A huge crowd gathered in Blessington Mart at the weekend for the much anticipated 2024 Irish Texel Sheep Society premier show and sale.
The weekend kicked off with the show under the watchful eye of Dye Clark of the Clarks Flock in Scotland.
The first class of the day was the shearling ewe with the first prize in this class going to John Neville, Co Wexford, with a Glenside Forever daughter, which went on to sell for €2,000 to new breeder Thomas Whitehead.
Pat and Barry Farrell had a day to remember with their ewe lamb taking the female championship, a prize they have claimed for the last three years and went on to take the reserve overall championship.
This year’s champion was a maternal sister to last year’s winner by Hilltop Golden Eye later selling for €4,500. This ewe lamb was snapped up again by Thomas Whitehead.
The second prizewinning lamb came from Patrick and James Murphy who also later claimed the reserve female title. She is sired by Hexel Fan Club and sold for €1,800 to Jimmy Garrivan for Mayo.
Other leading prices came from the Farrell’s shearling ewe selling at €3,500. She is by Rhaedr Entrepreneur and a full sister to last year’s champion. She sold to Neville Myles.
This ram lamb from Irene Donnelly sold for €15,000 to the Greene and McLoughlin flocks. \ McGregor Photography
Next up in the shearling ewes was another Entrepreneur daughter from Ryan Doherty. She sold to Thomas Kenny for €3,000.
Paul Mallon then sold a daughter of Mullan Eagle Eye for €2,000 to Niall Moyne. Trading at the same money was another Glenside Forever daughter from John Neville selling to David Craig.
The shearling ewes had a strong clearance of 81% and came in at an average of €1,021 for 50 sold. Ewe lambs were also in high demand with the average hitting €1,115 with a 66% clearance.
The top spot on the Friday went to the winner of the open class from John Redmond of the Knockhill Flock in Carlow with a son of Forkins Fancy.
Dye followed this lamb the whole way through making him male champion and overall champion and purchasing him for €3,100 the following day for his Clarks Flock.
The reserve male champion came from the same class from Neville Myles with a Hexel Fan Club son. This double five-star lamb gathered much attention with the package of figures and looks making him the sale topper at €20,000. He heads west to the flocks of Jimmy Garrivan and Ronan Gallagher.
The winner of the shearling ram class was a Hexel Fever Tree son from Liam Dillon selling for €1,100.
The winner of the Lamb Plus class went to Neville Myles with another Hexel Fan Club that he later sold for €1,700 to James Kelly. The winner of the novice class was Iris and Irene Brazil with a son of Oberstown Fergo selling for €1,200.
It was a son of Knockhill Great Expectations, which won the Irish-sired class from Jarlath Joyce who later went on to sell for €5,500 to Flor Ryan and Johnny Donohoe.
Second highest
The second highest price of the sale went to the duo of Pat and Barry Farrell with a full brother to the reserve overall champion, a Hilltop Golden son bred from a Teiglum ewe.
He sold for €18,000 to the Corbo, Manview and Ballygroogan flocks.
Coming in close behind at €15,000 was a son of Claybury Dunkirk out of the overall champion from last year and from the same Oberstown/Teiglum line. This boy was the choice of the Greene, McLoughlin flocks.
Next up was a full brother to the sale topper from Neville Myles with a Fan Club son, this time selling for €6,000 to the Greenhill Flock of John and Colm McHugh. Jarlath Joyce was back in the money with a full brother to Irene Donnelly’s lamb selling for €5,000 to Dwayne Sheils.
The next three rams traded at €4,500 with the first being a full brother to last year’s sale topper from Brian Divilly selling to John and Colm McHugh.
It was then another full brother to the sale topper from Neville Myles sold to Declan Mangan.
Neville Myles had another at the same money from the same pen. He sold to Anthony Rowland. The last to trade above the €4,000 mark was Emma Wharton selling her son of Seaford Groovy Baby for €4,500.
Pat and Barry Farrell from the Oberstown flock in Co Meath sold their Hilltop Golden-sired ram lamb for €18,000. \ McGregor Photography
The trade was strong throughout the males section, with Irish breeders seeking top genetics to add to their flocks with 34 rams making €2,000 or more.
A large amount of shearling rams and ram lambs sold to commercial farmers in the €600 to €1,200 bracket.
A charity sale was held which raised €2,400 for Dara’s Legacy.
Shearling rams
Shearling rams averaged €1,125 with a 97% clearance, while ram lambs had a clearance rate of 89% with a €1,708 average.
A huge crowd gathered in Blessington Mart at the weekend for the much anticipated 2024 Irish Texel Sheep Society premier show and sale.
The weekend kicked off with the show under the watchful eye of Dye Clark of the Clarks Flock in Scotland.
The first class of the day was the shearling ewe with the first prize in this class going to John Neville, Co Wexford, with a Glenside Forever daughter, which went on to sell for €2,000 to new breeder Thomas Whitehead.
Pat and Barry Farrell had a day to remember with their ewe lamb taking the female championship, a prize they have claimed for the last three years and went on to take the reserve overall championship.
This year’s champion was a maternal sister to last year’s winner by Hilltop Golden Eye later selling for €4,500. This ewe lamb was snapped up again by Thomas Whitehead.
The second prizewinning lamb came from Patrick and James Murphy who also later claimed the reserve female title. She is sired by Hexel Fan Club and sold for €1,800 to Jimmy Garrivan for Mayo.
Other leading prices came from the Farrell’s shearling ewe selling at €3,500. She is by Rhaedr Entrepreneur and a full sister to last year’s champion. She sold to Neville Myles.
This ram lamb from Irene Donnelly sold for €15,000 to the Greene and McLoughlin flocks. \ McGregor Photography
Next up in the shearling ewes was another Entrepreneur daughter from Ryan Doherty. She sold to Thomas Kenny for €3,000.
Paul Mallon then sold a daughter of Mullan Eagle Eye for €2,000 to Niall Moyne. Trading at the same money was another Glenside Forever daughter from John Neville selling to David Craig.
The shearling ewes had a strong clearance of 81% and came in at an average of €1,021 for 50 sold. Ewe lambs were also in high demand with the average hitting €1,115 with a 66% clearance.
The top spot on the Friday went to the winner of the open class from John Redmond of the Knockhill Flock in Carlow with a son of Forkins Fancy.
Dye followed this lamb the whole way through making him male champion and overall champion and purchasing him for €3,100 the following day for his Clarks Flock.
The reserve male champion came from the same class from Neville Myles with a Hexel Fan Club son. This double five-star lamb gathered much attention with the package of figures and looks making him the sale topper at €20,000. He heads west to the flocks of Jimmy Garrivan and Ronan Gallagher.
The winner of the shearling ram class was a Hexel Fever Tree son from Liam Dillon selling for €1,100.
The winner of the Lamb Plus class went to Neville Myles with another Hexel Fan Club that he later sold for €1,700 to James Kelly. The winner of the novice class was Iris and Irene Brazil with a son of Oberstown Fergo selling for €1,200.
It was a son of Knockhill Great Expectations, which won the Irish-sired class from Jarlath Joyce who later went on to sell for €5,500 to Flor Ryan and Johnny Donohoe.
Second highest
The second highest price of the sale went to the duo of Pat and Barry Farrell with a full brother to the reserve overall champion, a Hilltop Golden son bred from a Teiglum ewe.
He sold for €18,000 to the Corbo, Manview and Ballygroogan flocks.
Coming in close behind at €15,000 was a son of Claybury Dunkirk out of the overall champion from last year and from the same Oberstown/Teiglum line. This boy was the choice of the Greene, McLoughlin flocks.
Next up was a full brother to the sale topper from Neville Myles with a Fan Club son, this time selling for €6,000 to the Greenhill Flock of John and Colm McHugh. Jarlath Joyce was back in the money with a full brother to Irene Donnelly’s lamb selling for €5,000 to Dwayne Sheils.
The next three rams traded at €4,500 with the first being a full brother to last year’s sale topper from Brian Divilly selling to John and Colm McHugh.
It was then another full brother to the sale topper from Neville Myles sold to Declan Mangan.
Neville Myles had another at the same money from the same pen. He sold to Anthony Rowland. The last to trade above the €4,000 mark was Emma Wharton selling her son of Seaford Groovy Baby for €4,500.
Pat and Barry Farrell from the Oberstown flock in Co Meath sold their Hilltop Golden-sired ram lamb for €18,000. \ McGregor Photography
The trade was strong throughout the males section, with Irish breeders seeking top genetics to add to their flocks with 34 rams making €2,000 or more.
A large amount of shearling rams and ram lambs sold to commercial farmers in the €600 to €1,200 bracket.
A charity sale was held which raised €2,400 for Dara’s Legacy.
Shearling rams
Shearling rams averaged €1,125 with a 97% clearance, while ram lambs had a clearance rate of 89% with a €1,708 average.
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: