There was a small entry of high-quality Bluefaced Leicester females in the sales yard of Richard Beattie’s pedigree centre.

With the entries coming from across Northern Ireland’s leading Bluefaced Leicester flocks, it attracted buyers from across the UK and Ireland.

Prices remained very consistent throughout the sale with a high percentage of lots finding new homes on the night.

Judge for the pre-sale show, Eoin Kelly, had no easy task with the quality of lots that were put forward in the ring. However, standing out as his show champion was a super ewe lamb from the well-known Giants Causeway flock of Declan McKillop.

These genetics make this stand-out ewe lamb a full sister to the £35,000 Giants Causeway ram lamb that was sold at Hawes in 2024

She was sired by the highly regarded Highberries Haaland and one of the flock’s most consistent ewes. These genetics make this stand-out ewe lamb a full sister to the £35,000 Giants Causeway ram lamb that was sold at Hawes in 2024. The show winner then went on to sell in the ring for £1,250 (€1,504). After a flurry of bids coming from ringside and online, she will be heading across the water to join the well-known Northumberland-based Quarry House flock.

McKillop also picked up the second-place ribbon in the ewe lamb class. This was for another powerful ewe lamb sired by Highberries Haaland. It was Kildare man Peter Gibbons that was the successful purchaser on this occasion with his bid of £500 (€602).

McCrystal’s leading ewe got his day off to a great start taking the first-place rosette in the pre-sale show and then heading on to top the in-lamb sectio

Dominating the in-lamb section was Dominic McCrystal’s powerful entry of in-lamb ewes. McCrystal’s leading ewe got his day off to a great start taking the first-place rosette in the pre-sale show and then heading on to top the in-lamb section, selling for £1,180 (€1,420). This top-priced ewe has been a very consistent breeder in recent years, breeding a ram lamb that sold for £2,000 at the Ballymena Premier Sale. She was a direct daughter of H69 Midlock making her a half-sister to the much-admired £15,000 Drummuck Gambler and was scanned in-lamb carrying twins to an exciting upcoming son of the £30,000 Hewgill. She was purchased by an undisclosed buyer from the Republic of Ireland.

McCrystal achieved a 100% clearance rate on the night for his pen of in-lamb ewes that sold into a strong average of £793 (€955).

Also achieving a 100% clearance rate for his pen of modern-type ewe lambs was Chrissy Jameson. His pen of four ewe lambs averaged £280 (€337).