Senior championship: Kieran O'Harte, with Coraghy Monkeytricks ET the Senior Male Champion of the show exhibited by Thomas O'Harte, Leonards Island, Clones, Co Monaghan.

Export interest in Irish Limousin genes boosted the trade at the Irish Limousin Cattle Society Premier Show and Sale at Central Auctions Mart in Roscrea last Saturday.

Leading the interest was a Scottish breeder, who paid €11,000 for the star-studded Co Limerick-bred bull, Sliabh Felim Mourinho, the reserve Senior Champion of the show earlier in the day.

The sale topper was bred and exhibited by Sean Ryan (Luke), Ait Mathuna, Dromsally, Cappamore, Co Limerick, and a close second to the Senior Champion Bull in the opening class for the older bulls. He maintained his ranking in the subsequent judging of the championship, being awarded the Reserve Champion rosette.

It was an outstanding success for the Co Limerick breeder whose brother, Dr Ger Ryan, is head of the South Eastern Cattle Breeding Society at Dovea, Thurles, and father, Paddy Ryan is the best known agricultural show secretary in the country, having completed more than half a century at the helm of the annual agricultural show at Cappamore in east Limerick.

The August 2017-born Sliabh Felim Mourinho comes with a star-laden record. He is five star for both Terminal and Replacement Indexes, carcass weight and carcass confirmation, within the breed and across all breeds.

Bred from the herd dam, Sliabh Felim Jenny, and by the sire, Caprico Eravelle, he has a euro value of €168 for replacement and comes with a calving difficulty at 6.1pc.

There was a lot of interest in the bull once he entered the sales ring and auctioneer George Candler handled a flurry of bids before bringing the hammer down at €11,000 to a round of applause.

Show judge Larry Crilly, well known and successful breeder and exhibitor from his Shanhill Herd of Limousin in Co Armagh, tapped forward Coraghy Monkeytricks ET for the Senior Championship.

The July 2017-born bull was bred and exhibited by Thomas O'Harte in his herd at Leonards Island, Clones, Co Monaghan. He was bred from the dam, Dinmore Latena, purchased at the Dinmore reduction sale, and by the sire, Ampertaine Foreman, producing a five-star bull under all indices. But he did not meet his reserve in the sales ring.

Second highest price was €6,200 for Clonbonny Nenuphar, a 14-month-old bull, and second-prize-winner in his class, exhibited by Tony Hartnett, Clonbonny, Athlone.

Third highest price was €5,600 for the March-2018-born Reserve Junior Champion bull, Brackan Nacho, exhibited by Padraig Gormley, Kilbrackan, Carrigallen, Co Leitrim.

Fourth highest price at the sale was €5,400 paid for the second prizewinner in his class, Kilcastle Macgregor ET, bred and exhibited by A & P Kelly Ltd, Maymount Farm, Ballinlig Lower, Moate, Co Westmeath.

The November-2017-born bull was bred from the herd dam, Kilcastle Gina Monique and by the sire, Ideal 23, which produced a five-star Terminal and four-star Replacement Index within the breed and five star for both across all breeds, with the maximum stars for carcass weight and conformation both within the breed and across all breeds and a calving difficulty of 6.2pc.

There was a steady trade for the turnout of 60 bulls and a clearance of 77pc at an average of €3,445.

The clearance rate for the bulls in the senior classes averaged €3,580, including the top-price bulls of the day was 71pc, while the bulls in the Junior classes averaged €3,183 with a clearance of 83pc.

Indo Farming