Category Archives: Sales

€5,500 Coralstown Hurricane Tops Tullamore Premier sale

On October 15th, The Irish Hereford Autumn premier show and sale took place at GVM Tullamore. Phillip and Laura Vincent, owners of the well renowned Pulham Hereford herd in South Norfolk, were tasked with the tough job of presiding over the judging at the Premier Hereford show.
A fantastic atmosphere resulted from the commendably high quality of stock turned out on the day, which made the judging very challenging for the English pair, securing the male and female championships even more prized for the breeders.


The Irish Hereford Breed Society would like to say a huge thank you to Irish Hereford Prime for continuing to support the sale by providing €250 to the purchasers of each bull that sold for €3,000 or more.


The first class of the day was for bulls born between the 29th of October 2020 and the 28th of February 2021. The top spot in this class went to Coralstown Hurricane, who later went on to be crowned Male Champion. Coralstown Hurricane, bred by Enda and Colin Burke of Coralstown Herefords, Co. Westmeath also topped the trade selling to Country Crest Farms for €5,500. It was a day to remember for the father and son duo as it was their first time exhibiting at a premier sale. This bull was sired by Trillick George & was bred from a Trillick Snazzy dam.

Second prize in this class went to Michael and Sinead Conry of Rathnollag Herefords, Co. Roscommon, the father and daughter duo kicked off the sale in good fashion with their January 2021 born bull Rathnollag Buster. Buster being one of the first bulls into the ring started the sale with a bang. Sired by Trillick Hotspur & bred from a Castleroberts Stephanie dam, the hammer fell for Buster at €3,400.


The second class of the day went to Griananpoll 1 Vegas for T&A Fitzgerald of Grianan Herefords in Co.Westmeath. They had a very successful day, taking home a total of €7,000 for their two bulls. Born in March 2021, Griananpoll 1 Vegas was the first bull to reach €4,000 after winning his class earlier that morning. Vegas is 5-star replacement and 4-star for carcase weight. He is sired by Gouldingpoll 1 Moonshine ET and is going back to a Dendor 1 Greta 31st dam. Vegas was purchased by a pedigree breeder in Northern Ireland. The Fitzgeralds other bull at the sale, Grianan Wildfire sold for €3,000. Wildfire is sired by Pute Nascar N13 and is going back to a Grianan Cooperobin 712 dam.


Alan Gibbons of Strokestown, Co. Roscommon with Mullaghey 1 Tom 4 secured second place in Class 2. Mullaghey 1 Tom 4 is sired by Knockglass Donald and was bred from a Grousehallpoll 1 Premier ET dam. Tom 4 went on to sell for €3,000 in the ring. Third in the class went to Ardstewart Gunner owned by Nelson and Wade McCrabbe from Co. Donegal and later sold for €3,000.


The third class of the day was for bulls born between the 26th of June and the 30th of September 2021. Taking top spot in this class was Eamon and John Mc Kiernan with their bull Knockmanta 1 Major 2. Major 2 went one step further and was also tapped out as reserve male champion. This July born 2021 bull was sired by Fabb 1 Northern Star and is out of a Knockmanta 1 Jessica 3 dam. The hammer fell at €3,000 for Major 2 who boasted a 5- star replacement and 4- star terminal index.

Hitting €4,000 was the youngest bull in the sale Mountwilliams Pogba for Aidan Farrell of Mountwilliams Herefords in Co. Westmeath. Pogba is a September 2021 born bull, sired by Butlerstown Duke and going back to a Mountwilliams Iris ET dam. Pogba boasts 5-stars for replacement and has a calving ease figure that is lower than the breed average.

Females


Class one in the female section went to Loughglas 1 Wanda for Nigel Heatrick Co. Monaghan. This November 2020 born heifer was sired by Clooncullane Major 343 and went on to sell for €2,800. Second in the class went to Kye Rosie 933, a Pullham Ranger daughter for Padraig McGrath, and later went on to sell for €2,650. Third in the class went to Nigel Heatrick with Glasslough Wendy, Wendy was a July 2020 heifer and sold for €2,400.


The second heifer class of the day saw Lios Breacpoll 1 Patricia placed first in her class and was also tapped out as female champion on the day. This stylish heifer was bred by John and Enda Flynn from Newtownforbes, Co. Longford. Patricia is a July 2021 born heifer, sired by Fabb 1 Northern star going back to a Grianan Orange T868 cow. Patricia went on to make the highest female price of the day at €4,900.
Second place and reserve champion went to Kye Ger 965 from Padraig Mc Grath, Elphin Co Roscommon. The September 2021 heifer is sired by Pulham Ranger and out of a Kye Ger 749 dam. The hammer fell at €2,700 for Ger 965.Third in the class went to Aughakil 1 Pumpkin from Kenton Crowe Co. Leitrim who later went on to sell for €2,450


Crowenstown Prettymaid 3 was also a top attraction as she sold for the second highest price of the day at €3,300 to a Cork herd. Bred by the Drumm family of Delvin Co. Westmeath, the February 2021 heifer was sired by Mawarra Sentimental ET1 HYF and bred from an Allowdale Prettymaid 557 daughter. Prettymaid 3 has a 5-star rating for replacement, carcass weight, carcass confirmation, daughter milk and daughter calving interval.
Congratulations to all buyers and sellers on a remarkably successful sale. Many thanks to the stewards on the day, the judges Philip and Laura Vincent, the auctioneer Mr. Eamonn Gaffney, the photographer Ms. Shannon Kinahan, the staff of GVM Tullamore and Irish Hereford Prime.

Autumn Kilmallock sale sees strong trade.


The Irish Hereford Society Autumn Show & Sale took place in Kilmallock on Friday October 21st. Of the 28 bulls catalogued for the sale, 20 were exhibited and 15 of those sold to new homes. There was a great atmosphere around the mart with buyers travelling long distances to secure their new purchases.


Mr. John Appelbe of Appel Herefords, Co. Cork, took on the task of judging the pre-sale show. The Champion of the show went to lot 20 Balleen Account owned by Tom Brennan, Co. Kilkenny. Account is sired by Cill Cormaic Quade and goes back to a Towra Brilliant sired cow. Account was later sold in the sale for €3,400.


The top price of the day went to lot 14 for Kyepoll 1 1 Nevin 944, bred by Padraig McGrath of Kye Herefords, Elphin Co. Roscommon. Nevin 944, sired by Fisher 1 Profile, has a 5-star terminal index and 5-star carcass weight index. After a flurry of bids, Nevin 944 went on to sell for €3,750. From the same pen, Lot 8 Kye Ranger 939 sold for €3,300. This February 2021 born bull was sired by Pulham Ranger and bred from a Free Town Hotspur dam.


The second top price of the day was €3,500 for the Reserve Champion; Farney Triumph. This September 2021 born bull was sired by Gageboro Morgan and boosts 5-stars on replacement and daughter’s milk. Triumph was bred by John and Mary Johnson of Farney Herefords, Co. Tipperary.


Michael & Sinead Conry of Rathnollag Herefords, Roscommon, exhibited Rathnollag Lad 91 who is sired by Pulham Powerhouse and goes back to Kye Rina 711. This October 2020 bull got the sale underway where he went on to sell for €3,200. Lad 91 boosts 4-star Replacement and 5-star Terminal indexes.


Lot 22 Ballinveney Empire for Rory Farrell of Ballinveney Herefords, Co. Tipperary went on to sell for €3,100. Empire was a July 2021 born bull and was sired by Ballinveney Nigel and goes back to a homebred Ballinveney Trudy dam. Empire has double 5-stars for the Replacement and Terminal indexes.


Well done to all exhibitors and we wish all purchasers the best of luck. The Irish Hereford Breed Society would like to thank Judge John Appelbe and Auctioneer John Gaffney for all their work on the day and Irish Hereford Prime for their practical and financial contributions to the sale also.

Mullaghdoo Hereford Herd Dispersal Sale

The Mullaghdoo Hereford herd dispersal sale was held in GVM Carrigallen on Monday 19th September at 7pm.

The herd belongs to Basil Arnold from Killeshandra, Co. Cavan – who has been a Hereford member since 2008. The herd is well known throughout with Basil attending and exhibiting at several shows over the years and Premier Society sales.

There were 41 lots of cattle for sale including; 29 lots of Hereford females, eight young Hereford bulls and one stock bull for sale.

The trade was lively given the time of year and there were plenty of customers both ringside and online. There were just a few lots left unsold, some of which were sold on farm after the sale.

The top price during the sale was for a first calver; Mullaghdoopoll 1 Bessie, bred from Panmure 1 Henry and in-calf again to Fisher 1 Profile. This 2019 cow has a full page of stars aswell as style. The cow was purchased by Hereford breeder, Gerry McNamara from Clare for €5050.

Lot 14 sold for €5050

The next top price from the sale was €4100 for a maiden heifer; Mullaghdoopoll 1 Florence. This 2021 born heifer was also sired by Panmure 1 Henry and bred from a Gouldingpoll 1 Superduty ET dam. This heifer has a five-star replacement rate along with five stars for milk, carcase weight and carcase conformation.

Lot 22 sold for €4100

David Wilson from Lisrace Herefords in Northern Ireland purchased the next top priced lot for €3900. Lot 10, Mullaghdoo Lucy, was a Kye Rodge sired cow in-calf to Balleen Wayfair with a four-month-old bull calf at foot, Mullaghdoo Robin, also sired by Balleen Wayfair. David Wilson also bought the top priced combined lot when he purchased lot 7 for €2500 which was a Glaslough Esquire sired cow, scanned four and a half months in calf and then went on to purchase this cow’s bull calf; Mullaghdoo Hector for €3200. Hector is a Balleen Wayfair son with five stars for both the terminal index and carcase weight.

Lot 37, Mullaghdoopoll 1 Finnian was also a top seller earning €3550. This 2021 bull was sired by Fabb 1 Northern Star and bred from Panmure 1 Henry dam who sold earlier in the sale for €5050. This young bull has both a five star replacement index and five star terminal index.

We wish Basil & his family a very happy retirement & continued good health going forward.

Meet the Young Breeders – Week 2: Tara & Elisa Drumm

In this week’s Irish Hereford Calf Rearing Series, we catch up with the Drumm family, hailing from “The Lake“ county of Co. Westmeath. The Drumm family has a strong tradition of showing quality pedigree Hereford cattle at many shows in the Midlands. Mother Christine and Daughters Tara and Elisa are never too far away from the show ring come the summer months.

Tara and Elisa Drumm have been selected to rear a Hereford bull calf by the North Leinster Hereford Branch. Tara and Elisa are no strangers to the showing circles where they spend most Sundays during the summer, showing their pedigree Hereford animals alongside their mother Christine.  The Drumm family own the well known Crowenstown Herd.

Tara & Elisa with their calf Logan

The herd consists of 60 commercial cows alongside 10 pedigree Hereford cows. The pedigree herd uses 100% AI on their cows. The girls choose 100% AI as it allows the herd to use selective mating of cows/heifers to select sires strong on particular traits such as easy calving bulls on heifer and optimising the genetics of the herd.

The Drumm girls love the Hereford breed as they are a very docile animal, easy to maintain and the commercial animals kill-out well in the factory. The family has a strict breeding policy currently in place, their ideal cow type is a good feminine cow with a good top line, well made around the back end and a foot in every corner is what the girls look for when selecting a future cow.

The girls love competing in the young handlers and last year Tara won the Junior young handlers and Elisa won the Intermediate young handlers at the Next Gen Hereford Calf show in Tullamore. The girls love competing in the young handlers and they love competing against each other, they have really missed exhibiting their Herefords at shows due to Covid and they really enjoyed the 2022 showing season.

Away from farming Elisa plays Hurling for the local club; Delvin and Tara plays soccer for her local soccer club. They love farming but playing sports helps them get away from the farm and meet their friends.

Speaking about the calf, the calf is a lovely red and white Hereford bull calf who has been sourced locally. After a lot of discussion and thought the girls decided to name their calf Logan. The girls are honoured to be rearing a calf for charity and were delighted to be asked by the North Leinster Hereford branch to take on the task. The girls said that “We are really looking forward to seeing how Logan develops and think it’s a great idea in which Irish Hereford Prime thought of”.

The Drumm family have chosen local charity; North Westmeath Hospice. This is a very worthy cause and rings close to home for the Delvin natives.

We wish Tara & Elisa well on their journey of calf rearing & we look forward to meeting them and Logan in GVM Tullamore on 18th November.

Tullaha top the Munster Hereford Breeders Supreme Heifer Sale

The Munster Hereford branch held their first Supreme Hereford heifer sale last Saturday 4th June in Kanturk mart.

Of the 16 heifers catalogued,11 were exhibited for sale and seven of those sold onto new homes. There was a good atmosphere around the mart with some buyers travelling a fair distance to secure their purchases.

The top price on the day was sought for Tullaha Helena 391, bred by Tommy & Maura Cregan of Tullaha Herefords, Limerick. Helena, sired by Rossmore Nelson Mandela, has a four star replacement index, lots of milk and is scanned in calf to Conmelvin Ollie – due to calve in September. Helena was purchased for €2950 by a breeder from Tipperary.

Tullaha Helena 391 sold for €2950, with breeder Tommy Cregan

The second top price on the day was €2840 for Ringfort 1 Rebel Red. This August 2021 born heifer was bred by Neil Twomey of Ringfort 1 polled Herefords, Cork. Rebel Red was sired by Fabb 1 Nutcracker and bred from a Udel dam. With a five star replacement rate, this heifer has Danish and UK bloodlines behind her and was purchased by Peter Cooke, Tipperary.

Ringfort 1 Rebel red sold for €2840, with breeder Neil Twomey

Dermot Whelton of Hazel Grove Herefords also sold a polled heifer with a five star replacement index. Hazel Grovepoll 1 Gemini, sired by Normanton 1 laertes Et and bred from a Gageboro Morgan dam, was purchased for €2500.

Michael O’Keeffe exhibited Gurteragh Melania 959 who is bred from a full sister to Gurteragh Aristocrat. This February 2021 heifer was sired by Gurteragh Wizard 717 – who is sired by Gurteragh Justice and bred from a very good show cow; Quinsboro Rose 2nd. This heifer was purchased for €2500 by the same breeder who purchased Hazel Grovepoll 1 Gemini.

Well done to all exhibitors and we wish all breeders the very best of luck with their purchasers.