Ballymena North type Ram Sale 2025

North-type lambs sell to 20,000gns

Report by Patsy Hunter

Two Adams families led the north-type trade, selling three of the top four highest priced lambs at 20,000gns, 19,000gns and 9000gns.

Dearest was Sam and Stuart Adams’ lamb from Broughshane, which was securing a personal best for the 700-strong ewe flock, that has previously produced shearlings to 14,000gns and lambs to 13,000gns. The sale leader is sired by a 3000gns tup bought from John and Leo Conway at Ballymena last year and out of a ewe by an £850 Brian Curran. Second at Ballymena Show, he was knocked down to John Conway, Plumbridge and Kevin McAleer.

The father and son duo also produced the champion lamb, which made £2200, to the judge, David Baillie, Calla, Carnwath, who gets for his money a son of a 3000gns Vincent Brennan tup.

Sam’s brother, Tom and his two sons Joe and Archie, who milk 300 Holsteins and run 250 Blackface ewes near Rathkenny, also enjoyed their best trade to date, taking 19,000gns for an unplaced lamb sired by last year’s 21,000gns Paul McEvoy lamb out of a show ewe by a £3200 Auchnacloich that stood second at Ballymena Show. The lamb, which was reserve at Ballymena, was knocked down to Eamonn Conway, Plumbridge and Cathal Breslin.

Other lambs from the same home and by the 21,000gns sire sold at 9000gns and 5500gns. The former, out of a ewe by a 9500gns William Smyth-bred ram, was knocked down to Paul McEvoy buying back some of his own genetics for the Cairnhill flock from Kilcoo, while the latter sold to Mark and Russell Smyth, Cam, Macosquin.

On the other side of the coin, Cairnhill sold to 15,000gns for lamb bought in utero of a 900gns Glackmore ewe. It is sired by an 11,000gns Cloughfin bought here last year, and stood second in the unprepared class at Plumbridge. The buyer was Sean Og McCusker, Bryansford, Co Down who also went to 6000gns for a Cairnhill lamb by a £7500 Cloughfin bought privately out of a ewe by a £6000 Woolfords. It was fifth at the pre-sale show. Cairnhill retained an equal share in both lambs.

Helping to finance those purchases, Sean Og McCusker, took 7800gns from Dean McCusker, Kilcoo, for another lamb by the 11,000gns Cloughfin out of the same Cairnhill ewe that bred the 10,000gns Ballymena champion a few years ago purchased by Auchnacloich.

Another two lambs made 6000gns with the former from William Smyth, Limavady, purchased by Tom Adams. It is sired by the first prize single lamb here last year, an Andrew Mackey-bred tup purchased for 3200gns.

Also making 6000gns was an 1800gns Charlie Gallagher-sired entry from Brian Curran, Glackmore, which sold John and Leo Conway, Plumbridge.

William Smyth was back in the money amongst the north-type shearlings selling the lead priced lot at 3200gns to Sam Adams. Second reserve at the pre-sale show, this big lad is sired by a 9500gns Tom Adams, while the dam is by a 3200gns James Carson.