NIPA & AROUND
KNOWING HOW TO MILK SUCCESS
Young, McManus & Sons of Ahoghill, (County Antrim)
by Adie
Paddy and Son William admire their consistant Red cock who has flew Talbenny in Wales four times winning 2 x 1st Clubs, a 2nd Club and a 3rd Club.
The vllage of Ahoghill on the outskirts of Ballymena has seen many pigeon racing Champions in its day but one of the most successful partnerships ever to come from the village is that of Paddy McManus and Sons namely William and Paul.
Ever since I can remember Paddy has been the boy to beat most weeks in the County Antrim Village recording a 10th consecutive Top Prize-winner achievement in the Ahoghill Flying Club at the close of last season. The McManus Boys have rattled up well over 80 x 1st Clubs in the mighty Ahoghill FC and show no signs that they are finished. Paddy should be well used to milking the success, a former milkman for 40 years he was forced to retire due to heart trouble or as he puts it would still be at what he loved best.
Paddy McManus and wife Rosie enjoy the moment as the McManus's make it 10 years on the trot as Top Prizewinners.
I came across Paddy McManus many a morning at the local Dale Farm Depot as I myself was a helper on a local milk round, but my first introduction with regards pigeons was in 1991 when at the age of 17 I decided to race pigeons myself along with my older brother and younger sister racing as A, B & N McCormick, it was upon setting up that I approached Paddy one Sunday evening looking as we all do a pair that would breed me winners, after a couple of hours talking he selected a Blue Cock and Pied Hen of Verheye breeding, to cut to the chase the first round of youngsters was to produce a Blue Pied Cock who later went on after credible club results to win the Talbenny Y/B Derby racing with the New North Flying Club winning Ballymena town by over 15 minutes and piping B Keegan & Sons of Moira to the first Open position that’s my own success story with pigeons obtained from Paddy McManus but there are many, ask anybody in the Mid Antrim area they will tell you that he is probably one of the best stock men about and isn’t shy on spending money obtaining the best often being seen at many auctions across the country.
A nice shot of one of those excellent stock pigeons a direct Koopman cock already responsible for 11 x 1st Club's and 2 x 1st Mid Antrim Combine.
As for the partnership name well the Young aspect, was indeed Paddy’s father in law the late Tommy Young, for many people they will already know that the Young family is huge around the village, Paddy is married to Rosie and she is sister to, Tom, Albert and Charlie Young who all race in Ahoghill, Rosie’s sister is married to Jimmy Orr who also races in Ahoghill from Paddy’s old house and not forgetting Paddy’s father still races as McFall & McManus in the New Antrim Amal now based in Ballymena. I think you could class this as a pigeon orientated family.
Paddy McManus started to race pigeons in 1973 always with Ahoghill FC and has never looked back, son William is an excellent help both financially and around the lofts, indeed when I called William was awaiting news on the birth of his first child which in turn would make Paddy and Rosie grand parents for the first time.
The new Y/Bird loft installed last year for the McManus partnership by Glen Cotter.
The partnership race between 40 to 50 old birds per season on the Natural System which are mated up around the mid January time, as for the youngsters around the sixty mark with 50 per cent on the Darkness System as for the feeding with both sets it is much the same 3 mixtures are used in total with a break down as follows, all purchased from Billy McKillen (Hilltop Feeds & Fuels), Natural Young Bird, Natural Resting Mixture, and Natural Widowhood, the feeding during the start of the week will be a mixture of the first two with the widowhood being added towards the build up for the weekend event, very simple as regards water treatments simple fermented Garlic 3 times per week with Electrolytes in the water on a return from racing. Something the partnership pride themselves in is tossing, I don’t think there is anybody in that area who tosses more and Paddy openly admits to that, a very hard task master that includes keeping the youngster tight as regards feeding with tossing commencing 3 weeks before the first race starting from ten miles up to 30 mile were they will be kept at even when racing commences.
The Fabulous O/Bird racing loft that has served Paddy & William so well over the years.
As previously mentioned they have some very credible results over the years and William was good enough to record some for me in no particular order :- Talbenny O/Birds 6th & 31st Section 32nd & 101st Open 17,358 Birds; Mallow 5 Bird 4th & 16 Section, 32nd & 105th Open 2,642 Birds; Rosscarbery Y/B National 19th Section 217th Open 6,011; Rosscarbery O/Bird National 28th Section 228th Open 7,832 Birds; Talbenny Y/B National 31st Section 108th Open; Talbenny O/Birds 29th & 47th Section 104th and 165th Open 13,009 Birds; Thurles O/Birds 13th Section 121st Open 27,075; Mullingar Y/Birds 1st, 4th, 16th, 18th & 36th Open 3152 Birds; Bude O/Birds 16th, 20th & 29th Section 103rd, 125th and 162nd Open 9192 Birds; Tullamore Y/B 4th & 13th Section 72nd & 162nd Open 27,772 Birds; Tullamore Y/Birds 7th Section 9th Open 9,699 Birds; Penzance O/Birds 7th, 12th & 14th Section 59th , 85th & 91st Open 10,454 Birds; Rosscarbery Inland O/B National 17th Section 146th Open 8737 Birds; Rosscarbery O/B National 6th & 29th Section 163rd Open 9,142 Birds; Penzance Y/Bird National 5th Open 1616 Birds; Carnsore Point O/Birds 2nd Section 99th Open 24,357 Birds; Penzance Y/Bird National 98th Open 1939 Birds; Sennen Cove O/Birds 29th Section 101st Open 8,450 Birds; Talbenny Y/B Derby 16th & 27th Section 110th & 157th Open 3716 Birds; Talbenny Y/B National 13th Section 80th Open 4,142 Birds; Talbenny O/Birds 11th Section 112th Open 11,598 Birds.
Asking Paddy what of the many good performances was his favorite or had he a memorable moment that stands out in his racing or breeding C.V he went on to explain that without any question the most memorable occasion was getting a knock on his door one morning to see fellow fancier Maurice Alexander who informed him that he had been responsible for the 1st and 2nd Open Kings Cup winning pigeons through pigeons that he had either sold of gifted. Paddy went on to explain that at the Jim Ramsey of Kells Clearance Sale he was to buy the main reference pigeon that evening for £45 along with two children of the cock that had won a Section from Penzance and a 2nd Open Dinard OB Derby. Paddy didn’t have the main reference pigeon long when approached by Maurice to sell it, Paddy being Paddy he agreed having never had any young birds from it. That same cock was later to breed Independent Ranger for Alan Darragh of Cullybackey who won the Kings Cup in 1986 and for the second placed pigeon in the Open it was gifted to the fancier from Maurice Alexander who bred it from a pair of Krauth pigeons gifted to him from Paddy, who can say this man doesn’t know a good pigeon when he see’s one.
The excellent Stock loft that has and continues to house many champions not just for Paddy but for other fanciers accross the country.
The current stock housed in his selection of Ahoghill lofts are a fine mixture of different winning families including a number from the Boscheind Flyers namely Andre Van De Wiel and Jan Schreuder, Direct Koopman‘s, Marcel Sangers, a couple of pair of Jan Van De Pasch and not forgetting his old Busschaert family that have and continue to serve him and many other fanciers around the area very well.
To finish the interview I always ask if they have encountered a sad time in the sport that sticks to mind because as like many of the consistent racers you often wonder if they have their share of bad luck and Paddy is no exception with the most prominent one of many was the passing away of his old Lefabre Dehanen cock that was purchased at the Clearance Sale held for Pat Delaney of Dromore at the age of seven, the cock lived until 22 and produced countless winners for Paddy and many others.
I will pen off by wishing the McManus family many enjoyable years with the new addition to the family and may they rattle many more firsts into the clock.
News and views always welcome at the address below.
Adie McCormick
Ireland’s Own Pigeon Auctions
25 Knockmore Square
Lisburn,
BT28 1SZ
15/3/07
