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A 10kg bag of potatoes sold for €1,050 at a charity auction in Donegal held last Friday night.
Crowds watched on in astonishment as bidders battled over the bag of potatoes, supplied by local grower Charlie Doherty.
The winning bidder was hotel manager and television personality Noel Cunningham. The auction marked the final event held by Donegal IFA in a major fundraising campaign for Cancer Care West.
Donegal @IFAmedia charity auction in full swing tonight. Pallet trucks, calving jacks, pressure washers, sprayers, chainsaws, fertilisers spreaders and much more going under the hammer. Price of the night: €1050 paid for a 10kg bag of potatoes. All for charity @farmersjournal pic.twitter.com/oefc1vE14H
— Stephen Robb (@StephenRobbFJ) October 18, 2019
While this was the top bid of the night, there were a number of other notable prices paid at the auction, including €410 for a tractor wing mirror by Nigel Renaghan, IFA Ulster/North Leinster Regional Chairman.
Cavan auctioneer Matthew Donnellan drafted back on the night to oversee bids at the event. A number of big-ticket items also went under the hammer including a selection of pedigree AI straws, a Fleming single disc fertiliser spreader, a diesel generator, a pallet truck, vouchers for a range of services and many more.
Watch the video below
Source: Tracymarie Photography
Fundraising campaign
The event brings an end to a major fundraising campaign by Donegal IFA in aid of the charity Cancer Care West.
The campaign kicked off with a tractor run and dyno test day in August, where over 100 tractors toured east Donegal.
The second event saw 275 animals go under the hammer at a livestock charity auction held in Ballybofey and Stranorlar mart. The auction attracted the attention of overseas bidders from New York.
Fair play to the organising committee of the @IFAmedia Donegal Farmers Fight Against Cancer charity livestock auction tonight in Stranorlar. Huge effort involved and all for a great cause. Full report to come on @farmersjournal pic.twitter.com/F8AsFnEjrF
— Stephen Robb (@StephenRobbFJ) September 20, 2019
All funds raised from the campaign are going directly to Cancer Care West. The charity provides professional, community-based practical and emotional support services, free of charge, to those affected by cancer.
The final tally from the entire fundraising campaign is expected to be announced this week.
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