Charolais season ends on a high
Donegal bull is the sale-topper at Elphin Mart, reports Martin Ryan
A DONEGAL pedigree Charolais breeder has achieved the leading price for a bull from his ‘Roughan’ herd for the second year in a row at the Irish Charolais Cattle Society Christmas Cracker Show and Sale at Elphin Mart.
Fourteen-month-old Roughan Noah 2 delivered for Pat McClean from Roughan, Newtowncunningham when auctioneer Tom Cox brought down the hammer at €10,000 before the thronged ringside erupted in applause.
The bull was headed to go west to his new home within the herd of Bernard Fallon at Attymon, Co Galway.
The sale-topper — unrelated to Pat McClean’s Roughan Most, the price leader at the sale in 2017 — was bred by the homebred sire Roughan Gibraltar and son of dam Roughan Isadorie, and carries a three-star Terminal Index and four-star Replacement.
Roughan Nial 2 from the same herd, an 11-month-old bull by the same sire, sold for €7,100.
The Senior Championship of the Show was awarded by show judge Kevin Thomas of the Annside Charolais herd, home of the famed Foreman sire in Wales, to Ballynabreen Nevin from the herd of John G McDermott at Falmore, Gleneely, Lifford, Co Donegal.
The five and three-star, 15-month-old bull, by the sire Goldstar Echo and out of the dam Ballynabreen Irish Girl, sold to a Co Galway breeder at €7,100, sharing the position as third highest sale price with the above Roughan Nial 2, and Muckanagh Nimble, exhibited by Patricia and Liam Mitchell from Muckanagh, Mohill, Co Leitrim.
The Reserve Senior Champion was exhibited by Edward Walsh from Aghafad, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan. September 2017-born Aghafad Nickel sold for €4,400.
The Junior Champion was 13-month-old Fieldview Nathaniel, from the herd of David Erskine from Crosses, Monaghan, Co Monaghan, winner of the championship at Granard Agricultural Show earlier in the year and red rosette winner at the Tynavat and Virginia shows.
The Ashleigh Admiral and Fieldview Crystal-bred bull sold for €8,500 to become the joint second highest price bull, sharing the number two position on the price table with Cloonglasna 11 Noddy, exhibited by Padraig Egan from Cloonglasna, Knockanillaun, Ballina, Co Mayo.
The reserve Junior Champion was Martin Ryan’s Goldstar Nobility from the well-known herd at Cabra House, Thurles, which sold for €6,800, having collected a basket of rosettes from the round of summer shows. Some of the large crowd (left) at the show and sale; and (right) David Erskine from Crosses, Monaghan with Junior Champion Fieldview Nathaniel at the Elphin show — which sold for €8,500 — with handler Jerry McKee and President of the ICS Kevin Maguire