Adie covers Coleraine Presentation
Superb 2025 Season for the Coleraine Premier HPS -
The Mighty Coleraine Premier HPS held their Annual Prize Night and Buffet in their Clubrooms on Thursday 30th October. It was as ever very well supported by the members with Jason Parke and Adie Henry of the Windsor Social in attendance to present the Trophies, Cups and Prizemoney. Coleraine Premier members had another very successful season at Section and Open level in the Mighty NIPA.
The members and guests of the Coleraine Premier HPS enjoy yet another successful season in 2025, winners and officials.
The 2025 Top Prize Winner was Jimmy Hanson, enjoying some 50 years in the Sport, Jimmy topped the Club on 11 occasions. The loft also topped the NIPA Section A on 3 x times not excluding coming close to securing more. Such was his impressive season it was no surprise to read that he had secured the NIPA Y/Bird Section A Fancier of the Year. Jimmy’s club wins included: - in the O/Birds 1 st Kilbeggan, 1 st Fermoy (1), 1 st Grenagh, 1 st Corrin and 1 st Cloughmartin. The subsequent excellent Y/Bird programme by the Hanson loft included wins from Roscrea, Cloughmartin, Fermoy (1), Corrin, Dale Y/B National and Grenagh. Jimmy also collected awards for the O/Bird Inland Average, Young Bird Average and the Combined O/Bird & Y/Bird Average within the very competitive Club.
Jason Parke of the Windsor Social presents Jimmy Hanson with one of the many awards a Top Prize-Winning loft wins again.
Finishing a very credible Runner-Up in the Club was the excellent Partnership of B & D Coyle securing 7 x 1 st Clubs not forgetting winning the Mighty NIPA Open not once but twice from Roscrea and Dale respectively. When you finish Runner Up in the Club after topping the Mighty NIPA Twice, I think it just shows the Calibre of the Fanciers in this Superb Club, flying some off the longest routes. Bobby & Danny topped the Club from Roscrea (1) & (2) in the O/Birds also Dunamanway in the O/Bird National and to finish the O/Bird programme topped the Club from Cloughmartin and Dale. The Y/Birds seen success from Kilbeggan and Benamore. The Partnership also picked up S McAlary Yearling Cup Penzance O/Bird, Best Average 2 O/Bird and Y/Bird Dale not excluding a superb O/Bird to win the Champion O/Bird in the Club.
Runner Up this season is the loft off Bobby & Danny Coyle, Bobby pictured lifting one of the partnerships many awards from Jason Parke. 2 x 1st Open NIPA.
Champion Old Bird in Coleraine Prem 2025 for B & D Coyle.
A man who needs no introductions Sean Diamond finishes 3 rd Best in 2025. Sean won the Channel O/Bird Section A Fancier of the Year within the NIPA as well as having the Champion Y/Bird within the Club, not forgetting a very impressive arrival from the Y/Bird INFC National finishing 4 th Open. Sean collected awards for O/Bird Channel Average, Combined O/Bird Average. The Loft topped the Club also in the Dunamanway Y/Bird National. Finishing 4 th on the Top Prize Winner list was Lawerence Hanson who topped the Club on 2 x occasions being the Corrin 5 Bird (won the NIPA Section A also) with a good pick and the Dunamanway Yearling National. Next up finishing 5 th and the strong racing names continue in the T & J McDonald partnership who fly within Section B off the NIPA, they topped the Club also on 2 x occasions namely Kilbeggan (2) in the Y/Birds and also to conclude a successful Y/Bird Campaign topped just not he Club but the NIPA Section B from Corrin in the Y/Birds. Terrence McCrudden another top loft that needs no introductions topped the Club from Dale (2) also finishing 1 st & 2 nd Section in the NIPA with a superb result.
Sean Diamond had a superb season winning the NIPA Section A - Cross Channel Fancier off the Year.
Trevor McDonald (r) NIPA Section B winner.
What a Channel season the loft of Paul O’Connor had topping the Club on 3 occasions namely Bude, Penzance and Penzance Classic all in the O/Birds. He collected the Coronation Cup (O/Bird Cannel Average excluding Plougastel) Best Average Dale (1) and Bude.
Paul O’Connor had a season to remember especially from the Channel. NIPA Silver Diploma.
Completing the Prize list and visiting the table where Russell McAlary who topped Dale (1) winning the J McAlary Yearling Cup from Penzance; Diamond Bros & McLaughlin where tops from Plougastel in the O/Bird National; P Klimkowski & Son a name I have typed a few times this season where next followed up by the D Quinn loft on what was an excellent night for a superb Club, well done to all the winners and Homer and Myself wish the membership every success in 2026. Many thanks to Adrian and Russell for the info.
Anthony McDonnell former Kings Cup winner, over 600 miles still a record distance for a winner.
* With outbreaks of bird flu confirmed in various locations across Northern Ireland all fancier stock is locked up and contained in the loft. Despite this the show season commenced as planned with both Brougshand and Kells & District getting underway.
Mid Antrim Show Scene – Broughshane HPS Show Series - The first show of the season will take place on Tuesday 4th November in the Broughshane clubroom. We are starting with Old Hens t/w. Penning will be from 7.00pm to 8.00pm, with judging to follow immediately after. All fanciers and visitors are welcome.
Kells & District have supplied the show season dates for the usual Wednesday evening classes. How things have changed over recent years, all the local clubs arranged a Show Series. Ballymena & dist. on a Monday, Broughshane & Dist. Tuesday, Kells Wednesday, Harryville Thursday, Ahoghill and Randalstown both on Friday and then Cullybackey on Saturday.
Classes are as follows starting Wednesday 5th Nov with Old Cock T/W, 12th November Old Hen T/W,19th November Young Hen T/W, 26thNovember Young Cock T/W, 3rd December Mated Pairs OB & YB, 10th December Fancy OB & YB, 17th December Eye-sign OB & YB. Penning from 7.00pm until 8.00pm. The annual Open Show will be on Boxing Day, 3 in 1 for Old Birds and Young Birds, more details nearer the time.
Broughshane HPS S/S Tuesday, 4th November marked the start of Broughshane’s show series with the Old Hens T/W. Congratulations to B. Herbison, who had an outstanding day, taking 4 out of the 8 places, including both 1st and 2nd! A total of 8 fanciers penned 76 birds.
1st. B Herbison, 2nd. B Herbison, 3rd. W Gilbert, 4th. W Gilbert, Res. B Herbison, Vhc. J & J Greer Hc. B Herbison Commended W Gilbert. Raffle. M Gregg
The club would like to extend a big thank you to our judges, B. Coyle and J. Hanson, for traveling down from Coleraine , and to everyone who attended and supported our first show of the season. Next show is Tues 11th Nov Old Cocks T/W.
On Wednesday past Kells & District HPS held their first club show of the series. We had 8 people show 97 pigeons for our first show which was Old Cocks T/W. Thank you to Maurice Agnew (Kells) for judging.
Results as follows - 1. W&W Gilbert, 2. W&W Gilbert, 3. R. Service & Son, 4. R. Service & Son, Res. W&W Gilbert, V. H. C. W&W Gilbert, H. C. W&W Gilbert, Com. W&W Gilbert
Well done to W & W Gilbert for cleaning up the cards well. Thank you to everyone who came and supported our show. Next week will be Old Hens T/W. Penning 7-8pm.
Willy Gilbert (r) winner of the opening show of the year in Kells with judge Maurice Agnew.
Lurgan Social HPS 1st show results
1st Paul Hatchell, 2nd Keelie Wright, 3rd Keelie Wright, 4th Paul Hatchell, RES Keelie Wright, VHC Keelie Wright, HC Keelie Wright, COM Keelie Wright, Best YB Keelie Wright. The club would like to thank John Turner for judging the show and for his generous prize money.
The winning bird penned in the first show at Lurgan Soc for Paul Hatchell.
Edgarstown HPS - 1st show 141 birds
1st A Neill, 2nd K Shannon, 3rd A Neill, RES E Wright, VHC K Wright, HC A Neill, C R Bell & Sons. Best blue Cheq E Wright - Best YB K Wright.
Well to Keiran Shannon taking the first four cards in tonight’s show in Armagh. Thanks to Gary and Jimmy for judging.
Well done Alwyn taking the red card in our opening show with a great turn out of birds and of high quality on show. Thanks go to the judges David Smyth and Brendan McGrath and also thanks for their kind donation. Well done to all card winners.
Next show is the 10th of November with specials for best blue and best mealy with G&C Simmons & R Cassells in charge. Penning is from 7pm until 8pm everyone is very welcome.
RPRA Life Rings notice –
At the RPRA Council meeting on the 30th October it was agreed that the membership be raised to £38 per member. Noel Higginson Region Secretary.
It has come to my notice that fanciers that are not members of the RPRA are getting rings through Clubs. This has to stop and secretaries should only order rings for members of their Club. Would like to thank Cormac O'Hare ,Chairman, the panel, Richard Donnelly, Martin Graham and Gary Marsden for their input into a brilliant evening at the Ballyclare & District HPS moot last Friday night. Also like to thank those fanciers that donated birds for sale and the fanciers that bought them. Thanks to Michael Fasciolo and his partner Celia for providing the Buffet. A total of £2,525 was raised which will go a long way for the work that was done to the Club.. Thank you to all those to who attended. Noel Higginson RPRA Irish Region & Ballyclare Secretary.
Duddy Bus Trip to Blackpool 2026 - We hope to organise our usual trip to Blackpool for the show on 17th and 18th January 2026. Arrangements will be much the same as they were for the 2025 show , leaving on the Belfast Stenna Line ferry to Cairnryan at 7:30am on Friday 16th January 2026 after the bus trip down from Coleraine direction. We leave Blackpool on the Sunday around 12 noon to catch the ferry home at 7pm.
We will be staying in the Adelaide House and Adelaide Lodge hotels in Adelaide Street just behind the Winter Gardens. £50 (non- refundable) deposits are required by 30 th November 2025 and the balance of the monies at the end of December 2025 after all costs are finally known. Contacts are :- John McConnaghie Tel: 07753 26816. Robert Turkington Tel: 07710 483063. Alan Shanks Tel: 075034 83328.
Attention Carlow update for this weekend. As of now after exhaustive negotiations with the minister for agriculture we can confirm Carlow 2025 has been granted permission to take place. We have worked to bring the absolute elite of the fancy on to both panels and in addition the charity auction birds are unparalleled in sheer quality and supreme bloodlines you simply couldn’t get better. It gives us great pleasure to confirm the super 6 is also taking place on the sat which is generating serious excitement. We were asked to meet certain bio security conditions which unfortunately included the cancellation of the show classes and the sale of pigeons from the stalls this was unavoidable but understood in good grace by us. In effect all the other multiple stalls are still there. In conclusion it’s still going to be a great spectacle with everyone benefiting from attending and most of all the Carlow Downes Syndrome. We’re honoured to have both your attendance and support so come along meet the champions and enjoy the craic Carlows renowned for. Regards John Jake Ger
Adie McCormick
Mobile: 07921883997
Twitter: willie reynolds@homerbhw>
Email:
www.irishnationalflyingclub.com
