Homers Odyssey - Top Season for R Topping & Son
Top Season for R Topping & Son – Top Prize-winners in Lisburn & District
Racing in the NIPA with a club membership of 20 sending up to 500 pigeons per race the father and son partnership of Trevor and Robert Topping dominated the 2025 season in the Lisburn club winning 11 old bird and 4 young races to become top prize winners. Their Old Bird wins coming from Roscrea (1)...Roscre(2)...Fermoy...Grenagh...Dunmanway...Cloughmartin...Dale (2)...Corrin...Corrin 5B...Dunmanway Yearling National...Cloughmartin. In Young Birds their wins came from Kilbeggan (2)...Roscrea...Benamore...Dale Young bird National, with all 15 races being from distances of 130-230miles and velocities of 1350-1800 ypm. Trevor was for over 20 years secretary of the Irish National Flying Club and is current secretary of the Lisburn Club and one of the top administrators in the country, with Robert a very knowledgeable fancier and together they have ,not only this past season but for a number of seasons, been top racers in the club.
Blue Ch 1st Dale R Topping & Son Ch 1st Dunanway R Topping & Son
The club awards 6 prizes per race and on 3 occasions the Topping loft took all prizes also having the first 10 birds in one race with almost 300 pigeons competing. As well as 15 x 1sts they had 12 x 2nds and 15 x 3rds plus a multitude of other pigeons in the prizes throughout the season, fantastic racing by two men who know how to condition a team of pigeons to compete for the full season from first race to the last. The Toppings won Inland Old Bird Average and Combined Old and Young Bird Average and were Runner Up Combined Old Bird Average and Runner Up Young Bird Average.
Robert Topping top prize-winner in Lisburn & District 15x1sts.
Second highest prize winners were Smyth & Adams, with Ned Adams as usual having a very good Young Bird season. Wins from Cloughmartin, ( where they took 1,2,3 ) Corrin 5Bird and Grenagh plus 17 other top 6 positions throughout the season resulted in the partnership winning the Young Bird Average and Runner Up in Combined Old & Young Bird Average.
Third highest prize winner was Davy Ferguson who had 2 x 1sts,3 x 2nds plus a number of other prizes, his wins coming from Kilbeggan OB and Skibbereen INFC OB Inland National. It was interesting to see that his win from the first race of the season Kilbeggan, with 191 pigeons competing from less than 100 miles ,saw Davy win by 10minutes from the 2nd pigeon. Apart from the French National races that was by far the biggest winning margin of the season.
Billy Joss was best from Dale(1) 220 birds with a Cheq Pied Cock doing 1434 ypm, and also won the club from Dunmanway NIPA Y B National .. With distance increasing to over 260 miles the club had a good entry of 236 pigeons for the Bude race. Liberated at 9.00am a good steady race ensued with the winning bird taking just over 6 hours to be clocked by Jackie Waring & Son. Flying 265 miles, his winning yearling Blue Hen was the furthest flying pigeon clocked in the club velocity 1266ypm.
J Waring & Son. Ace racers over many years.
Penzance was won by the shortest flying pigeon on the result at 303 miles and was a 5 year old Blue Cheq Hen clocked by Jack Magee of L Magee & Sons. Winning velocity being 1403 ypm from an entry of 189 pigeons. Jack also won the club in the Penzance Classic flown in conjunction with the overall Nipa race and was 1st from Fermoy Young Birds.
L Magee & Son (Jack and Olly).
Other winners in the Young Bird programme were Hugh Mackin from Kilbeggan and Sam & Willie English who were best from Corrin.
S & W English Willie & Sam.
The NIPA Plougastel French National was flown on 28th June liberated at 7.15 am with 5 Lisburn pigeons making the result sheet in the club. Two of the 5 were timed on the night with Ian Donaghy winning the race with a three year old Pencil Blue Pied Hen which was timed at ten past eight to record a velocity of 982 ypm. With less than 60 pigeons home on the day from an entry of 1414 this was a great result in a very hard race, winning 2nd Section D, 36th Open, the bird having its first race from France 432 miles.
1st Plougastel Nat for Ian Donaghy
Second club 59th Open went to Milne Mairs whose yearling Red Clock was actually clocked during the hours of darkness at 11.44pm after being found in the loft, thus getting the 2nd day time of 04.42am to record a velocity of 807 ypm. Second day birds were timed by R Topping & Son 07.09am 8th D 89th Open...S & W English 09.07am 9th D 120th Open and a second pigeon to M Mairs at 12.20.
Milne Mairs, Lisburn & District.
Sammy Briggs won the INFC Sennen Cove.
The INFC Kings Cup race from St Allouestre was liberated on the same day ( 28th June) and it turned out a bad one with only 59 pigeons home in race time. Once again Ian Donaghy came out on top in the Lisburn club clocking a 3 year old Cheq Cock to be 19th Open, the only other club pigeon clocked being 3 year old Blue Cock to Sam & Willie English that finished 39th Open.
Ch cock 1st St Allouestre Kings Cup for Ian Donaghy
The INFC Friendship National Plougastel was the last Old Bird race of the season and was flown on 9th July. Once again Ian won the club and also took 2nd as well, great distance racing by Ian who is ably assisted by his wife Pauline in the management of a great team of long distance pigeons. The 2 birds , a 2 year old Blue Cock and a 2 year old Blue WF Cock, being clocked at 06.52 and 07,43 am the second morning.
Ian Donaghy. Continues to score at the distance events & ‘Henry’ NIPA St Malo OB Nat 2022 - 1st Club, 1st Section D (91 birds), 17th Open (1,232 birds). Vel: 665 ypm GB20 L 08049 p Check Pied Cock. Raced by Ian Donaghy.
Third went to Alan Houston his 2023 Red Cock arriving home at 08.46am. Jackie Waring came in fourth his 2021 Dk Ch Cock home at 12.27. Robert and June Kirkwood had the only other pigeon timed in the club at 16.26, another 2023 Red Cock.
The club held their usual winter shows and a final Christmas Saturday Big Show, this one being sponsored by Robert and June Kirkwood who kindly supplied bags of corn for all class winners, the club putting on a buffet for the afternoon when all racing prizes were presented as well as the show awards. Top show prize winner was Billy Joss who had also done very well in the Tuesday night shows leading up to the big one. It won't be long until we're back at it for the 2026 season, so all the best to the Lisburn Club members. Milne Mairs PO.
Robert and June Kirkwood, Lisburn Feeding Supplies.
Note - The AGM for the Mighty will be held in Glenavy this Saturday 14th February at 2.00pm, MAC Chairman Robin Service has confirmed the AGM will take place in Ballymena & District Clubrooms on Wednesday 18th March at 8.00pm.
HOMER. Willie Reynolds
Tel/Fax: (028) 256 44683
Mobile: 07538 238364
Twitter: willie reynolds@homerbhw>
Email:
www.irishnationalflyingclub.com
