The Irish Hereford Breed Association hosted its premier spring sale in Tullamore on Saturday, with increased demand from commercial buyers.
While a relatively small catalogue, not helped by a number of on-farm sales in advance of the premier, over half of the bulls sold made €3,000 or more.
This was helped greatly by Certified Irish Hereford Prime reimbursing buyers of bulls which made €3,000 or more with €250.
In total, 18 bulls sold from the 27 present to hit an average price of €2,950. While this average is back slightly on the previous few years, clearance rate is well up having sunk as low as 30% in 2017.
A total of 10 bulls hit the €3,000 mark, meaning Certified Irish Hereford Prime paid out a total of €2,500 to bull buyers.
Incentive
This incentive certainly made a difference, with the auctioneer finding it much easier to get bids when it came close to the €3,000 mark. While it was an incentive for buyers, the real beneficiaries were the sellers due to increased prices received.
Leading trade with a call of €4,200 was Kye Nando 881 from Padraig McGrath, Elphin, Co Roscommon.
This July 2019-born bull is a son of stock bull Free Town Nevada, while the homebred dam is a daughter of Steil Gerard. With four stars on the terminal index, he was knocked down to Cork breeder Richard O’Keeffe.
Nigel Heatrick from Glaslough in Co Monaghan sold his bull Airhill Raffael at €4,000. Originally bred by John Johnston, this April 2019-born bull was purchased alongside his mother at the Airhill reduction sale in 2019.
This bull is a son of Cill Cormaic Napoleon and Airhill Junior and was used in the Glaslough herd before the sale. It was secured by Offaly breeder Kevin Fleury.
Edwin and Robert Jones sold two bulls to average an impressive €3,750. Top of these was a call of €3,900 for Keenagh Pedro.
This double five-star bull is a son of Keenagh L-Jay, with the dam’s pedigree containing Kilsunny Goliath and Churchill Storm. Securing Pedro for his Clare-based herd was Marcus Neylon.
The Jones’ second exhibit was Keenagh Prince Pablo, which was knocked down to Wade McCrabbe for pedigree breeding at a price of €3,600.
This stylish bull, born in September 2019, is also a son of the aforementioned Keenagh L-Jay, while the dam’s lineage contains Ballinvena Frankie and Cloonart Jackaroo.
Hitting the market at €3,200 was Ballinalick Felix from William Duff, Nenagh, Co Tipperary. This November 2019-born bull is sired by the homebred bull Ballinalick Gold. With five stars on the terminal index, he heads to Co Carlow with JJ Conway.
Three bulls hit the €3,100 mark. First at the money was Feevaghmore Las Vegas 2, which was bred by Willie Kennedy, Ballyforan, Co Roscommon.
This rising two-year-old son of Haven Kingpin ranked very highly on both the terminal and replacement indices and was secured by Cork pedigree breeder Pat O’Donoghue.
Next at the money was one of only a few polled bulls in the sale, Fortviewpoll 1 Party. This October 2019-born bull was bred by Leitrim breeder John Morrow and boasted five stars on both the terminal and replacement indices.
Sired by Solpoll 1 Pounder and out of a homebred dam by Graceland 1 Giovani, he heads west with Brendan Keaveney.
Selling directly after Party and hitting the same price tag of €3,100 was Woodviewpoll 1 Oskar. Bred by the Abbott family, based in Killeshandra, Co Cavan, this bull is a son of Allowdale Rory 594, with the dam a Solpoll 1 Handsome daughter.
This bull also heads to the west of Ireland, this time with Pat Casey.
A further two bulls hit the €3,000 mark. First at the money was the two-year-old bull Boyanna Storm 1st. Bred and exhibited by Mary and John Farrell from Moate in Co Westmeath, he is named after his sire Cave Hill Storm. With five stars on the terminal index, he was the choice of Wexford-based Glen Chapman.
Fellow Moate breeders Tom and Anselm Fitzgerald also sold the better of their two entries at €3,000. The October 2019-born bull, Grianan Ultra, was sired by the homebred Grianan Parker, which also bred national champions and bulls to €5,000.
Out of the herd’s famous Orange family line, his dam is a full sister to the well-known Grianan Firecracker. He was the pick of the O’Brien family.
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