Recently the Italian Piemontese and Romagnola beef breeds have been imported into Ireland. The objective of this study was to evaluate the progeny of these breeds from Friesian-Holstein dairy cows for beef production. A total of 120 spring-born steers comprised of 40 Friesian-Holsteins (FR), 40 Piemontese×Friesian-Holsteins (PM) and 40 Romagnola×Friesians-Holsteins (RO), born in 2 consecutive years, were reared from calfhood to slaughter at ∼2 years of age. Calves were artificially reared indoors and spent their first summer at pasture towards the end of which they were castrated. They were housed during the first winter and subsequently spent their second summer at pasture. At the start of the second winter they were assigned to a 3 (FR, PM, RO breed types)×2 (low and high feeding levels)×2 (short and extended finishing periods) factorial experiment. The low (L) and high (H) feeding levels were 3 and 6 kg concentrates per head daily, respectively, with grass silage ad libitum. The short (S) and extended (E) finishing periods were 124 and 207 days, respectively. After slaughter, the pistola hind quarter was separated into subcutaneous and intermuscular fats, bone and muscle. For the breed types as listed, mean values for carcass weight per day from arrival, kill-out proportion, carcass conformation score and carcass fat score were 434, 435, and 453 (S.E.D. 7.6) g, 519, 547 and 538 (S.E.D. 3.7) g/kg, 2.1, 2.9 and 2.9 (S.E.D. 0.12), and 4.0, 3.4 and 3.8 (S.E.D. 0.11), respectively. For FR, PM and RO, pistola weight as a proportion of carcass side weight was 447, 462, and 466 (S.E.D. 2.5) g/kg, pistola muscle proportion was 642, 716 and 687 (S.E.D. 4.1) g/kg, and pistola fat proportion was 165, 115 and 137 (S.E.D. 4.0) g/kg, respectively. Compared with L, the H feeding level increased carcass weight and improved carcass conformation but otherwise had few effects on carcass traits. Compared with S, the E finishing period increased carcass weight and all measures of carcass fatness. Allometric growth coefficients relative to carcass side weight for the hind quarter, the distal pelvic limb, the lumbar joint and the ribs joint were all <1.0, while the fore quarter and the proximal pelvic limb had coefficients >1.0. It is concluded that the Piemontese and Romagnola beef breeds are suitable for crossing on Friesian-Holstein dairy cows and the progeny are suited to Irish steer beef production systems. Productivity and carcass merit of these beef crosses are superior to those of Friesian-Holsteins. While live and carcass growth rates were higher for RO than PM, both had similar estimated muscle growth rates.