A small crowd gathered in Carnaross Mart on a wet evening for the Irish Dutch Spotted Sheep Association Elite Sale. There was a small entry of just under 60 sheep on the night.

The quality of sheep varied greatly and this reflected in the large range in price on the night.

Topping the sale selling for €1,200 was a stand-out ewe lamb from Donegal-based breeders Declan and Martin McLaughlin. This breedy ewe lamb was last into the ring on the night and she sold in a two-way split to Brandon McClafferty and Rachel Gallagher. Cashel Hill Iaera was sired by Craigdoo Hope and Glory and her dam was Glencloy Florence.

The next highest price of €1,080 was obtained by the pre-sale show champion, Hillside Isla from another Donegal duo, Edina and David Kilpatrick. This show-winning lamb was also sired by Craigdoo Hope and Glory. A last-minute bid was placed by Carlow’s Nigel Hogan to secure the champion lamb. Following on from the champion was the third-prizewinning ewe lamb from Declan and Patricia McGettigan, that sold for €1,000. This flashy five-star ewe lamb was sired by the well-known ram Westbroad Diego. She was purchased by pedigree breeder Phillip Foy.

A top price of €1,000 was paid out in the male section for a powerful ram lamb from Malcolm and Hillary Workman. This double five-star lamb was sired by McDermott’s First Class and his dam was Cleenagh Fairey Tail.

It was Northern Ireland-based breeder Robert Nelson that was the successful buyer of this top-priced ram lamb.