Nestled between the Ox Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, Ann and John McDermott have been breeding pedigree Aberdeen Angus cattle for over three decades under the Masreagh prefix.
Consisting of 30 pedigree cows, the herd’s primary focus is on breeding uniformed, balanced cattle, with character, good functionality, temperament, milk, locomotion and nice physical appearance.
According to John: “no matter how many stars an animal has, if its appearance is not pleasing to the eye, we don’t think the individual animal merits a place in the herd.”
Sale details
This spring, the pair decided to host an online timed auction of bulls and heifers through MartEye and Ballyjamesduff Mart from 3 to 6 April. In total, 30 lots will be catalogued.
In addition to 15 maiden heifers and nine bulls from spring 2025, there are three 2024-born bulls and three autumn 2024-born heifers, who will be scanned in-calf to Deelish Wingman.
Prospective customers can view the herd and all sale lots on the farm on Saturday 28 March and Saturday 4 April, from 11am to 3pm, both days.
The farm is located at F91AC2N; those who cannot make those dates, can arrange another time with Ann (087-9221215) or John (087-6880687).
Age at calving
Commenting on the sale, John said: “Of particular interest to some will be the calving age of heifers at Masreagh, generally we like to calve under 24 months.
The four heifers entering the herd this year calved under 24 months, with the youngest calved in February at 20 months. For this to work, we aim to have heifers at 410-420kg at service, but also to have the necessary growth and maturity to complete the programme successfully.”
Following the sale, delivery arrangements will be organised to central points in the southwest, southeast, northeast and Donegal. Exports to Northern Ireland will be subject to TB testing and normal export clearance.
“Whatever else you get from a visit to Masreagh, we believe you will witness a really solid pedigree herd and stunning scenery for good measure,” said John.
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