Established in 1959, Castleisland Co-Op is one of the oldest and largest livestock marts in the country. It becomes a hive of activity every Monday and Wednesday when farmers from far and wide converge for the popular calves / weanlings and general sales.
In the heart of Castleisland, you’ll find Castleisland Co-Operative Livestock Mart, which has been part of life in the Co. Kerry town for nearly 60 years. The cattle-only mart attracts sellers from Kerry and the surrounding counties of Limerick and Cork, and buyers from literally all over Ireland.
Castleisland Co-Op Mart was founded by a group of local farmers who felt it was time for a more organised way of selling stock. The Mart afforded them the opportunity to have their stock weighed publicly and sold at public auction. It continues to be run by members of the local farming community, having over 300 shareholders and a committee of 12.
The Mart continues to go from strength to strength under their watch, while there is six full-time and 12 part-time staff working in the office and inside and outside the sales ring. The ringmen have a wealth of experience and knowledge in how to handle stock in all situations and enjoy a great rapport with buyers and sellers alike.
Committed to providing buyers and sellers with a fair platform, Castleisland Co-Op Mart is part of the ICOS (Irish Co-operative Organisation Society) whose core business is to provide vision, leadership and value to the co-operative movement in Ireland. ICOS member co-operatives and their associated companies collectively have over 150,000 individual members, employ 12,000 people in Ireland (a further 24,000 abroad) and have a combined turnover of almost €15 billion.
With so many dairy and suckler farmers in the region, the Mart plays host to a top-class range of suck calves from all breeds, while some of the finest suckler weanlings can also be sought there. There is a huge selection of store cattle and cows for further feeding, while finished stock are also a common sight. The cattle in the region are renowned for their quality and ability to thrive after purchase, hence the reason why Castleisland attracts buyers from other parts of the country.
Proceedings get underway at 10.30am every Monday with the sale of calves and weanlings. This is followed by general sales, including heifers, bullocks, cows, bulls and sucklers, every Wednesday. There are also dairy sales held every second Friday from November to May as well as annual weanling, suckler, fat stock, dairy and in-calf show sales. The Mart comprises two sales rings and the auctioneer’s voice you are most likely to hear is that of Michael Mulcair.
Major investment has gone into the Mart over the years in order to maintain its position as one of the best and more modern in the country. A strong emphasis is placed on the health and safety of visitors and staff as well as on the welfare of the animals. The Mart uses Newline Auction Management Software which provides all the information buyers and sellers need to know from the weight of the animal to its movement, test dates and whether it’s from a quality assured farm. Also recently installed were new ringside display screens which show relevant ICBF breeding values for beef and dairy replacement stock, and which detect 4 and 5-star in-calf heifers.
The Mart is committed to maintaining the high standards it has set for itself, and strives to improve its service and ensure its customers have the best marketplace in which to sell and buy livestock.
Despite being located in the middle of the town, Castleisland Co-Op Mart is easy to access and boasts a large parking area. Indeed, its location in a town which is often referred to as the gateway to Kerry is one of its biggest selling points.
With hundreds of buyers and sellers flocking to Castleisland every week, Castleisland Co-Op Mart contributes handsomely to the local economy. It also sponsors the Kerry intermediate football championship, which was won recently by An Ghaeltacht, the club of the famous O Se family.
On behalf of its shareholders, committee and staff, Castleisland Co-Op Mart would like to take this opportunity to thank its customers and hauliers for their continued support.
Castleisland Co-Op Mart
Convent Street,
Castleisland,
Co. Kerry.
Telephone: 066 7141247
Fax: 066 7141881
Email: [email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 6 No 1, February 2018
