Michael Feeney

Details: Published: 01 January 2020; Hits: 1397

The Elimar Personality Profile

MICHAEL FEENEY

(Questions by Jim Emerton)

Michael Feeney is a 37 year old Irish graduate whose objective is to clock in the BICC races into Ireland with birds of the Emerton strain from Nicholas Harvey and Chris Booth, and selected birds from the House of Aarden stud. Michael is both optimistic and aspirational with objectives which are clear, ambitious and refreshing. He wants to conquer Barcelona International into Ireland - a noble task. - Jim.

Michael Feeney

Q1) Did you love and observe nature as a child, and were your parents keen on pigeons?

Yes I have always loved animals growing up. My earliest memories are of our family dog biting my toe. I have always been interested in pigeons as my father kept them and still does. I remember always watching wildlife documentaries on T.V. and enjoying learning about different animals and their habitats. I especially loved documentaries narrated by David Attenborough and found him interesting to listen to and insightful in his views about animal behaviours and habits. Of course looking back I am sure he had excellent research on which to base his narrative.

With regard to pigeons my father has always kept them from his childhood and so I was indoctrinated very young. I ran my elder brother from the loft by the time I was 8 years old as I wanted to be the sole carer along with dad to our birds. A great memory I have is of myself and the first time going to the loft alone. It was a summer evening and the birds were on open hole and I didn’t understand that they were hungry and so I went to the loft. I collected the food to feed and call them in when all of a sudden I had 20 or so old birds all over me looking for the food. Well I can tell you screaming ensued with food thrown everywhere and me running to the house in a panic.

I had never envisioned a life without pigeons to the point where my partner absolutely hates them and would love it if they were gone. I am simply never going to let that happen.

Q2) How did your competitive instincts in life develop, and what and who inspired you to dedicate yourself to winning, and are you motivated by greatness?

My competitive instincts are there however I view competition differently I think than most. To me my biggest competitor is myself. I have always strived to be the best I can be at whatever I do, this from socially playing sports growing up to my work life as an adult. In saying this I have always admired small team fanciers who achieve excellent results at their chosen difficulties in our great sport. My inspiration initially came from my dad. Although not successful to the point of winning averages he sets his stall out for channel racing to Ireland from the UK and France and achieves success in these chosen races. With this in mind and upon buying my own house a few years ago I set out to build a team to compete in sprint racing. However having a young family and work commitments this did not materialise. It was about 2 years ago when I started looking at international racing as a viable option for me. I have read extensively about individuals who compete in this type of racing including Cooper, Emerton, Gilbert and the Padfields of Wales to name a few.

I thought more and more that this type of racing might suit my needs. No stress running to the local club every week with the target being 5 or 6 BICC races each year. Of course the birds would have to be right and with this in mind I set about contacting people who have achieved this greatness. Hopefully I can go one step further and do the ultimate of not clocking once in Ireland from Barcelona but doing it on a regular basis. This is the greatness I am aiming for. I think I will be a lifetime achieving it. The road is beginning with no end in sight. Here’s to the future.

Q3) Did your early education and peer groups sow the seeds of your future success?

I am not sure how to answer this question. Yes I have always been part of peer groups growing up but at the same time I have always been an individual. I have never been led by the group dynamic. If everyone was in, I was only in if it was something I wanted to do. If I didn’t I went my own way.

As for future success I am still working on that. At 37 years of age I only recently achieved my first professional qualification of which I am very proud of and look forward to achieving more on these lines. As for pigeons, as mentioned above I am only beginning on that road but in all honesty I will not falter until my goal is achieved and I am one of the greats I love reading about so much.

Q4) Can you describe the individual personal qualities that you demonstrate in life and sport?

Determination, determination, determination and more determination. In my life there is no such thing as can’t. When I have a goal I single-mindedly strive to achieve this. Nothing daunts me. Yes there are setbacks and we are all knocked back by these but more important is the will and determination to continue in spite of setbacks. Although relatively young I have had people or systems set me back and after a day or two I am back trying to go around it or solve it completely. With this in mind I am obsessed with my pigeons and breeding and racing my own to succeed and not buying in or being given birds that succeed. I want to know it’s me against nature and I want to win.

A view along the corridor of my loft

Q5) Are you motivated by pigeon celebrity fame and culture or wish to remain relatively detached from it all. As some key fanciers do?

Of course I am motivated by celebrity. I want to one of the greats I read about and I want to help others succeed where I do in the future. The only part of the pigeon sport I do not wish to be involved in is the politics. I think we are governed here in Ireland with short sighted individuals with no concept of where our sport should go. I do not have these answers either so I stay out and I will do no more criticizing of these individuals because although I may not agree with occurrences under their guidance I am also not prepared to do their job. And I abhor people who criticize and are not willing to take over the person’s job who they are criticizing.

Q6) Have you made a study of books, of the art and science of pigeon racing?

Yes I have I have read books and articles by many, many people and some I have read over and over in order to glean as much as I can from these. I have not yet had the time to practice what I have learned but as mentioned that road is beginning. I enjoy reading about successes of all different fanciers, of their individual methods and systems of both breeding and racing our beloved athletes. I have read about the successes of individuals and their birds performance but I think it is important to realise and understand that for all the champions that are produced there are possibly thousands produced that are complete non-runners. I have a biology background and understand an amount about genetics and inheritance of genes. From this I believe that the winning gene combination that is so elusive and only found in the champions is actually sex linked. I may be shot for this statement with no success to back it up but this is my thought. The person who can master ensuring these genes are passed to the progeny every time will be very successful. If I can achieve this through my pigeons and have a 50% success rate I will be happy. This will be a life long journey.

Q7) What, if any are your tastes in art, books and music?

Music I like all genres. Art I have no real interest in. Books I read all the time but like most things in my life it is individual. I like fantasy fiction and have lost count of the amount of books I have read. Apart from this I enjoy academic reading in my chosen field. I love learning and all it entails. Learning about pigeons from people who have done the leg work is as or more important than doing it yourself. The important thing is understanding what you are learning and how to put it to practice. This is where I find pigeon books and articles so interesting. If others have done the work and I can use their knowledge with a view to shortening my path to the top all the better. The difficulty when you reach the top is always staying there.

Q8) What is your take on the image of pigeons as perceived by the public is it a working class hobby or dominated by rich and powerful who may be different?

I read in an article recently, I think one of these profiles, about the coinage of our pigeons by Woody Allen as flying rats. In all honesty I think by and large this is what the public in general think of our sport. Yes when we tell them about what our pedigree animals can do they are amazed but I think the analogy will always remain. I use an analogy of my own as explanation.

Everyone loves a bet on a Grand National horse race. So I ask the question which is the better a) the horse that runs in a national of just short of four and a half miles against maybe 40 competitors and wins or b) a pigeon that flies anything from 400 to 1000 miles in international competition against anything up to 25,000+ other competitors across 5 or 6 countries and wins?

Now I am biased but I know which is the better athlete of the two. I do not think that public perception will ever change dramatically however all we can do is influence the people we come in contact with about our birds and the status they have with us and their achievements.

I do believe it is perceived as a working class hobby. I believe this because although there are some wealthy individuals in the sport it is mostly the ordinary working class Joe that keeps pigeons.

Q9) Do you like football, athletics and other sports, and who are the top in their field?

I have played our national sports of hurling and Gaelic Football through my life from age 8 to 22 and enjoyed it. But my passion has always been my birds. When people are at the top of their game I can only say fair play because when it comes to sport I have really only had my eye on one. People who do achieve this and remain at the top of their game are usually obsessed. With this in mind it is apt that I am obsessed with my birds and so hope and strive to succeed.

Q10) How do women differ in their personal approaches to livestock?

I do not have an answer for this as I know of only 1 woman at present in my federation who keeps pigeons, which I know is different from the U.K. I also live in a city and so have no knowledge of how women cope even in general with livestock, although I am told that they are better at husbandry and day-to-day care than men whereas men deal with the practicalities better. I may never truly know unless my daughter decides to join in my enthusiasm of breeding and racing our birds.

Q11) What is your perception on how a bird orientates and homes?

An interesting debate that is ongoing and will remain that way for the foreseeable future I think. I think scientifically that it has to do with the magnetic fields and the polarity of the earth in conjunction with the bird’s orientation ability using the sun and stars where applicable as we know that night time clockings are becoming more and more frequent. I just love to see them arrive. I think also that the birds themselves are paramount as it is these bundles of feathers who strive with all their determination to reach their home lofts. To me they will always be amazing at what they do.

Q12) Do you see mankind as being superior to other forms on earth or not?

I would not say superior because other life on earth find ecological balances with their environments but mankind does not. We simply multiply and spread and dominate landscapes. We are superior evolutionary and technologically. But if we consider technology a tool we just have developed more tools. Therefor that leaves evolutionary superiority and I think we have lost our way in this matter - there is no balance with nature in our lives. Mine included although I think I am aware of this imbalance in my own life and try to rectify it on a personal level where I can.

Q13) What do you think about writers, committees and politics?

Writers I enjoy. I love to read different perspectives with arguments for and against ideas, hopefully giving a fuller picture. Writers give us an insight into things that without personal research we may not ever know. There are writers with different styles and I find it interesting reading articles on the same topic or individual by different writers. Why? You may ask. The answer is simple. Each as individuals think differently so when writers do articles on the same topic they bring their individual perspective also giving a different angle to the questions or discussions involved therein.

Committees I think we all need. For the good or ill I will never know. I myself am involved in committees with a view to changing views and methods and pushing for change in the field I am involved, to improve on archaic thinking and bring a modern view to my own profession. I see a paradigm shift occurring in my own field as we move forward from where we are and I can simply say it is an exciting time.

Within the sport I think that the views of the few in control dictate the kind of racing that occurs, more so in sprint competition than other spheres. This because it is about the birds homing as quickly as possible. Whereas with long and marathon distance it is more about the ability of the birds themselves to orientate and have the stamina to continue home.

Politics I have no interest in from pigeon to national. I only want to live my life, provide for my family and enjoy my birds. As for my profession I have of necessity gotten involved and have already been criticised for my views. I have a very utilitarian view that it is for the good of the many and those we serve that I strive. I think if more people thought the same things it may be better. However isn’t it variety that makes life interesting?

Q14) Is a belief system of value to you?

Yes a belief system is of value to me. Mine is a belief in oneself and one’s own abilities, in setting my objectives and striving to achieve them. This sometimes with a blinkered approach and sometimes to my detriment, but from this detriment I learn and move forward, usually by taking the blinkers off and taking a look around.

My personal philosophy is one of my own development. We have all heard of thinking outside the box. I do not strive to think in or out of the box, my ambition is always to draw the box and set the standard for others to follow, not to be led myself. This is one of the reasons I am the way I am. Most people when encountering a problem lose sight and focus on the problem. I will paraphrase Robin Williams from the movie Patch Adams in this: do not focus on the problem, simply look through and past the problem and see the solution. This focus on problems is why I feel most people get mired down with them.

Q15) The Universe is vast is it possible that life exists beyond the Earth?

Life beyond Earth I truly hope so. Life began with a big explosion all those hundreds of millions of years ago. I hope and would love to be around to meet life from the cosmos. Although I think this will not happen, I do believe it is there and that it may or may not be more advanced than us little humans.

Q16) What is the ultimate goal in your pigeon life?

In the past 7 years this has changed to the present. Now it is the conquering of the ultimate race for me which is Barcelona. To do this I believe will only happen with the development of a new branch of birds capable of carrying on until they reach this green Fair Isle. With this in mind I have sourced birds from a family which have already proven they can fly the required distance from Barcelona to me. A mere 854 miles and then I have the added obstacle our gallant athletes have to face which is the last 60 miles to cross the Irish Sea. This will be some feat when it is achieved. I hope to be the one to do it.

17) Is strain creation still valid today?

Absolutely. Without this I will never achieve what I am setting out to do. As it has not been done before there is not a standard for flying Barcelona to Ireland. To achieve this, the creation of a new strain from 1 or more existing ones will be imperative. A base line must be by using blood of birds that have already achieved the distance required then move from there until successful. This I feel will take a lot of time and as I am only 37 at the moment it is something I feel I have to work on.

Q18) What must a pigeon racing great achieve to be given the distinction?

Wow a good question. I suppose this may be seen in how he is regarded by others in the sport. Has he achieved regular success at his chosen discipline i.e. sprint, middle, long or marathon distance. Success is not in my eyes measured by the amount of times one wins at these disciplines but more along the lines of regularly being placed among the top echelon of the discipline. To win a Barcelona International race here in Ireland would be a dream come true and I am sure it is only a matter of time before it happens as popularity for international racing grows. But to achieve regular placings is achievable in the foreseeable future.

Q19) Which is the top pigeon racing nation on Earth?

I think simply due to location and the obstacles birds encounter en route I would have to say those that fly from northern England, Scotland and Ireland have the most difficult challenges. Whilst a thousand miles is a thousand miles in distance, pigeons are mostly reluctant to traverse open water singly. This is where the challenge is and as the U.K. have the birds which have completed this challenge and other obstacles I believe this is where the greats are, along with those in Northern Ireland that are regularly on the result sheet from France year in year out.

Q20) How do you wish to be remembered in history?

Simply as someone who strived to achieve a dream and if not successful that I came close. That I was always willing to help others along wherever and whenever I could. If I could achieve this in every aspect of my life and be remembered as such I think I would have done something right.

Here are some photos of my principal stock birds with a little info to match the photos in order.

The first 4 are birds bought from Steve and Lesley Wright of the House of Aarden. Information seen below. And the last three are my first bred birds from these.

The first bird is Lady Spirit. This hen is out of Spirit of Dreams, a direct son of the immortal Invincible Spirit and is line bred to him. This hen was picked because through the pedigree she is the great aunt of the other 3 birds 5 times removed and a granddaughter of Invincible Spirit. I chose her to compliment the others.

The second is Safe Haven Nelly. She’s out of Padfields Invincible when paired to his daughter out of Nelly's Lelly.

The third is Safe Haven Cas. This hen is again out of Padfields Invincible when paired to a daughter of another great De Cas.

The fourth is Safe Haven Invincible Prince. Again out of Padfields Invincible when paired to Nelly’s Lelly. This is the only cock I bought to mate with the other 3.

The last 3 as mentioned are my first young bred from the above cock with the hens 1 and 3. These birds, if still around in 2018, will be amongst the first birds I send to the great Barcelona International.

These birds will be supplemented with birds of the Emerton strain soon to arrive and again these will be bred and blended hopefully to produce birds to fly the full 854 miles or so from Barcelona to Ireland - only having to negotiate 2 channels!