On Saturday 12 July, the Irish Vendéen Sheep Society held its 30th annual premier show and sale, in GVM Mart, Tullamore. There was a strong entry of just under 70 lots of Ireland’s finest Vendéen males and females on offer.

The pre-sale show was judged by Jim Jeffery, who had no easy task with some strong classes forward.

With the good weather over the weekend, there was a smaller turnout of commercial farmers but overall, the sale was still a great success.

Ram lambs achieved a clearance rate of 50% and an average price of €790, while shearling rams averaged €840 with a 100% clearance rate.

In the female section shearling ewes averaged €816 with a 67% clearance and ewe lambs achieved a clearance rate of 60% with an average price of €556.

Topping the sale, selling for €1,800 was Endrim Desperado from Mark Keenaghan. This standout double five-star lamb stood fourth in the terminal ram lamb class earlier in the day.

This Noggus Braveheart- sired lamb was snapped up by the Moneygold flock after a flurry of ringside bids.

The next highest price paid out for a ram lamb was €1,080. This was for the second prizewinning terminal ram lamb, Endrim Dashing, from the same flock as the sale topper.

Dashing was picked up by the Kilbride flock with a last-minute bid.

The third ram lamb to breach the €1,000 mark was Noggus Dynamite from Ciaran Coughlan. He stood third in the strong terminal ram lamb class and was purchased by the Mellifont flock for €1,040.

The shearling ram section was topped at €1,180 by Kiltoom Clark from Thomas Bower. The Landmark Bruno Biddy-sired shearling ram stood first in the shearling ram class and was also selected as the overall reserve champion. He was purchased by a Westmeath-based commercial farmer.

Record-breaking females

Records were smashed in the female section not once, but twice. The first record was set by the shearling ewe Ballinascraw Celine from John Lynch that sold for €1,040 to the Windy Gap flock.

This first prize-winning Kilbride Warrior daughter briefly set a new female record, that was quickly broken again by Valley View Chastity from Andrew Gilmore.

Chastity was a stand-out female sired by Moneygold Valery and she sold for a new record price of €1,100 to the Tober flock.

The ewe lamb section was topped at €600 by Ballinascraw Dream. A Kilbride Warrior daughter from John Lynch, she was snapped up by the Kiltoom flock.