The Northern Ireland Dorset Sheep Breeders’ Club held its 37th Autumn Show & Sale at Ballymena Livestock Mart on Monday 12 October 2026, where a shearling ewe from Richard and Matthew Hall topped the catalogue at 850gns.
Judge and champion
Seamus Mullan, of the Islaharnan Flock, Armoy, was the judge for the event. The overall champion was a ram lamb entered by Currie that had won its ram lamb class and was subsequently selected as champion by Mr Mullan; it was a homebred son of Ashvale Horatio out of Hilltop D2133 and sold for 700gns to Benn Lugsden, Suffolk.
Sale highlights and placegetters
The top-priced lot of the sale was the Hall family’s shearling ewe, which topped the catalogue at 850gns. The Halls also placed in the shearling ewe class with further entries: a second and third in the class were recorded, with lot 4 selling for 550gns to G. Rowney, Ballynure, and lot 3 purchased by S. McGookin.
Laura Weir, Gracehill, supplied the reserve champion and opposite-sex to champion: a shearling ewe by Ballytaggart Destructor out of Lisnafillan F0172, which sold to P. Brannigan, Hilltown, for 550gns. Ms Weir also collected second places in both the ewe lamb and ram lamb classes.
- Champion (ram lamb) — Currie; son of Ashvale Horatio out of Hilltop D2133; sold for 700gns to Benn Lugsden, Suffolk
- Reserve champion (shearling ewe) — Laura Weir; by Ballytaggart Destructor; sold for 550gns to P. Brannigan, Hilltown
- Top price (shearling ewe) — Richard & Matthew Hall; lot 2 Maineview Golden Boy daughter; 850gns to P. Brannigan
In the ewe lamb section, two daughters of Lisnafillan Bugatti (lots 13 and 14), both in-lamb to Pembroke El Capitano, attracted strong interest and were sold to Francis McKinney, Bendooragh, for 600gns each. The McKeown family of Templepatrick enjoyed success in the ewe lamb class with their first-place ewe lamb, Castlemount I16574 (lot 2), selling for 800gns to John Duggan, Bellewstown, Co. Meath.
| Breed/section | Lot | Price | Buyer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dorset, shearling ewe | Lot (Halls) – Maineview Golden Boy daughter | 850gns | P. Brannigan |
| Dorset, ram lamb (champion) | Lot 41 (Currie) – by Ashvale Horatio out of Hilltop D2133 | 700gns | Benn Lugsden, Suffolk |
| Dorset, ewe lambs (in-lamb) | Lots 13 & 14 (Lisnafillan Bugatti daughters) | 600gns each | Francis McKinney, Bendooragh |
| Dorset, ewe lamb (McKeown) | Lot 2 Castlemount I16574 | 800gns | John Duggan, Bellewstown, Co. Meath |
| Dorset, shearling ram | Lot 38 Glebehill Hector | sold to C. O’Hagan | buyer recorded: C. O’Hagan, Bellaghy |
Other notable results included Nicole Love’s first in the shearling ram class with lot 38, Glebehill Hector, which was purchased by C. O’Hagan, Bellaghy. Richard and Matthew Hall’s additional shearling entries also found purchasers: lot 4 to G. Rowney and lot 3 to S. McGookin.
The Northern Ireland Dorset Sheep Breeders’ Club continues to publish show and sale details, and club members are directed to the club’s Facebook page or website for further club news and events.
