The South of Ireland Hampshire Down premier show and sale took place in Tullow Mart on 30 July.

Under the watchful eye of Northern Irish judge Sean Doyle, the highest standard of Hampshire Downs battled it out for the prestigious championship titles before the annual sale began.

The shearling ram class saw Bernard Losty, Co Meath, take the red rosette with his all-Ireland winning ram Clonard Daegan, which later topped the shearling trade at €900.

Swiftly afterwards came the ram lambs, which were split into two classes due to the large number of entries.

The first of these classes - ram lambs born before 20 December 2023 - was won by Edward Buckley, Co Cork, with a strong ram lamb Kilbarry Elgin.

Top place in the consecutive ram lamb class - born after 20 December - was snapped up by Alymer Power, Co Limerick, with a stylish ram Powerpack Electric Eddie.

In the shearling ewe class, it was Adrian Curtin winning with a correct and highly starred ewe from his Kildare-based Newtown flock.

Lastly, in the ewe lamb class, Michael White from Co Dublin came out on top with a classy ewe from his Whitehart flock.

Domination

The ram lambs dominated the championship classes, with overall show champion going to Edward Buckley's December-born ram lamb Kilbarry Elgin and reserve champion was Alymer Power with his January lamb Powerpack Electric Eddie.

Best opposite sex went to the flock of Michael White for his ewe lamb.

Sale

A busy day continued with the sale where strong interest was shown both online and around the ring.

It proved a very memorable day for the Buckley family when their champion ram fetched a record-breaking price for the breed at €2,100.

The second-highest price of the sale went to another Kilbarry ram lamb Kilbarry Eddie selling for €1,100.

Ewe lambs topped the female trade at €550, for both the Sloan family and Michael White.