The 15th anniversary Black Beauties sale attracted a large number of Suffolk enthusiasts to Blessington Mart. With a large number of new and existing breeders in attendance there were bids flying in from both ringside and online, with buyers from all across Ireland, mainland Europe and the UK. It led to a record-breaking average of €1,876 for the anniversary sale.
There was also an extremely strong clearance rate of 99% achieved on the day.
Top priced lots
Selling for the top price of the day at €6,000 was an outstanding shearling ewe from the Glyde flock of Philip Lynch.
This eye-catching shearling ewe was crowned reserve female champion and reserve overall champion earlier in the summer at the Suffolk national championships. She was scanned carrying two lambs to the 6,000gns Shannagh Boss Man and was purchased by Dr SP Fitzgerald.
Lynch’s success in the sales ring continued selling three more in-lamb shearling ewes to give him the top pen average of the day at €3,114.
The next top price of the day was another outstanding in-lamb shearling ewe produced by longstanding Suffolk breeders Andrew and Richard Wilson.
This powerful ewe had the genetics to match being a daughter of the £33,000 (€39,841) Castleisle Kinsman and scanned in-lamb to the current breed record holder 200,000gns Salopian Solid Gold.
She was snatched up in a flurry of bids by new breeder Cliodhna McCafferty for €5,400. It was another Castleisle Kinsman daughter that was the next top price for the Wilson brothers at €3,000.
She was also scanned in-lamb to the record breaking 200,000gns Salopian Solid Gold and found her new home with another new breeder Barry Stevenson.
The Wilson brother duo had an extremely successful day selling all twenty of their in-lamb shearling ewes for an impressive average of just over €2,030.
Third highest price of the day was €4,000 and was obtained by the Finn Vale flock of Jonathan and Andrew Lucas for a stylish in-lamb shearling.
The direct daughter of Finn Vale Am the Man that goes back to Salopian Pure Gold, was scanned in-lamb to Claycrop MacAllister that was crowned the shearling ram winner at the 2024 Suffolk national championships. She sold to the flock of John Oakman.
The father and son due went on to average €2,165 for their pen of eight in-lamb shearling ewes. Exhibiting a strong pen of in-lamb shearling ewes and achieving a top price of €3,400 was the Ballinatone flock of Richard Thompson. This pen topping shearling ewe was a daughter of Shannagh A CR7, a son of Kells TRex.
She was sold to well known breeder Mike Hastings of the Western Suffolks flock and scanned in-lamb with a single to Ballycannon Rolls Royce. The first flock into the ring on the day was the renowned Malinhead flock of John A Doherty.
With a pen of seven high-end shearling ewes forward they set the tone for the day with their top lot selling for €3,200 to Cavan based breeder Martin Reilly. The powerful shearling was a Crewlands Dancing Brave daughter.
The Malinhead flock achieved a very consistent sale giving them a strong pen average of €2,175.
Topping the ewe lamb section at €3,800 was the Limestone flock of one of the island’s top Suffolk breeders Mark Priestly. This Sportsman Masterplan sired ewe lamb had maternal sisters sell to 12,500gns. She was described in pre-sale comments by Priestly as “a special lamb with huge flush ewe potential”. She found her new home, after fierce bidding, with Glen and Steven Caldwell of the Glennquilly flock.
The Limestone flock continued its success selling another Sportsman Masterplan daughter for €3,000 to Richard Black.
The Limestone flock achieved a pen average of €2,703 for their pen of four ewe lambs.
The Ballycannon flock of Dennis Taylor took the third top price in the ewe lamb section, for his Limestone Springbok pen leader.
Being described by Taylor as “a beast of a ewe lamb with power and presence” she was snapped up by Derek Baskin for €2,600.
Taylor went on to sell five more powerful ewe lambs to give him a strong pen average of €1,584.
Longstanding Suffolk breeders S & S Gahan sold their three Barrowlands ewe lambs to average €735.
Last, but by no means least, into the ring was Niall Cassidy’s Screen flock selling his real breeders type ewe lamb for €950 to Mark Priestly.
