Irish Charolais Cattle Society members gathered in GVM Marts Tullamore on Saturday 25 February for their first bull show and sale of the year.

Of the 78 bulls catalogued for the event, there were 48 present on the day, with 32 lots going on to find new homes all over Ireland. A welcome bonus to this year’s sale saw a voucher for 20 bags of meal from Greenvale Animal Feeds go to the purchasers of the first five bulls to sell above €5,000. The 2023 sale saw an increased clearance rate from the same sale last year which was up 13 percentage points from 53% to 66%, despite a drop of €607 on the previous years average price.

There was a joint top price, with two bulls securing a sale-topping figure of €8,100. First to secure the sum was the pre-sale show senior champion Roughan Speed, brought forward for sale by Patrick McClean, Lifford, Co Donegal.

Reserve junior champion, Fieldview Sergio sired by Chic from David Erskine, Co. Monaghan that sold for €8,100 with handler Gary McKee. /Tricia Kennedy

The June 2021-born bull was sired by Roughan Pasteur out of a Roughan Galant dam and carried one copy of the Q204X gene.

It was an impressive day for the Donegal man, who also scooped €5,000 for his third prize winner Roughan Sinbad, and a second-place rosette for Roughan Spud, which failed to meet his reserve in the sales ring.

The second bull to secure this top sum of €8,100 was Fieldview Sergio, bred and exhibited by David Erskine, Co Monaghan.

The Chic son was bred from a Goldstar Echo dam, boasted a five-star replacement and terminal index and was selected by judge Noel McSweeney as the reserve junior champion in the pre-sale show.

Erskine’s second entry, Fieldview Sailor, a Harestone Hercules son bred out of a Cavelands Fenian daughter who left the show ring with a first prize rosette, sold for €5,600 for the Co Monaghan breeder.

Junior champion

The junior champion also climbed to the top of the price shakeup when he sold to Northern Ireland for €6,400. Cloughbrack Sinbin, an October 2021-born bull from the herd of Mattie Kelly, Ballinasloe, Co Galway, was sired by Cloughbrack Podge and carries many impressive names in his pedigree including Meillard RJ, Prime Roberto, Ficus and Enfield Plexus.

Junior champion, Cloughbrack Sinbin, sired by Clockbrack Podge from Mattie Kelly, Ballinasloe, Co Galway, that sold for €6,400. / Tricia Kennedy

Hot on his heels was Wesley Kellet’s second prize winner Weskel Sayer. The Co Cavan breeder sold his Clenagh Lyle son bred from a Blelack Digger dam for €6,000.

Boasting a full page of five-star figures across all indexes was Co Clare breeder Michael Green’s Feakle Scott. Sired by Fiston out of a Derryolam Impeccable cow who carried bloodlines including Odette, Doonally New (CF52) and Cloverfield Excelent, the August 2021-born bull sold for €5,700.

Caltun Seamus, a June 2021-born Cavelands Fenian son was the next bull to take the sales ring by storm. The myostatin non-carrier sold for €5,400 for breeder Maria Calvey, Westport, Co Mayo. Adding to Calvey’s success was her first prize winning bull Caltun Scotty, a Fleetwood cross CF52 bull born in September 2021 that sold for €5,000.

Second prize winner Clonmahon Smokey sold for the next highest price when auctioneer Tom Cox’s hammer fell on the first of two occasions at €5,200.

Bred and exhibited by Eddie Daly, Summerhill, Co Meath, the myostatin non-carrier was sired by Goldstar Ludwig and bred from a Alwent Goldbar dam.

Another second prize winner, Caragh Spartacus, was the second bull to secure this strong figure, this time for breeder Patrick Dunleavy, Caragh, Co Kildare. The September 2021-born bull was sired by Fiston and bred out of a Goldhill Guincho dam.

Another bull to boast a full page of five stars and carrying one copy of the profit gene, F94L, was fourth prize winner Gallaway Steiner from the herd of Michael Kiernan, Carrigallen, Co Leitrim. The September 2021-born bull was sired by Knockmoyle 10 Loki out of a Lyonsdemesne Tzar dam and was the first of two bulls to sell for €5,100. Following suit was Michael Daly’s Tullaghan Sirocoo ET from Tullaghan, Co Leitrim. The September 2021-born bull was sired by Domino and was out of an Organdi cow.

Standing as one of four bulls to secure €5,000 at Saturday’s sale was Topnotch Sinner from the herd of Seamus and Lisa McCann, Lusk, Co Dublin. The August 2021-born bull out of a Whitecliffe James dam and sired by Bivouac was a first prize winner in his class earlier that morning.

From Clonlara, Co Clare, came Richard Hackett’s Limkiln Sam. A September 2021-born bull sired by Indurain out of a Fiston dam, this was the final bull to sell for €5,000 on the day.

With a clearance rate slightly above 66% on the day, the sold lots averaged €3,007 with 15 bulls selling for €5,000 or more.