Running now for eight years, the Carrick Christmas Belles always garners great attention with the renowned Enniscrone and Clew Bay flocks consistently putting quality in-lamb Texel hoggets forward for sale.

This year’s sale featured guess consignments from the Carnaculla and Brideswell flocks, with ewe lambs, in lamb recipient ewes and recipients with Suffolk lambs at foot also for sale on the night.

Top price of the sale went to lot 5 from the Enniscrone flock of Ronan Gallagher. Sired by €7k Annaghdown Eduardo out of a Millars Windbrook dam, the powerful hogget was scanned with a single to the €13k Clara Fandango with the hammer falling at €2,100.

Following closely behind was another entry from the Enniscrone flock, this time a ewe lamb. Described as being "ideal for showing and flushing next summer’’ the Clara Fandango daughter held Sportsman Daredevil and Sportmans A Star in her pedigree. The hammer fell at €2,000 for the much-admired lamb.

The third top price of the night again hailed from the Enniscrone flock, with a €24k Hopevalley C the Stars daughter, with Sportmans Belter and Gargour Aerosmith in her back breeding selling for €1,400. The hoggets full brother sold in Blessington last year for €2,000. She sold scanned in lamb to the €13k Clara Fandango.

The Clew Bay flock saw their Hill View Eloi sired hogget, scanned with twins to Cherryvale Gerrard sell for €1,000. The long and powerful hogget came from a Drumgooland Aga Khan ewe and was an ET lamb herself.

A full sales report will be available in next week’s Irish Farmers Journal.