Ballymena Female Sale – 10th January 2026

Ballymena Female Sale – Saturday 10th January 2026

With some tricky weather conditions in the week in the run up to the sale and with the snow starting to melt,  Saturday dawned bright and clear as Judge Dean Kerrigan made his way from his home in County Galway to Ballymena Market to take on the Judging duties at this year’s Northern Ireland Female Sale and with a catalogued entry of 96 he was going to have his work cut out.

Due to Bluetongue restrictions the sheep forward for the sale were not eligible for export to the South of Ireland but could still be exported in to Scotland, England and Wales.  This did not deter attendance as there was a tremendous crowd at ringside for both the judging and the sale with buyers from all over the UK and Ireland and this resulted in 28 females finding new homes this side of the Irish Sea.

It was in the last class of the day that Dean Kerrigan found his overall champion this was an eye catching ewe hogg brought out by Graham & Julie Loughery, Temain described in the catalogue as “one of the best females ever offered from the flock” she was 4342/V046 sired by Beeches Wingman 4358/R001 and out of Temain N033 who has bred numerous top lambs and stock ewes in the flock including Temain Rosie 4342/R070 and Temain 4342/S045.  When she took her turn in the sale ring the gavel fell at the top price of the day – 5,000gns and it was  Martin Kelly, who takes her home to join his Freehall Flock.

Reserve Champion was also in the ewe hogg class and taking the blue ticket were Jimmy & Jason Mills, Ballytober with their homebred 2nd prize ewe hogg Ballytober 4469/V016 she is sired by Mistyburn 4691/T002 out of a homebred ewe Ballytober 4469/P015 she was cashed at 1,000gns finding her way across the Irish sea to join the Macherquhat Flock of Robert Wallace.

Jake Hamilton, Skeagh took the prized red ticket in the shearling ewe class with his homebred offering 5269/T031 sired by Giants Causeway Armani 4456/S003 and out of a Dawyck ewe 4346/M044 she showed herself to perfection in the sale ring with the gavel falling at the second top price of the day 4,000gns selling to Robert Raw, Caparnwray.  Jake’s second offering homebred 5269/T021 was cashed at 2,400gns and is heading for a new home in the Welsh Valley’s in Camarthenshire to the home of Rhys Francis.

Declan McKillop, Giants Causeway had an entry of 30 Females of various ages as he had decided the time was right to have a major reduction and this certainly helped to draw in the crowds, with his pens busy with onlookers all morning.  Declan sold a brace to 3,200gns.  The first one was shearling ewe 4456/T045 sired by Highberries Haaland out of homebred ewe 4456/N031 she was sold in lamb with twins to the Giants Causeway 4456/S002 she was bought by Jimmy Bell and she will join his Cottage Flock.  The second one was aged ewe 4456/R043 she is sired by Dawyck 4346/P003 out of homebred ewe 4456/N042 she was sold in lamb, carrying a single to Highberries Haaland and Michelle Wright, Mullaghwee was the successful purchaser.

Richard Currie, Tullagh had a nice pen of females his first offering in the ring was a much admired homebred shearling ewe 4540/T004 Tullagh she was sired by 5132/S002 Ballygorian More out of a home bred ewe 4540/R011 she was sold scanned 2 to Hewgilll 980/N008 the Kennedy Family, Mileview were the successful purchasers paying 3,000gns for her.   Second in the ring for Richard Currie was another shearling ewe 4540/T007  she was also sired by 5132/S002 Ballygorian More and out of home bred ewe 4540/L008 she was sold scanned 3 to Hewgilll 980/N008 and this one was snapped up by Robbie Topping to join his Rocklynn flock paying 2,800gns for her.

70 sold to average £1066.95