The vibrant trade at last weekend’s Mayo Mule and Greyface Group was fitting for the group’s 40th anniversary sale, with prices up over €40/head on 2023 levels.

An entry of over 900 hoggets in Friday’s sale recorded an average price of €263.45/head, up over €47/head, or 21.8%, on 12 months previous.

The lift in the ewe lamb trade on Saturday was even more impressive, with the average price of the 1,586 ewe lambs recorded at €180.45, up over €40/head or almost 29% compared with the 2023 premier sale.

The sale also set new price records, with ewe hoggets breaching the €400 mark and the hammer falling at €410 for the fourth-prizewinning pen of Mule ewe hoggets weighing 80kg on average.

The average weight of hoggets traded was just over 65kg, while the average price per kilo was recorded at €4/kg.

A total of 11 lots exceeded €300/head, with another 29 lots from €270 to €295/head.

The higher-priced hoggets tended to be larger-framed or heavier hoggets, with the lots described above averaging in excess of 70kg liveweight.

This compares with a liveweight of just over 60kg for the other 50% of entries.

Just seven lots of hoggets dropped below the €200 mark, selling from €170 to €195/head and weighing 56.8kg on average. There was only one batch of hoggets which went unsold.

A number of these lots included Greyface hoggets. Prices ranged from €170 to €190 and averaged €191/head, with prizewinning lots selling from €200 to a top of €230 for the first-prizewinning hoggets.

Mart manager Teresa Gibsey commented that there were numerous new customers in attendance with significant numbers of hoggets and ewe lambs heading to counties such as Tipperary, Carlow, Cork, Kerry, Wexford and Louth.

The vibrant nature of the trade was reflected in the entry of over 900 hoggets auctioned in less than two hours, with over 1,500 ewe lambs sold in less than three hours.

The top price for ewe lambs was recorded at €325/head for the first-prizewinning lot weighing 49kg.

Another two dozen lots sold from €200 to €270, with these typically stronger ewe lambs weighing from 47kg to 50kg (average 48.3kg).

Lambs selling from €180 to €195 tended to weigh from 40kg to 46kg (average 43.3kg), with about 60 lots selling from €165 to €175/head averaging 41.3kg.

The dozen batches below this, selling from €135 to €155, weighed 38kg on average.

The group’s second sale takes place on Monday 9 September at 6pm.

In pictures

These Mule ewe hoggets weighing 59kg sold for €250 each.

The first-prizewinning pen of Greyface ewe hoggets weighing 62kg sold for €230 each.

Weighing 71kg on average, these Mule ewe hoggets sold for €290 each.

The fourth-prizewinning pen of Mule ewe hoggets presented by John Morahan weighed 80kg and topped the sale at €410 each.

Weighing 76kg on average, these second-prizewinning Mule ewe hoggets sold for €300 each.

The first-prizewinning Mule ewe lambs weighing 49kg sold for €325 each (€6.63/kg).

Weighing an average of 43kg, these Mule ewe lambs sold for €190 each (€4.42/kg).

This batch of 48kg Mule ewe lambs sold for €200 each (€4.17/kg).

These whiter-faced Mule ewe lambs weighing 45kg sold for €175 each (€3.89/kg).

Weighing 38kg, these lighter Mule ewe lambs sold for €175/kg (€4.61/kg).

These sharp-headed fourth-prizewinning ewe lambs weighing 46kg sold for €260 each (€5.65/kg).

These Mule ewe lambs weighing 48kg sold for €195 each (€4.06/kg).

Weighing 42kg on average, these Mule ewe lambs sold for €170 each (€4.05/kg).

These lighter Mule ewe lambs weighing 35kg sold for €165 each (€4.71/kg).

The first prizewinning pen of Mule ewe lambs weighing 49kg sold for €325 each (€6.63/kg).

Weighing 53kg on average, these quality Mule ewe lambs sold for €270 each (€5.09/kg).

This batch of 10 Mule ewe lambs weighing 45kg sold for €170 (€3.78/kg).

These Mule ewe lambs weighing 41kg sold for €185 each (€4.51/kg).

These Mule ewe hoggets weighing 69kg sold for €260 each.