THE annual Ardara Poor Farmers Auction took place last Tuesday evening raising more than €30,000.
The event, which is traditionally held in Teague’s Bar, was back in Brockagh Mart for a second year with all bids coming in online.
A total of €33,570 was raised on the night with all proceeds going to Bluestack Special Needs Foundation, Donegal Cancer Flights and Services, MS Ireland and Ronald McDonald House. The annual event has raised almost €410,000 for charity over the past sixteen years.
Daniel Moy was one of the auctioneers who were charged with selling more than one hundred lots which had been sponsored.
The auction attracted some truly amazing bids. Popular lots included a pure bred Swale Hogget ewe and a Perth Hogget ewe, both sponsored by the PFA committee, which were purchased by Andrew McNern and Andrew O’Gara respectively for €730 and €620.
Odhran Boyle snapped up two tickets for the Garth Brooks concert in September for €320 while a lorry load of crush and run was secured with a €600 bid. Twenty square bales of hay (€210), a home baking hamper (€180), five hens and a rooster (€140) and a donkey (€250) also attracted good interest.
“It’s always a worry when you have to go online. It’s our second year in the mart but once you drop a thing it’s very hard to revive it again so we decided to keep it going. Thankfully, people got behind it and it went very well,” Daniel Moy said.
“Again, we have to thank Hugh McNern, who works for LSL Auctions, for offering us their online platform and Bernard Harkin and the committee at Brockagh Mart.
“It’s been another difficult year. A lot of meetings were online but hopefully we will be back in Teague’s bar next year. It’s been a strange time but once again the local community really got behind the Poor Farmers and helped raise another huge amount of money for charity. Fair play to all involved,” he said.