Organisation: Bandon mart

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

farming

Mart sales go exclusive, just like Sotheby’s, only without the snobbery

It’s business as usual, but not as we know it.

farming

Our fickle calf trade clearly depends on weather for exporters

Cattle marts report

farming

Don’t be surprised if there is a bumpy landing for store buyers

There are three stages in flying, if you ask me.

farming

Bandon Mart’s new calf pens are a shot in the arm for us all

farming

Friesian bull calf back in fashion amid hopes of beef clouds lifting

farming

Praise for ‘tremendous confidence’ of weanling exporters and farmer buyers

From Aintree to the cattle marts, cream always rises to the top

I didn’t go to the Grand National on Saturday. I was working. But I heard it on the radio, which is the same thing really.

Thu, 11 Apr, 2019

The Friesian bull calf rises to the occasion, as mart prices go up, along with numbers

“The Friesian bull is back,” Bandon mart manager, Tom McCarty, said to me at a busy sale of calves on Monday, and he was right. Up from nothing, like the phoenix from the ashes.

Thu, 28 Mar, 2019

Many times burned, now shy, after sobering adventures in calf buying

When reporting on the subject of mart prices, and specifically the Friesian bull calf at the marts, I suppose I am fairly biased.

Thu, 07 Mar, 2019

Ex-Fleming Construction HQ selling for €750k

A high-profile office-and-warehouse building, which was the main HQ of West Cork-based Fleming Construction in the run-up to the boom and eventual crash, has come back up for sale.

Thu, 19 Oct, 2017

No pressure when it’s the mart doing the selling, so all I need to do now is relax

I don’t know about you, but I seem to be getting more and more nervous about selling cattle with every passing year.

Thu, 03 Aug, 2017

Cattle buyers keen for stock on offer as some traders opt to make hay while sun shines

I met up with an Aghabullogue farmer by the name of John at a funeral recently, and he — with great reverence — told me that he heeds my every word on this page regarding cattle market trends and predictions.

Fri, 23 Jun, 2017

Cattle marts report: A week at the marts, where the clever money was on the Friesian bullock

If you were one of those clever cattle buyers who has been snapping up handy store Friesian bullocks for €200 with the weight over the past fortnight, I salute you.

Thu, 13 Apr, 2017

Cattle markets report: Off-farm income, only money source for hard-pressed beef farmers

I really believe that one of the greatest calamities to hit rural Ireland in my lifetime was our decision to go down the road of the ‘off-farm income’.

Thu, 30 Mar, 2017

Marts in mourning over the passing of Willie Slyne, a legend among cattlemen

It would be remiss of us, in the business of covering mart reports, if we didn’t mention the recent death of the well known and well respected cattleman, Willie Slyne.

Thu, 16 Feb, 2017

Cattle mart report: Cattle sales on the up, but small calves, like Beckham’s emails, should stay at home

It looks like David Beckham won’t be receiving a knighthood anytime soon.

Thu, 09 Feb, 2017

Cattle mart report: Calves and quality bulls bounce back as spring brings a timely boost to cattle marts

I’m as busy as a block layer on the Mexican border this week. I’m buying calves like there is no tomorrow, my hands are flying.

Thu, 02 Feb, 2017

Calves steal spotlight, but Donald might say they’re as overrated as Meryl Streep

It’s not every day that I agree with Donald Trump.

Thu, 12 Jan, 2017

BT Young Scientist Exhibition project sheds light on dealing with bird pests on farms

Where would we be in farming but for science?

Thu, 05 Jan, 2017

Cattle mart report: Macroom’s charity event demonstrates true meaning of the season

Macroom mart really shone on Saturday. From the sale of a horse to the sale of cattle, from celebrity auctioneering to face painting.

Thu, 15 Dec, 2016

Beef market report: Good mart trade with strong demand for Friesian bull calves

Last weekend came the news of another big star biting the dust. 2016 has seen a lot of them go.

Thu, 17 Nov, 2016

Cattle marts report: Olympics puts mart traders in mood for speed, with plenty of prizes up for grabs

In Bandon mart on Monday, a bit like sprinter Usian Bolt in Rio, I didn’t feel the need to hang around for too long.

Thu, 18 Aug, 2016

Cattle marts report: Friesian bullock sold for €1,610 but suckler farmers concerned over autumn trade

So as we chalk down the first six months of 2016, how do we stand in the cattle business?

Thu, 07 Jul, 2016

Cattle marts report: Calm seas at marts as Brexit comes ashore, but will this picture hold in longer term?

All seems to be quiet in the marts this week. Perhaps “too damn quiet” as they say in the cowboy films, just before the Indians attack.

Thu, 30 Jun, 2016

Agri Events

Upcoming agri events.

Thu, 23 Jun, 2016

Video: Pristine Ardnacarrig house has history and elegance - and comes complete with observation tower

The River Bandon-fronting home, Ardnacarrig, is coming up on its 200th birthday, and rarely, if ever, in its long and venerable life, has it been so quite so elegant, and quite so comfortable. 

Sat, 11 Jun, 2016

Cattle marts report: Personal touch sees Gortatlea cattle mart grow its business by 50% in a single year

I’d say there were more Cork fellows back in Gortatlea mart on Friday than there were up in Thurles on Sunday. And I’m sure they had a better day out to boot.

Thu, 26 May, 2016

Cattle marts report: Big spenders pick up some impressive €980 Friesian stores and a €1,570 dry cow

The only regret I had in Bandon mart on Monday was that I’d didn’t have my cheque book with me.

Thu, 19 May, 2016

Cattle marts report: New Minister is top topic of conversation as farmers shoot the breeze at busy marts

It was all about Michael Creed in Macroom mart on Saturday last, with talk as to what kind of Minister for Agriculture he might make.

Thu, 12 May, 2016

Cattle marts report: Cattle trade back to being an ‘adult only’ business as scholars return to their desks

There is a real sense of getting down to business at the marts this week. With the schools reopening after the Easter break, cattle marts are back to an adult-only audience.

Thu, 07 Apr, 2016

Cattle marts report: Prices and weather showing signs of picking up as focus moves to the fields

I find it very hard to believe that you will have any great interest in reading this mart report today.

Thu, 17 Mar, 2016

In fond memory of Terry Wogan, legend among mart reporters

Not many people know this, but the late Terry Wogan began his broadcasting career on RTE radio dishing out the cattle mart report.

Thu, 04 Feb, 2016

IFA pay packages are top topic of conversation as marts start to get into festive spirits

As I jot down this week’s mart report I see the IFA now has effectively two Presidents. It’s like the Vatican with the two Popes.

Thu, 26 Nov, 2015

Trade remains strong at Bandon Mart despite foul weather

I went to Bandon mart on Monday as it really was a day fit for nothing else. A day for the high stool or the mart.

Thu, 19 Nov, 2015

Mood dampened by heavy rain, low sales and basic payment’s failure to land on time

Call it the Basic Payment Scheme, call it the Single Payment Scheme — call it what you like — but there hasn’t been sight nor sound of the thing on this farm as Wednesday, November 11, dawns.

Thu, 12 Nov, 2015

Mart prices hold despite big entries as rain and cold end the Indian summer

Our good times on the land have finally come to an end. With the return of the rain, we are now in the midst of a colder snap and with grass getting less appetising, the party is over.

Thu, 29 Oct, 2015

Cattle marts report: Winners few and far between in beef farming and the new National Lottery

I see the National Lottery have added two more balls to the drum, thus making the likelihood of me ever playing the lottery game all the more remote.

Thu, 13 Aug, 2015

Cattle marts report: More weanlings starting to appear, making up to €3.13 per kg at Kilmallock

I headed to Bandon mart on Monday morning, and the first thing I spotted on entering the town was a young fellow holding two hurleys.

Thu, 30 Jul, 2015

Cattle marts report: Cattle numbers hold solid, prices are steady and bargain calves are as rare as hen’s teeth

Ever the optimist, I went to Dungarvan mart on Monday in search of a few cheap calves. But alas for me, I arrived too late.

Thu, 23 Jul, 2015

Cattle marts report: Despite traffic jams, stampede for quality cattle continues in Pamplona, West Cork

I headed to Macroom mart on Saturday morning, but unfortunately I had to endure Macroom’s rush hour traffic first, which stretched from Hartnett’s cross to the town itself.

Thu, 16 Jul, 2015

Cattle marts report: Steady sales as marts drive on, at a safe remove from global economic upheavals

The mad cow, the rain, the thunder, even the Greeks voting no, nothing it seems can put the breaks on the runaway train that is the high flying cattle trade.

Thu, 09 Jul, 2015

Cattle marts report: Serious trading done at regional marts as buyers travel from all corners of the country

On Tuesday morning, in a state of utter confusion, I found myself in Lissarda village. You see, I didn’t know whether to turn right for Corrin, or left for Kanturk.

Thu, 25 Jun, 2015

Steady trade in cattle, it’s business as usual down at the marts as BSE scares subside

After the recent BSE scare, I figured this week there was really only one way of finding out how the marts were coping, and that was to take a few cattle to the mart myself.

Thu, 18 Jun, 2015

Cattle prices remain strong despite silage season creating time pressure for farmers

Silage is the name of the game this week and on Monday morning, as I drove along from Kilmichael to Kilmallock, the way seemed to be paved with nothing but cut swards of grass.

Thu, 11 Jun, 2015

Markets: Quality animals draw attention of buyers as marts enjoy a flying trade in fine weather

Silage contractor Michael Allen from Enniskeane was a busy man last Thursday afternoon making his first round bales of the season.

Thu, 16 Apr, 2015

Cattle marts report: Mart trade going well but may need milder weather to maintain buyer confidence

The first person I met in Bandon mart last Monday morning was former mart manager Pat McCarthy, promoting the virtues of the Hereford breed.

Thu, 02 Apr, 2015

Cattle marts report: Strong prices for dairy stock point to post-quota confidence in the milk sector

Everyone was busy in Corrin mart on Tuesday. It was a big mart with big prices, with 2,000 cattle and calves on offer.

Thu, 26 Mar, 2015

Cattle marts report: Weather change cools trade for store cattle but price fall tempts new set of buyers

Many businesses closed up on Tuesday — although some of the Tuesday marts went ahead as usual, including Kanturk.

Thu, 19 Mar, 2015

Irish beef should not be allowed to follow beet into shadows, warns suckler farmer

I met a suckler farmer over the weekend who had strong views regarding the future of the beef producer.

Thu, 05 Feb, 2015

Reopening of US beef trade helps create market buoyancy, but old concerns persist

We are certainly going through some hardy mornings at the moment. Mornings where a shot of ‘easy start’ wouldn’t go astray, writes Denis Lehane. 

Thu, 22 Jan, 2015

Puzzles hub