curaheen name to the forefront of Simmental breeding going forward.

National prize winner

Curaheen Flame was the next in the money at €17,000 when sold to John Murphy who runs the Knockane herd in Co Waterford. Born December 2014, Flame herself was a national prize winner at Tullamore in 2015.

Sired by the €18,500 Curaheen Drifter, her dam is Curaheen Tatiana who bred numerous prize-winners such as Curaheen Dakota, Curaheen Explosion and Auroch Bullet.

Curaheen Gilda, a young November 2015 heifer who sold directly after the record breaker Hillary, was next in the money at €10,500. Sired by Tiset Darwin P she is out of Curaheen Via, a deep bodied Hillcrest Jerome daughter who bred the €18,500 Curaheen Drifter. Michael Hogan from Co Carlow was the successful bidder behind this one.

In what was described by many as the best Simmental sale seen in many years, all but one lot sold on the day to an average just shy of €4,200. These animals have found new homes throughout Ireland as well as 16 being exported to both Northern Ireland and across the water to the UK, to carry the Curaheen prefix on well into the future.