The Irish Hereford Breed Society (IHBS) hosted a show and sale of Hereford bulls at Central Auctions, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, on Thursday, April 16.

A sale report from the cattle breed society said that there were 22 bulls offered for sale on the day with an average sale price of €4,615.63 achieved.

This marks an increase of €171 in the average sale price at the same sale last year of €4,444.44.

A total of 11 bulls sold for €4,000 or more on the day with four of these selling for €6,000 and above and a further three selling for over €5,000.

Thomas Beirne from the Drumbeera Hereford herd in Co. Leitrim was the judge in the pre-sale show.

His choice of champion was Springvilla Martin 1220 HH from the Co. Cork herd of Yvonne and Robert Roycroft.

Martin went on to sell for the sale’s top price of €6,300.

Sired by Corlismore Dafydd151, Martin is a half-brother of Springvilla Maximus 1238 HH, who was the Overall Champion and sold for the top price at the 2026 IHBS Spring Premier Show and Sale in March.

Martin is out of Springvilla Catriona 688, who is sired by Corlismore Fire 606.

Martin sold with 5-stars for the Replacement Index (€131) and for Daughter Milk.

Martin also has 4-stars for each of the Terminal (€71) and Dairy-Beef (€103) Indexes, with 4-stars also for the Beef Sub-Index of the DBI, Age at Finish and Carcass Weight. He also has a better than breed average Calving Ease figure of 2.9% on Dairy cows.

Champion: Springvilla Martin 1220 HH with Tennyson Egar from Irish Hereford Prime, breeder Robert Roycroft and Judge Thomas Beirne. Source: IHBS

The Roycroft family continued their run of good form, taking home the title of Reserve Champion in the form of Springvilla Mason 1240 HH.

Mason went on to sell later in the day for €5,000. Mason was sired by Corlismore Dynamite 993 and bred from Springvilla Catriona 979, a Kilsunny Ozzy sired cow.

Mason also has a better than average calving ease figure of 2.7% on dairy cows and has 5-stars for the DBI.

Reserve Champion: Springvilla Mason 1240 HH

Taking the honours of the second-highest price of the day was Firmoll Preston PP, from the herd of Paul Sammon in Co. Tipperary, who sold for €6,200.

Preston is sired by Solpoll 1 Handsome and bred from Solpoll 1 Dainty W3, a Grousehallpoll 1 Premier (ET) sired cow.

Preston carried a page of EuroStars in the catalogue with 5-stars for the Replacement (€139) and Terminal (€85) Indexes, as well as for the Beef Sub-Index of the DBI (€106) and for Daughter calving interval.

He also has 4-stars for the DBI (€94), Gestation Length, Carcass Weight and Carcass Conformation.

Firmoll Preston PP with breeder Paul Sammon

The next best price on the day was €6,100 paid for Ballinveney Harvest HH, bred by Rory Farrell, Co. Tipperary.

Harvest is sired by home-bred bull, Ballinveney Fugitive and out of Ballinveney Eva, a Pute Nascar N13 dam.

This homozygous horned bull has five stars for the Replacement (€127) and Terminal (€79) Indexes and for the Beef Sub-Index of the DBI (€102). He was sold to a Pedigree Hereford Breeder.

Ballinveney Harvest HH with owner Brian Farrell

The Farrell family tasted success again when Farney William 2 PH sold for €6,000.

William was originally bred by Mary Johnston in Co. Tipperary, and was sold by Rory Farrell.

William also boasted a page of good indexes, with 5-stars for the Replacement (€146) and Dairy-Beef (€116) Indexes as well as for Docility, Carcass Conformation and Daughter calving interval.

William has a better than breed average calving figure of 3.1% on dairy cows as well as 4-stars for the Terminal Index (€71), Beef Sub-Index of the DBI (€94) and for Carcass Weight.

William is sired by Gouldingpoll 1 Zoro and out of Oak Havenpoll 1 Daisy, a daughter of the AI bull, Fabb 1 Northern Star PP.

The Roycroft family made it a clean sweep, when Springvilla Mitchell 1246 HH sold for €5,800, giving them a pen average of €5,700.

Mitchell placed third in his class in the pre-sale show and sold with 4-stars for each of the Terminal Index (€61), DBI (€92) and Docility, as well as having a better than average calving ease score of 3.6%.

Mitchell is a paternal half-brother to the sale Reserve Champion, having been sired by Corlismore Dynamite 993.

He is out of a Corlismore Fire 606 sired cow, Springvillapoll 1 Rosabel 532.

Philip and Catherine Smyth from Co. Meath also sold their only entry for the sale, Ardmulchan Wizard HH, for €5,000.

Wizard placed second in his class of the pre-sale show, to the Champion.

Wizard has 4-stars for the Replacement Index (€102), the Beef Sub-Index of the DBI (€98) and also for Docility, Age at Finish and Carcass Weight.

He is sired by Ballinveney Tiger and bred from Ardmulchan Clover 776, a Church Preen Galileo daughter.

Ardmulchan Wizard HH with breeder Catherine Smyth

William Duff received €4,600 for his bull, Ballinalick Trooper HH.

He carries 5-stars for each of the Replacement (€150) and Dairy Beef (€114) Indexes as well as for Gestation Length, Docility, Age at Finish and Daughter Milk and has 4-stars for the Terminal Index (€70) and for Daughter calving interval.

Trooper also has an easy calving figure of dairy cows of 3.4%.

Nigel Heatrick from Co. Monaghan sold Glaslough Chuck HH for €4,300.

This stylish homozygous horned bull is sired by Balleen Hitman and bred from Glaslough Valmai, a Ballyaville Ger sired cow.

Chuck again is easy calving, with a dairy cow calving figure of 3.7% and a beef cow calving figure of 1%, which are both better than the breed average.

Another two bulls sold for €4,000 during the sale also.

Lot 2, Droumgarriffe Roy HH, bred by John Cahalane of Co. Cork was first into the money.

Roy is sired by Allowdale Rory 835 and bred from Garriffe 1 Jess. Roy has 5-stars for Gestation Length and Carcass conformation.

Lot 14, Firmoll Perth HH from the herd of Paul Sammon also hit €4,000.

He is sired by Fisher 1 Profile P456 PP and out of Solpoll 1 Starlet W9.

He has 5-stars for Gestation length and Carcass conformation and 4-stars for the Replacement, Terminal and Dairy Beef Indexes as wee as for Daughter calving interval.

The IHBS expressed its thanks to the pre-sale inspector Tommy Fitzgerald, the show judge, Thomas Beirne, Sale auctioneer, Eamonn Gaffney, Central Auctions Nenagh and Irish Hereford Prime for its continued sponsorship.

The Irish Hereford Breed Society is set to host two bull sales this week.

The West Cork Hereford Club will host an evening sale in Bandon Mart, Co. Cork, this evening (Wednesday, April 22) with the show at 6.30pm and the sale at 7.30pm.

The annual Hereford bull show and sale will take place at GVM Kilmallock, Co. Limerick, on Friday April 24 with the show at 10.30am and the sale at 1.00pm.

Livestock population

Eurostat: Livestock population continues to fall across EU