Annual sale of Blackface sheep

The time has, all too quickly, come around, with the annual sale only a matter of weeks away - Wednesday 21 September - in Hilltown.

While 2020 and 2021 are two years that will be long remembered, farming has to carry on as close to the new normal, whatever that may prove to be, as people depend on farmers to produce the food for the table, irrespective of what is happening in the wider world.

With the affect that Brexit and the Northern Ireland protocol has had on the importation of sheep into Northern Ireland, this sale represents an excellent opportunity to purchase quality Blackface females and be able to bring them home with you on the day, with all the advantages that ensue from such an operation.

The sale will also be available to view and bid on via MartEye for anyone unable to make it in person.

The harsh hill areas, such as the Mournes and Slieve Croob, have traditionally produced a reservoir of quality blackface females.

These are drafted to marginal or lowland farms, either as ewe lambs, shearling ewes or four or five year old ewes, where they are bred pure or crossed with various breeds, including the Bluefaced Leicester, to produce the much sought after Mule ewe.

In an ever increasing technological age, it is vitally important to have a presence on the web and equally as important a social media profile.

With this in mind, the society now has its own website and Facebook page set up.

If you search for Castlewellan Blackface Sheep Breeders you will find a link to the website and Facebook page, where anyone can view or download the sale catalogue at the click of a mouse in the week leading up to the sale.

Over many years, the sale has gained an increasing reputation for quality female stock and, with this very much in mind, the local society decided a few years ago that the sale would reflect that reputation and would be a female only evening sale.

The sale will start at 7pm sharp, with Mule ewe lambs followed immediately by Blackface shearling ewes, Blackface ewe lambs and then Blackface aged ewes, and will be run within the Covid-19 guidelines that are in place at the time. All stock will be in the saleyard for roughly three hours before the sale starts to give prospective buyers a chance to view, inspect, and choose their preferred purchases.