A very large crowd was in attendance for the Irish Hereford Society’s autumn show and sale at GVM Mart, Tullamore an illustration of the growing interest in the breed. Many were customers on the day while others never having had a Hereford bull were checking out the stock on offer with the intention of purchasing a Hereford bull in the spring given the growing demand for Hereford sired beef. Several Hereford breeders amongst the top bidders made purchases against strong competition from both dairy and beef producers.
The top price of the day €5,600 was paid by John and Darren Hayes, Tankardstown, Ratoath, Co Meath for the very promising thirteen month old Kye Harry 721 a son to the UK bred Free Town Hotspur out of the homebred dam Kye Sheila 572 a daughter to the successful Steil Gerard. Bred by Padraig McGrath, Cloonshannagh, Elphin this young bull now joins the Curraghliffe herd of John and Darren Hayes as junior herd sire to compliment and follow on from the current successful herd sire Blean Dex purchased when champion some years ago at the Society sale in Nenagh.
The Champion Portanob Revival is a well- bred bull from the herd of J & J Canty, Pubblestown, Kildalkey, Co Meath. Sired by Balleen Revival a Bowmont Storm A584 grandson he is out of Portanob Julia 2nd a cow that is breeding well and has had some considerable success in the show-ring. The purchaser at a very reasonable €3,800 was Enda Quirke, Hill of Down, Enfield who has recently established the Cnoc an Duin Hereford herd with the purchase of a number of quality females.
Mr Canty also exhibited herd sibling Portanob Hugo again a son to herdsire Balleen Revival this time out of a bought in female Ballymartin Karen from the herd of Elizabeth Kingston, Lismore. At €4,000 he was purchased by Brian Clarke, Derver, Carnaross, Kells for the well- known Church Hill Herd established by his late father Mervyn who following a long and distinguished career as a Hereford breeder was laid to rest recently.
The Reserve Champion bull Beaghmore Romeo 2nd was bred and exhibited by Margaret and Leila McCabe, Beaghmore, Carrigallen, Co Leitrim who are amongst the society’s longest serving members. While coy about their age these two girls have been breeding and exhibiting Herefords for over sixty years. Amongst their many successes Beaghmore Pirate is possibly the most famous influencing the breed throughout the 1960’s and beyond. Romeo is sired by Dovea AI bull Gageboro Morgan (GGM) the dam is Beaghmore Melody. Once again it was a breeder Sean Sheil, Coolnacritta, Rathdowney, Co Laois who placed the final bid securing him as herd sire at €4,150.
Local breeder David Larkin, the Hermitage, Kilcormac, Co Offaly had quite a successful day with his Cill Cormaic Napoleon a 22 month old son to his stockbull Cedar Liam out of Cill Cormaic Maxine. Bidding closed at €4,500 achieving the second highest price on the day. The bull will share domicile at two Co Wexford farms being jointly purchased by Glen Jacob, Dunsinane, Enniscorthy and John Johnston, Tomagaddy, Gorey.
The Kilcormac herd had further success in the female section first securing the Female Championship with Cill Cormaic Niamh again by Cedar Liam she later sold as the day’s top price female at €3,500 to Madeline Boyd, Loughros Point, Ardara, Co Donegal while her half- sister Cill Cormaic Natasha sold to Aylmer E Power, Cappagh, Askeaton, Co Limerick at €2,900.
Sean Neary, Cloncullane, Strokestown who provided last year’s champion at this venue exhibited a Kilsunny Goliath son Cloncullane King 322. His dam is Cloncullane Holly and the purchaser at €3,800 was well known breeder Trevor Dudley, Kilsunny House, Dovea, Thurles..
Tony Bracken, Rhode, Co Offaly attended the sale to purchase a bull to go to cows next spring and selected Duibhgiolla Ed a Kill Cormaic Kasper (KZP Dovea) son out of Glaslough Esquire (GSQ) daughter Duibhgiolla Delight 2nd at €3,550 from the herd of K & M Diffley, Clooncolligan, Bornacoola, Co Leitrim.
Ivor Anderson, Corran Killeshandra had Corran Hill Countryboy by Glaslough Levi and out of Corran Hill Beauty a Churchill Storm daughter exhibited. This 19 month old caught the eye of the Deverell Family of Geashill who purchased him at €3,500.
Regular exhibitors at the event Tom & Anselm Fitzgerald, Mount Temple, Moate had two bulls on offer Griananpoll 1 Oz by Grousehallpoll 1 Premier (GPZ) out of a Yarram Pompeii V055 daughter which sold at €3,500 to Co Offaly breeder Jonathan Cahill, The Island, Ballycumber, Co Offaly. The second offering Grianan On Line by Grianan Marksman sold at €3,000 to Cornelius Moylan, who made the long journey from Kanturk, Co Cork to secure his purchase.
Hereford enthusiast Lester Roe and son Edward viewed Ballinveney Sunrise early in the day and decided he was the bull most suited to their requirements. A son to Ballinveney Nigel out of a BB Power 0270 cow provided a now diverse bloodline and sold at €3,400 to the Roe Family, Ballybrit, Roscrea.
Females to catch the eye other than the champion and her herd sibling mentioned above included the Reserve Champion Caonachpoll 1 Anna from the herd of William Jones now in his 95th year and his grandson David. She was purchased at a rather disappointing €2,700 by Kenton Crowe, Mohill, Co Leitrim.
Glaslough Pepsi by Kye Sting 595 from S & N Heatrick Glaslough sold at €3,000 to John Martyn, Kilrush, Co Clare.
Henry & Mervyn Parr’s Tourtanepoll 1 Red Flame 20 a Glaslough Hurricane daughter sold to Derek McGrath, Killakee Road, Dublin at ¨€2,950 while they parted with Tourtanepoll 1 Winnie a Kilsunny Goliath daughter to Kevin Treanor, Emyvale, Co Monaghan at €2,800.
Overall there was a very satisfactory clearance of bulls at prices similar to last year. Female prices did not reach the highs reached at the same venue in 2015. There was general agreement that the many heifers on offer were not of as high quality as last year and that the number of heifers which has changed hands privately and including the Allowdale sale in August last was well ahead of normal. Breeders with land and resources to expand their herds are holding on to their better stock while others are consolidating their herds with a view to herd improvement.
The Society’s next sale takes place at GVM Kilmallock on Friday October 21st next with 65 bulls and 9 females on offer.
Irish Hereford Breed Society Ltd 