Clyda shearling ewe is crowned the 2025 Suffolk All Ireland Champion

A large crowd of Suffolk enthusiasts gathered in Athenry to compete and spectate at the 2025 Suffolk All-Ireland championships. There was an extremely strong consignment of over 150 sheep.

The quality in each class made it a tough job for judge Lesley Ligget of the NI based Carony flock.

Standing out to Ligget from the start to claim both female champion and overall champion was a standout shearling ewe from Susan O’Keeffe’s well-known Clyda flock.

This super shearling came from a long line of show winners, coming from one of the most influential female lines in the breed.

She was sired by Ballinatone BT Buddy and her dam is a daughter of Castleisle Kilteskin Prince and a maternal sister to Clyda President.

From this same prize-winning line, four All-Ireland champions and two premier sale champions have been produced by the Clyda flock.

Claiming male champion and overall reserve champion was Mullinvale Dazzler, an impressive ram lamb from Darragh McMenamin.

This powerful lamb was sired by the much admired £40,000 Frongoy Flamboyant and his dam was a Limestone Red Rum-sired Glenroe ewe.

Shearling

The shearling ram and upwards class was the first class to commence on the day and it was won by James O’Connell of the Knockogan flock, with his stock ram Finnvale Bugatti. Bugatti was a son of the well-known Salopian Pure Gold and was purchased by O’Connell in 2023 at the Blessington premier sale.

In the aged ewe class, both first and second place went to Co Cork’s Susan O’Keeffe.

The first prizewinning ewe was a classy first crop ewe sired by the 10,000gns Blackbrae AB President.

She also went on to claim overall reserve female champion.

It was her maternal sister that went on to take second place in the same class.

This super Castleisle Kilteskin Prince- sired ewe has had many wins throughout her showing career, including winning the Suffolk All-Ireland champion title in both 2022 and 2023.

The new breeders’ class was dominated by Charlie Bourke, claiming both first and second with two classy lambs sired by Limestone Double Diamond.

A strong novice ram lamb class saw Barney Carroll take the red rosette with his Limestone Bugatti-sired lamb.

This long and powerful lamb also claimed second in a strong open ram lamb class as well as claiming overall reserve male champion for the up-and-coming Cregmore flock.

Novice

In the novice ewe lamb class, Charlie Bourke was back to winning again. He claimed both first and second with his Limestone Double Diamond-sired sisters. This first prizewinning ewe lamb also won first in the untrimmed ewe lamb class.

In a competitive trimmed ewe lamb class, it was John A Doherty’s Malinhead flock that came out on top with a stylish Crewlands Dancing Brave daughter.

This stylish ewe lamb was a sister to Malinhead Canonball and the 2023 All-Ireland reserve champion winning ewe lamb. In second place was Philip Lynch’s ewe lamb sired by Shannagh Bossman.

The last two classes of the day where the young handlers’ classes and they were extremely competitive classes with the top young shepherds battling it out.

The under-13 class was won by Bobby Thompson of the Ballinatone flock and the under 16 class was won by Paddy McMonagle of the Beltanyview flock.

Shearling ram and upwards

Aged ewe

Shearling ewe

New breeders class

Novice ram lamb

Open ram lamb

Novice ewe lamb

Trimmed ewe lamb

Untrimmed ewe lamb

Male Championship

Champion: Darragh McMenamin, Mullinvale (ram lamb). Reserve: Barney Carroll, Cregmore (novice)

Female Championship

Champion: Susan O’Keeffe, Clyda (shearling ewe). Reserve: Susan O’Keeffe, Clyda (aged ewe)

Overall Championship

Champion: Susan O’Keeffe, Clyda (shearling ewe). Reserve: Darragh McMenamin, Mullinvale (ram lamb)