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A seven-month-old lamb has become Ireland's most expensive ram after being sold at auction for 44,000 euros (£37,445).

The Suffolk ram was sold in County Wicklow by County Donegal breeder Richard Thompson to a consortium of Northern Ireland farmers.

The price eclipsed the previous record for a ram of 38,000 euros.

Mr Thompson said the "once in a lifetime" price was a "dream come true".

"I was expecting good money, but not that," he said.

The Donegal farmer, who started his flock of Suffolk sheep in 2015, said he knew his ram was special.

But he had never imagined it would fetch a record-breaking amount.

"He was what everyone was looking for, what everyone tries to breed. He had a different bloodline, you're not breeding into the same line."

The Northern Ireland consortium who bought the sheep at the sale on Monday is led by Dennis Taylor, a farmer from Coleraine in County Londonderry.

Suffolk sheep are one of the most popular breeds in Northern Ireland.

Robin McIlrath, chief executive of the Suffolk Sheep Society, said it was an "excellent sale".

"Richard's record-breaking lamb was the cherry on the cake," he said.