Farmer’s generous gift raises more than €1,300 for Galway charity

A heifer sold for charity at Tuam Mart has raised more than €1,300 for Galway Hospice – with bids from as far away as County Meath.

In all there were over 20 bids for the Hereford that was donated by Turloughmore farmer JP Shaughnessy, who was so impressed by the service provided to his late sister Norita that he decided to donate one of his Hereford calves for auction last Monday.

The family from Lackaghmore, Turloughmore bought 50 suck calves at a sale in County Clare back in 2019 and this two-year-old heifer was kept back for auction in aid of Galway Hospice.
According to Darren Hession of Tuam Mart, the sale of the heifer attracted great interest with more than 20 bids for the animal with it eventually being knocked down to a Turloughmore bidder for €1,320.

The heifer came in at 520 kilos and was auctioned online at Tuam Mart’s show and sale earlier this week. There was major interest from bidders.
It was the fact that JP appreciated of the services provided by Galway Hospice when his sister Norita, who had been living in Dublin when she was diagnosed with cancer. She moved back to Galway where she was cared for by the Galway Hospice Foundation.

JP and wife Una’s children John, Marie, Siobhan and Paul were so appreciative of the assistance their relative received and this inspired the initiative to put the heifer up for sale.
Son John Shaughnessy said that his parents were excited about the online auction and hoped that it would raise a significant amount for Galway Hospice.
He said that the two-years-old heifer was probably ready for slaughter but that the online mart auction could throw up anything.

Tuam Mart’s Darren Hession, a relative of the Shaughnessy family, said that that the auction of the heifer generated a lot of interest with almost two dozen bidders in the field.
He said that bidding was brisk and the fact that there were so many interested meant that there were a lot of people who wanted to contribute to the Hospice Foundation.
But Darren added that in general the online auctions had proven successful as many farmers and those interested in acquiring animals had adapted to the new format.

He said that the sale of the Hereford was one of the most sought after animals he had come across. It was part of the mart’s show and sale during which almost all of the cattle presented were sold.
Son John Shaughnessy added that his father and mother had great admiration for Galway Hospice and wanted to do something to benefit the charity so the heifer went under the hammer at around midday on Monday at Tuam Mart.