No trip to Westmeath to see Angus heifers as Gigginstown females sale goes online

Gigginstown Red Gamer, The lady in Red is the only red heifer being offered in this year's 2021 Gigginstown Angus sale. This lady has powerful pedigree on both sides; her dam is a proven breeder with daughters being retained for breeding within the herd. Sired by Corbetstown Red Evan and running with Gigginstown Red BlackJack. File Picture. 

This year’s Gigginstown Aberdeen Angus sale will take place next Saturday, April 24.

Starting at 3pm, the sale will be a heifers-only online auction through www.MartEye.ie.

The sale of Gigginstown bulls continues privately.

Gigginstown House Stud and Gigginstown Estate, famed for bloodstock and livestock, are owed by Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary.

The annual Angus sale on the 1,100-acre holding has been popular with Irish and international buyers for well over 20 years.

I spoke to Gigginstown Estate manager Joe O’Mahony about the sale of heifers, and the ongoing sale of bulls.

Denis Lehane interviews Michael O'Leary of Ryanair and farm manager Joe O'Mahony, ahead of his annual Gigginstown House Aberdeen-Angus herd production sale of pedigree Aberdeen-Angus bulls and heifers. Picture: Jeff Harvey. 

“This year, we are selling approximately 25 bulls aged 17 to 20 months, and a selection of heifers including maiden heifers in calf and some on the point of calving or recently calved,” Joe said.

“As of now, bulls have been selling privately, similar to last year, due to current Covid regulations, with buyers viewing stock by private appointment.

“Buyers this year have been moving quickly to purchase bulls, as less bulls are being presented for sale at auctions due to Covid regulations, and more sales are occurring in breeders’ yards.

“There is also an increased demand from dairy farmers, possibly due to improved calf prices and an increase in the number of dairy cows.

“As usual, we have five-star bulls on offer with low calving difficulty figures, making them suitable for both suckler and dairy herds.

“Due to many enquiries, we have included some red Angus bulls and heifers in this year’s selection, and they always prove popular.”

“We have been overwhelmed by the response from breeders to our brochure, and to the Gigginstown House Angus Facebook page, which features photographs and videos of all our bulls, and the heifers scheduled for next Saturday’s sale.

“We welcome interested farmers and breeders to visit us on the farm, by appointment, where our heifers and young bulls can be viewed in a socially distanced manner.

“Since we cannot hold the public auction on Saturday, due to Covid-19 restrictions, we will continue to sell our bulls privately, but such was the interest from all over the country with regards to our heifers, that we have decided to move the heifer sale online.”

Purchasing 

Appointments to view or purchase stock can be made by contacting Joe O’Mahony at 087-7809113, or Pascal Keegan at 044-9372379.

The Angus stock on offer can be viewed on the Irish Aberdeen Angus web page or on the Gigginstown Angus Facebook page.

“Angus is now the number one beef breed in Ireland and indeed the world,” says Co Cork breeder John Appelbe.

He is a renowned breeder of pedigree Hereford and Angus.

John farms near Clonakilty, the family farm looks onto the Galley Head lighthouse and Inchydoney Bay.

Both breeds have come to the fore in the Irish beef industry, with successful marketing by both breed groups leading processors to pay a strong breed premium, welcomed by beef finishers.

John is a fourth-generation cattle breeder. 

His great grandfather, Henry Appelbe, showed cattle at the first Clonakilty Show in 1901. 

Two years ago, John’s son Eric showed cattle at the same agricultural event.

John is a former President of the Irish Angus Cattle Society, and a regular visitor and buyer at the Gigginstown Angus sale.

As we can sometimes get lost in the jargon used in discussing pedigree stock, I asked John, what should a buyer look for when purchasing Angus stock, in layman’s terms.

“Well, you need to get the fundamentals right first. 

"Docility, legs, feet, ease of calving, and short gestation. 

These factors should be fundamentally important to buyers, which in turn makes them fundamentally important to the seller.

“Nowadays, it’s important that animals look well. 

"In the last couple of years, the preference is for high indexes which ultimately mean, in layman’s terms, they have a lower carbon footprint and are more environmentally friendly.”

Choosing

“And why choose Angus?” I ask.

“There is a combination of reasons. Mainly because of their sustainability. 

"They calve themselves, suck themselves, no dehorning is necessary. 

"The Angus is a very efficient animal at turning grass into meat and, most importantly for consumers, Angus meat is much sought after because of its special taste and tenderness.

"The Appelbes’ Carrigroe herd has produced some of the highest index animals in Ireland and has exported Angus cattle all over Europe and as far away as Texas. 

"However, most buyers are local. One customer last year referenced that he has been buying bulls off the Appelbes for over 50 years."

What of the purchases John has made in Gigginstown?

“We’ve had great luck with our purchases from the Gigginstown Herd.

“To put it bluntly, there’s great return on the investment both financially and for the profile of our herd. 

"Gigginstown has sourced some of the best cow families in the world, and we tapped into this genetic pool to improve our herd, and it worked.”

Management 

The Gigginstown Herd is managed by Joe O’Mahony, a Drimoleague native. 

“Joe is a real stockman,” says John Appelbe. He has built up the Gigginstown herd to a household name. 

"Michael O’Leary is lucky and smart to have Joe managing the business for him.

"Normally, we look forward to the Gigginstown sale, as it’s a family day out, but this year, due to Covid, the sale will be online.”