January Newsletter 2023

Swatragh November
Santiago tops
Swatragh sale
Judge: Stuart Barclay
The Northern Ireland Charolais Club’s
final sale of the season took place on
Friday 4 November 2022, and saw a
total of 33 bulls sold to an average
price of £4239.77 and a 63% clearance.
The bull sale was followed by the
female sale, in which 9 animals found
new homes with an average price
of £4386.67. Finally, proceedings
closed with a draft sale from J Smyth’s
Bessiebell herd, which reached an
incredible top price of 10,400gns.
The top price for bulls was 7,200gns,
and was secured by two entries. The
first to go under the hammer was
the day’s Overall Male Champion
and Supreme Champion: 18-monthold
Drumconnis Santiago from J
McGrath in Dromore, Co. Tyrone.
Santiago’s dam, Drumconnis Jessica,
is a homebred daughter of multiple
show-winning heifer Wesley Euphoria
and goes back to the 20,000gns Perth
Champion Thrunton Trojan. He was
sired by Sportsmans Monarch, who
sold for the top price of 12,000gns at
Stirling in 2017. This stylish young lad
caught the eye of T Butler, who won
the bid and will be taking Santiago
home to Ballycastle, Co. Antrim.
Next to sell for 7,200gns was
15-month-old Junior Champion
Brogher Senator, from T Phair’s
Brogher herd in Enniskillen, Co.
Fermanagh. Senator was sired by
the ever-popular AI bull Whitecliffe
James, and his dam Brogher Omaria is
a daughter of the 10,000gns Goldies
Icon. Securing the final bid for this
strapping young bull was J Delargy of
Cushendall, Co. Antrim.
Drumconnis Santiago Overall champion and Intermediate champion
at 7,200gns
Selling for the next highest price of
7,000gns was the day’s Reserve Overall
Male Champion Drumilly Samson.
Samson was bred by J Paynter of the
Drumilly herd in Co. Armagh, and
was sired by the French-born AI bull
Invictus. Samson’s dam is Drumilly
Favourite, a daughter of the soughtafter
Oldstone Egbert. The successful
bidder for this young bull was W
Donnell of Donemana, Co. Tyrone.
The next highest price was 6,800gns,
and was secured by 16-month-old
Ardmachree Sonny, bred by A & O
Quigley of Macken, Co. Fermanagh.
This impressive bull was sired by the
70,000gns Barnsford Ferny, and his
dam is Blelack Hillary; a Maerdy Dublin
daughter. Sonny will be making the
trip over to Ballycastle, Co. Antrim
under the care of winning bidder S
McCambridge.
Reaching
the next
highest price
of 6,000gns
was the day’s
Reserve Senior
Champion,
19-month-old
Brigadoon
Sorrento, from
the well-known
herd of W D &
J A Connolly of
Ballynahinch,
Co. Down.
Sorrento is out
of Brigadoon
Milan, a
homebred
daughter of Brigadoon Himself, and he
was sired by the 15,000gns Newhouse
Maxamus. Sorrento will be making the
long journey over to Sandy, Orkney, to
the holding of final bidder Coligarth
Farm.
The top price for females was 6,700gns,
and was secured by the Female
Champion and Reserve Supreme
Champion Battleford Snowball, bred
by B Finnegan of Dungannon, Co.
Tyrone. This wasn’t Snowball’s first
brush with success, having previously
won the title of Reserve Junior Female
Champion at Balmoral earlier in the
year. This stunning young heifer was
sired by Mornity Nero, and her dam
Bessiebell Maisie goes back to the
22,000gns Newhouse Bigal. Winning
the bid and taking Snowball home was
D Knox of Colchester, Essex.
Brogher Senator Junior champion at 7,200gns
12
No bull works harder for the farmer, the plate and the planet