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society / clubs / northern ireland
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| Chairman | Secretary | |
Brian McElroy |
c / o Brian McElroy |
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OFFICIAL”EXPORT” SHOW & SALE OF BULLS & FEMALES
UNDER SOCIETY RULES AT DUNGANNON FARMERS MART
Monday 29th March 2010
NORTHERN IRELAND REGION SHOW & SALE OF BULLS & FEMALES
UNDER SOCIETY RULES AT BALLYMENA MART
Monday 31st May 2010
Northern Ireland Limousin Club Report 2009
The Society Chairman, Jim Bloom, in his remarks on addressing the NI
Club AGM early in the year said: – “Efficiency, improvement,
quality of product, meeting the market, performance, adding value with,
of course the ultimate aim, profitability. These are the foundations
of any successful business and are equally applicable to the business
of cattle.” On entering their 29th year the NI Limousin Club Members
had a confidence that, by applying maxims such as quoted by Jim Bloom,
they had eventually, not only reached a parity with the breed in the
rest of the United Kingdom, but were in a position to forge ahead to
reach even greater heights. And they were not disappointed. The Club’s “Year
2009” not only established the Limousin Breed more soundly in Northern
Ireland, creating a demand for Limousins - both pedigree and commercial
- greater than before but, as well, demonstrating, through the Show ring
and the markets, that NI–bred cattle can hold their own with any
bred on these Islands and, indeed, further afield. This is a report about
Limousins in Northern Ireland, how they are bred, how they are marketed
and how the special qualities of the breed are publicised.
The year started in the usual manner - at the Ballymena Mart - with the
first of the Society sales of the year, this organised in conjunction
with the Club, on 10th January, and there was further evidence of the
popularity and strength of the breed with a packed sale ring and an almost
total clearance of lots forward. This was a female sale with the top
price of 2,050gns going to L & R Allison of Limavady for their March
2007 born heifer, Scotchtown Olga, a smart heifer with a Beef Value of
LM+26, sired by Greensons Gigolo.
The Perth and Carlisle Sales then took place and NI Breeders were to
the fore again with Derek Hume showing the Reserve Overall Champion and
selling at 9,500gns at Perth while at Carlisle the Loughran family had
the Supreme and Junior Champion, Millgate Caesar, selling at 18,000gns;
Derek Hume’s Intermediate Champion realised 11,000gns and James
McKay’s first prize-winning bull selling at 10,500gns.
Then followed
the Society Sale in Dungannon in February with bulls selling to a top
of 4,800gns for the July 2007 born Pointhouse Cantona shown by N Diamond
from Garvagh. The March Sale which, having the status of an Export Qualifying
Sale, was a new venture in Northern Ireland. Packed judging and sale
rings were evidence of the keen interest with the demand translating
itself into an average of £2,807 for the 27 bulls on
offer. Francis McAuley had the highest price of the day, selling his
Supreme Champion Bull, Carmorn Cantona at 6,000gns. At the Carlisle Sales
in early May NI Breeders were to the fore again with four out of the
six showing classes being won by NI stock and James McKay winning the
Intermediate Male and Overall Championship, while David Green had the
Champion Junior Male and Reserve Overall Champion.
At this stage of the year the Senior Club Members, recognising the importance
of skills of judgement and assessments, organise the support, the nurturing
and the training of the members of the Young Breeders’ Club in
order that they might be fitted, not only for the continued breeding
of pedigree Limousins, but also that they might have a skilled eye to
assess the potential of the commercial animals which form a large part
of the beef scene. The support and training is evident in the large number
of Young Breeders seen taking charge of animals at Shows and is further
advanced by the holding of Stock judging training and practice events.
A number of these have been held this spring both at Greenmount College
and also at Jim Quail’s, Banbridge. These culminate in a competition
which selects two teams and one individual to take part in the British
Limousin Cattle Society Limousin Stock judging event at the Royal Show.
At this the young people meet and compete against others from all over
the UK thus widening further their horizons.
The Show season kicks off with Balmoral and The Limousin Breed, as has
been the pattern over the past few years had - at 97 head - the greatest
number of beef animals catalogued. Again, as in the recent past, entries
were taken from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and
eight of the entries came from the Republic. There was a tremendous show
of top quality cattle and the constant flow of people at the cattle lines
generated a great deal of interest in what is now well known as the premier
Breed in the British Isles. The Judge of the Limousin classes at Balmoral
this year was Mr Trevor Masterson, a well-known breeder of Limousins
from Enniscorthy in Wexford, the Republic of Ireland, and he was fulsome
in his praise of the stock he had to Judge. Mr Masterson selected as
his Champion Mr Paul Brown’s bull, Guards Boomer, a three-year-old
son of Rocky and out of Ardbrack Special. Boomer had been purchased in
Carlisle for 22,000gns having been bred by Messrs Little in England.
For his Reserve Champion he chose Mr William Smith’s 2-year-old
cow, Milbrook Ulla by Poker and out of Milbrook Petal bred by Mr Smith
at Oldcastle in the Republic. Stephen Crawford’s young heifer was
Junior Champion while reserve the Reserve Junior was O & M Davis’s
bull (ROI). The first of the Qualifers for the Annual All-Irish Bull
and Heifer Derbies were also selected here.
However, the show doesn’t stop with competition within the breed
and the Limousin fraternity are always enthusiastic when taking part
in the Interbreeds. This year they picked up two reserve places – in
the Pairs and Group of Three, but were dominant in the performance event
where results are not on visual assessments entirely but on the confirmed
performance of the entries, taking first and second places. The Young
Breeders, too, had successes in the Cattle Handling Competitions with
the “B” Team comprising Rebecca Adams, Phelim Savage and
Owen Carragher, taking first place in the Interbreed Stock judging event
and, with the Club stand busy with enquiries about the breed, Balmoral
2009, in spite of the weather, was, for Limousins, an outstanding success.
Then, on 25th May, there followed the BLCS Bull and Female sale at Ballymena
where a large crowd of eager bidders witnessed a new all-breeds centre
record 8,800gns bid for Trevor Robinson’s Limousin Cow, Teeshan
Vanoush while the Champion Bull, Slaneburn Dara, was sold by new breeder
Charlie Magill for 5,000gns.
Following Balmoral there are the local shows, most of these having been
long established and of great importance in the local scene. There are
twelve in all and there were eight further Derby Qualifiers chosen for
the All-Ireland events planned this year to be held at the Clogher Valley
Show in Tyrone in August. Once again the All-Ireland Derbies proved to
be a very worthwhile event, bringing, as it did, the very best young
bulls and heifers from Northern Ireland and from the Republic of Ireland
into open competition. The finals were judged by Mr Peter Henshall, as
well known to Irish Breeders as he is in the mainland and he had a tough
task. His selection for Champion Bull was Carrickaldreen Dallywag, shown
by Peter Murphy, a Northern Ireland Club Member while William Smith from
County Cavan once again was unbeatable in the heifer section. The points
trophy was won once more by the NI Club.
The 22nd of August 2009 will remain firmly in the minds of Limousin Breeders
here and, indeed, further afield, as it was on that Saturday that the
biggest ever Club Open Day was staged courtesy of the Corrie family of
Newtownards who opened up their substantial farming and butchery business
to all on and sundry. On this glorious sunny day some three and a half
thousand people flocked to Corries and they were not disappointed. Cattle – cows,
calves, bulls – of top quality were there in abundance while the
on-farm shop was an attraction which no one was able to resist. The day
not only demonstrated in no small measure how the Carcase Breed got its
name and why it remains the top breed today but, as an add-on, through
an auction and donations raised £28,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease
charity.
Following on from this came the Club’s Pedigree Herd Competition
judged this year by Gary Swindlehurst who had a massive task selecting
1st, 2nd and 3rds in the Herds entered in the Small, Medium and Large
sections from right across the Province, but also deciding the placings
in a further six specials. Gary performed his tasks with excellence and
professionalism and the Club is greatly in his debt. The Herd Competition
results are detailed at the end of the Report.
The Carlisle and Stirling sales followed and, once again, the strength
and quality of NI stock shone through with James McKay taking a first
in class award at Carlisle and selling at 15,000gns while Joan Gilliland
took the Overall Championship at Stirling with Ballyrobin Drambuie selling
at 8,000gns November saw the last of the year’s BLCS Sales – at
Dungannon – where Raymond Savage’s Aghadolgan bull was top
price at 6,000gns but, as well, averages were up by £378 and no
fewer than 16 lots found buyers from Scotland while two went to the Republic
of Ireland, demonstrating, once more, how breeders are meeting market
requirements.
The Club’s Dinner Dance and presentation of awards brought to a
close another year of development and progress, a year in which its members
registered 2,707 pedigree calves with the BLCS, were well to the fore
on the Shows circuits and found an increasing interest and demand for
the animals produced. In spite of the euphoria generated with these successes,
the year ended on a sad note with the resignation of Lizzie Rodgers,
who had given such sterling service as Secretary for the past four years
and whose diligence and enthusiasm will be missed by each and everyone
in the NI Limousin scene. On the same note, with the retirement from
farming of John and Margery Adams, the long-standing Fedneyhouse Herd
is dispersed together with Bernard Mairs’ Bearbrook Herd. The Club
Members wish John, Margery and Bernard pleasant and fulfilling retirements.
N. I. Herd Competition 2009
SMALL HERD
1st TRUEMAN Henry Savage
2nd DERRIAGHY David Green
3rd MELBREAK James & Allison Callion
MEDIUM HERD
1st BALLYNAHONE Richard Henderson
2nd FEDNEYHOUSE John& Margery Adams
3rd ANNADALE Chris Murray
LARGE HERD
1st AMPERTAINE James Mc Kay
2nd GLARRYFORD Sam & Robin Coleman
3rd CULNAGECHAN Derek Hume
N. I. Herd Competition 2009- Special Classes
BEST HOME BRED HEIFER < 2
YEARS
1st BALLYNAHONE DAINSY Richard Henderson
2nd ANNADALE DAINTY Chris Murray
3rd TYRONE DULAHI Willie Wilson
BEST “D” REG” BULL
1st AMPERTAINE DIRECTOR James McKay
2nd MELBREAK DYNAMITE James & Allison Callion
3rd CARMORN DAUPHIN Francis McAuley
BEST COW FAMILY
1st BALLYNAHONE SENSATION Richard Henderson
2nd AMPERTAINE PENNY James McKay
3rd CARMORN PENNY Francis McAuley
BEST GROUP “E” REG CALVES
1st AMPERTAINE James McKay
2nd BALLYNAHONE Richard Henderson
3rd TRUEMAN Henry Savage
BEST GROUP “E” REG CALVES BY ONE
STOCKBULL
1st ULM Fedneyhouse
2nd GLENROCK VAGRANT Culnagechan
3rd GOLDIES ASTRIX Glarryford
BEST STOCKBULL
1st GLENROCK VAGRANT Culnagechan
2nd GUARDS BOOMER Rathconville
3rd BAILEA ANDRE Heathmount
Northern Ireland Limousin Club News Archive>>
Northern Ireland
Young Limousin Breeders Website
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