Cahir Mart in Co. Tipperary is one of Ireland’s leading livestock marts with sheep, cattle and calf sales every week.
Established in 1958 by a group of local farmers, Cahir Mart comes alive every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday when buyers and sellers from far and wide converge for the popular sheep, cattle and calf sales. The Mart is part of Cork Co-operative Marts Ltd which was founded in 1956 and is Ireland’s largest livestock auctioneers with sales centres in Bandon, Dungarvan, Fermoy, Skibbereen, Macroom and Cahir. It is farmer-owned with 11,000 shareholders and sells 190,000 cattle and calves, and 70,000 sheep annually. Cork Marts also provides a service for live exports as well as a buying service for customers.
Committed to providing buyers and sellers with a fair platform, Cork Marts is part of 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.
Cahir Mart has a new manager in Brian Murphy who has replaced Jonathan O’Sullivan in the role. Jonathan has moved on to take up the position of CEO of Cork Marts following his namesake Sean O’Sullivan’s retirement. Brian has been a valuable member of the Cork Marts team since 2008 and is looking forward to building on the great work of his predecessor in Cahir.
“I took over from Jonathan in January after he was appointed Group CEO,” the Carrignavar, Co. Cork native says.
“I previously managed the mart farms in Midleton and Glanmire as well as being a drover at the various marts, including Cahir. It’s an exciting time for the beef sector in particular. Cattle sales were exceptional throughout the spring because prices were so good. There is a fierce demand for beef both at home and abroad.
“Irish beef is respected and sought-after all over the world and exports have rarely been higher. The factories don’t have the same numbers due to high exports and this has led to the current cattle shortages and record prices we’re seeing. We’re lucky here in Ireland that we don’t have Bluetongue or other diseases which would impact on exports.”
Brian continues: “Cahir Mart has been part of Cork Marts since the late 1960s / early 1970s and always has good stock available. We have some of the finest cattle and sheep in Ireland. We are committed to maintaining the high standards we have set for ourselves and strive to improve our service and ensure our customers have the best marketplace in which to sell and buy livestock.”
Proceedings get underway at 8am each Tuesday with the intake of sheep ahead of the sale at 11am. The cattle sale takes place on Wednesdays at 11am, with intake also open from 8am. The calf sale takes place every Friday during the months of February, March, April and May. The sale begins at 4pm, with intake from 11am onwards. Sales can also be viewed online by logging onto www.livestock-live.com
“We sell 500-600 sheep a week which increases to 1,000 in the summer. We also offer a factory sheep assembly service every Tuesday. A lot of people have gotten out of sheep, but that can change very fast,” Brian explains.
“The running order for the cattle sale is usually dry cows at 11am, bullocks at 12.45pm and heifers in the afternoon. The calf sale is seasonal and is held on Friday evenings to suit part-time farmers who are working during the day. It doubles up with the cattle sale during the summer and then we have a weanling sale every second Friday from September until the end of November.
“We sold 1,900 calves here one night. As with the cattle, the prices are exceptional which is all down to a strong export market.”
Since Cahir Mart introduced its online sales platform during the Covid-19 pandemic, a growing number of buyers are doing their bidding on their smartphones. While this accounts for up to 20% of all sales, it hasn’t taken from what continues to be a big day out for many farmers in the area.
“Online sales is now the preferred way of doing business for many. We use the LSL App which allows them to buy and sell animals on the go with real-time bidding and live video streams. It has really helped our business.”
Cahir Mart has two sales rings – one for cattle and one for calves and sheep – along with a walkway through the yard that allows buyers to view stock before they enter the ring. The auctioneering duties are performed by Willie Troy, with John Murphy also helping out. The ringmen have a wealth of experience and knowledge of how to handle stock in all situations, and enjoy a great rapport with buyers and sellers. 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.
Brian is full of praise for his small but dedicated team who ensure everything runs smoothly and always go the extra mile to help patrons of the long-established Co. Tipperary mart. He also notes how Cahir Mart’s location in the heart of Munster and just off the M8 Motorway is one of its biggest selling points.
“We’re easy to access from all parts of Ireland. There’s ample space for hauliers to load and unload. Location-wise, we couldn’t be in a better spot. It’s always a pleasure to deal with hauliers, buyers, sellers and agents from up and down the country. We greatly value their business and look forward to dealing with them for many more years to come,” he concludes.
Cahir Mart
Barnora,
Cahir,
Co. Tipperary,
E21 HC78.
Telephone: 052 744 1307 / 086 373 8918
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.corkmarts.com
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 13 No 2, Autumn 2025
