Cootehill Mart in Co. Cavan has said that it will reopen for a sheep sale tomorrow (Thursday, January 30) after the mart building suffered significant damage in Storm Éowyn.
The sheep sale will begin at 6:00p.m tomorrow evening, while a cattle sale will take place on Friday (January 31), beginning at the earlier-than-usual time of 5:00p.m.
In a post on Facebook, the mart said: “We are delighted to be in a position to open the yard again for sheep and cattle sales this week.
“With thanks to our own dedicated staff as well as Kevin Moynagh electrical contractors, we are up and going in ring 2 and 3,” the mart said.
A “very big” cattle sale is envisaged for Friday evening, the mart said. It will take place in ring 2, starting with dry cows.
The sheep sale will commence at the normal time tomorrow, but will load and unload at the rear of the building in the calf yard. The sheep sale will take place in ring 3.
The front of the building has been cordoned off and has been left in a safe position, the mart said.
“We look forward to seeing you all again this coming Thursday evening,” Cootehill Mart said.
The weekly Friday evening cattle sale last week was cancelled that day as a result of “extensive damage” caused to the structure of the livestock mart building.
The mart is one of the innumerable buildings that fell victim to Storm Éowyn.
Speaking to Agriland last week, Cootehill Mart’s Stephen Drury said: “We washed up here last night (Thursday, January 23) until about 2:00a.m after the sheep sale and it was 100% at that time, so it happened after that and before 8:00a.m this morning (Friday, January 24).”
Drury explained how the high winds in the storm “blew in the whole front” of the mart “and lifted the first 25-30 feet of the roof over the sheep rings”.
He said: “When I came in here this morning the roof sheeting was all strewn across the whole road and down into the back field and down into the back yard. There were bits of it everywhere.”