Veterans have the golden touch

DECADES of dedication to pedigree breeding has continued to reap rewards for two elderly Carrigallen sisters whose love for farming and livestock continues to be a fundamental part of their lives.

Margaret McCabe and her sister, Lelia, were warmly applauded after a 16-month-old bull from their ‘Beaghmore’ herd was awarded the Reserve Championship of the Show at the Hereford Society Premier Autumn Show and Sale at Tullamore.

Beaghmore Remeo 2 is the latest animal bred in the herd on their farm at Beaghmore, Carrigallen, to add to the collection of awards for their livestock breeding which has been growing for nearly half a century.

The sisters have continued to actively farm decades post normal retirement age.

However, the gracious ladies of farming were collecting awards for their Herefords more than four decades ago when they exhibited several championship winners at the former RDS Spring Show in Ballsbridge.

Among the best known was the Hereford bull Beaghmore Pirate, born in March 1962, which is accredited with having had a huge impact on the Hereford breed nationally, breeding a succession of award winners.

He sired the Champion and Reserve Champion of the RDS in 1965, the Champion in 1967, Reserve Champion at the RDS in 1969 together with winners in five classes, while the Hereford Champion was awarded to Kyle Playboy, a son of Pirate.

Breeder interest in the Beaghmore herd continues to make waves at the sales and when the latest award winner, Reserve Champion Beaghmore Remeo 2, entered the sales ring on Saturday, there was a flurry of bidding from the crowded ringside before auctioneer Hugh Mulvihill dropped the hammer at €4,150, recording one of the top prices paid at the sale, which generated another round of applause for Lelia and Margaret.

Generations of livestock breeding was also being celebrated in the heifer ring when the oldest exhibitor at the show, 94-year-old William A Jones Snr, Creagh, Keenagh, Co Longford showed the Reserve Champion, December 2014 born, Caonachpoll 1 Anna.

William showed the Champion of Show three years ago and a half sister was a show winner at Longford Agricultural Show, but the winning way of the herd goes back for 66 years with successes being recorded for the herd as far back as 1950.

William has been breeding Herefords all his life, with a current herd of 20 cows. His Reserve Champion, which was sired by Kilsunny Goliath from the well known Dudley herd at Dovea, Thurles, sold for €2,700.