Carrigallen Mart is usually busy of a Saturday but the appearance of a flock of hens around the ring caused a major stir over the weekend.

A merry group of about 10 women, all decked out in their finest hen party attire, made an unannounced appearance at the weekly heifer sale, much to the surprise of auctioneer Micheál O’Reilly.

Micheál O'Reilly told the Irish Farmers Journal he was scanning the crowd for bids when he was greeted by the women.

"I was in the process of looking around to see the person in the box who was selling the cattle and was unexpectedly greeted by a bunch of ladies," he said.

"I didn't quite catch on at first who the girls were, but it was actually a neighbour. It was different and definitely a bit of craic."

Despite the unexpected arrival, the auctioneer carried on with the sale and even suggested that the women may have given the heifers a slight boost in the bidding.

"I kept on taking bids and seen that the hen party might have had a slight help on the trade," he joked. "You'd see a lot of different things come through the mart doors, but you wouldn’t expect a hen party."

The ladies stayed on for a while, parading around the ring and enjoying the lively atmosphere of the mart. According to O'Reilly, they eventually headed off to their next destination, leaving behind a memorable experience for the mart regulars.