South East Ireland
with
Billy Walsh
It was that great Irishman Jonathan Swift who said. "When a man of true genius appears, know him by this sign: The Dunces are in Confederacy against him".
Swift suffered much from the fear of expressing opinion. He was also so many years ahead of his time he is rarely treasured as he should have been in this land. 300 years later Swift is still not fully appreciated. Not being able to publish the truth in plain English, Swift wrote Satire and has created some of the greatest caricatures in history. He is, in Literary terms, a Gulliver among men. A true giant of Literature. Gulliver's travels being perhaps his best known work. Centuries later, building upon the theme of dunces and literary genius, John Kennedy O’Toole wrote one of the greatest novels in English literature, and perhaps the funniest book I have read, A Confederacy of Dunces. The raucous rip roaring adventures of one delusional Ignatius J Riely. Ignatius deplores modernity in all its forms, preferring the scholastic culture of the middle Ages, while simultaneously claiming that the rednecks of rural Louisiana hate all modern technology which they associate with progress.
A modern day Don Quixote forever in need of a windmill to tilt at and a fair maiden to save.
Incidentally, Don Quixote is another great work of Satire. Written by Miguel Cervantes. It follows the exploits of Don Quixote who has read so many books on chivalry that he loses his sanity and decides to set out to revive chivalry itself, undo wrongs, and bring justice to the world sat upon his trust steed,. While all the while the reader sees Quixote is no more than a fool on a donkey.
O’Toole, depressed, at how the world failed to understand and publish his masterpiece, finally took his own life. It was the doggedness of O’Toole's mother, her refusal to accept NO for an answer that finally saw the manuscript published 11 hard years after her son's death. It won the Pulitzer Prize for literature in 1981. Is regarded as one of the greatest books ever written. So not being understood is nothing new. But once understanding does eventually arrive it all seems so very obvious, it becomes the accepted norm, and you wonder why you hadn't realised it all so much sooner.
It has always been thus.
New ideas will always find opposition and generally for no other reason than for the sake of opposition. Rather like the Louisiana Rednecks of Ignatius J Riely some people deplore modernity. They just love to say no. It means there is no requirement on them to think. "Leave it alone. Its O.K the way it is. If it's not broke don’t fix it," and a million other clichés designed to ensure we stay sitting on our Ass. Or Donkey. And it requires the dogged nature of O’Toole's mother to get the job done. To ignore the criticism and hold fast to what is right. That is the essence of progress. Tradition for its own sake leads only to decay. We must continually adapt and seek new ways forward. I am reminded of another great Irishman George Bernard Shaw, who was not a pigeon fancier. "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world around him. While the unreasonable man wants the world to adapt itself to him. Therefore, all progress comes from the unreasonable man".
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This expression "bringing the sport into disrepute" is one that has crept into pigeon racing of late rather like a rank Tiger dressed as a kitten in a warehouse filled with Kite-Kat. It will devour all in its path and have its incisors ripping into your jugular before you realise poor little pussy needs to be constantly fed. On the face of it, of course, it may seem a reasonable proposition. Surely we don't want people around our good selves, we who are without sin, who will bring tarnish upon our high moral standards. Or the good name of our sport damaged by those who reside on the margins. We saintly few, we gallant protectors of the high moral ground. We need to be protected from that sort. That sort who would bring us into disrepute. Not even Jesus could find someone willing to cast the first stone. Yet, the pigeon sport seems to have no end of people with loaded gallybanders.
But what does it actually mean? When you stop and think about it. When you pause momentarily to reflect. I will give you a few moments to really think deeply about the expression. Tum tee tum tee tum. Ready? Good. Let’s move on.To bring the sport into disrepute. I honestly do not know what it means. And I doubt anyone else does either. But I do know there are those who will, if not stopped, misuse it. Abuse it. And in so doing bring themselves into disrepute. And help erode our sport while they are at it.
You may say someone who cheats brings the sport into disrepute. Which is about as low as one can go in this sport. And if so, those that cheat are banned because they cheat not because they bring the sport into disrepute. They only bring disrepute upon themselves.
Bringing the sport into disrepute is an expression that is vague. It is vague and nondescript. And rules that are vague and nondescript are as dangerous as Tigers dressed as kittens. Why? Ah, there in, as the bard wisely put it. lies the rub.The law of unintended consequences.
Put simply, because there is no other way to put it, if a fancier is found urinating on the street at the Blackpool show weekend, and prosecuted, is he bringing the sport into disrepute? Pee brained bird man fined £25 for urinating up a dark alley. If someone is found smoking an illegal substance? Heaven forbid. Drink driving? You may say, yes, you may so no. Which is already the beginning of the problem. But that's not the real issue. The real issue, the real danger is this: if that same fancier has just won 15 races in his local club, for the 2nd year running. cleaned out his fed at the same time, will those that are upset by his success uses the fact he was urinating up a dark alley in Blackpool as a way to have him banned? Ah, ha, now the penny drops. No, not a penny spent.
A reasonable man would say it has nothing to do with pigeons where a man pisses. But reason soon becomes unreasonable in the wrong circumstance. In the wrong hands. That is where this nonsense will take us and it must be stamped out before it takes root. You cannot have rules that are open to interpretation depending on which way the wind is blowing.
Leave morality to the immoral. They've been its guardians for centuries. We do best when we ignore them.
Now consider this, if a journalist writes something that some within our ranks disagree with, or find offensive, or have their feelings hurt, is that bringing this sport into disrepute? Will it be the case journalists should submit copies of articles for approval before being sent for publication? Is the work of the pigeon journalist to be censored because there are those within our ranks who fear opinion? Communication, discourse, these are the greatest weapons we have against all forms of tyranny. It is the very basis of freedom in all its wonderful and imperfect forms. Freedom is not free. It comes with a price tag and that price is sometimes you have to hear things you do not want to hear.
No confederacy of dunces will keep this sport manacled to the past. And those that dislike what I have to say then do not read it. Do Not Read it. The problem of course is you can't stop reading it. You're hooked. The biggest crime that can be inflicted on any human being is the crime of ignorance. And all ignorance begins when you curtail the freedom to express thought. Remember Voltaire, who was not a pigeon fancier either. "I may not agree with a word you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
Shame on those who would have us do otherwise.
Someone else who apparently cannot stop from reading my work either is Munster Federation Chairman, Alan Daniels. Along with others he seems to have taken offence at my description of the Irish North Road as the funeral of a once fair maiden where only the belligerent now remain.
I of course understand some need the security of tradition. Not so in Waterford. In my own city and county such is the growth in South Road membership it is starting to distort the economic indicators. Cries of "the recession is over" are being heralded from the backbenches in Leinster House.There have been calls for an early election on the back of these figures. A Chinese delegation was recently observed in the city seeking out the truth behind this new Celtic Tiger.
But ho! What's this? Stand back! The once fair maiden of the North Road has a champion. No less a figure than the Chairman of the Munster Federation has come charging to the rescue on his Donkey. Alan Daniel's "Letter to the Editor" had many here gasping in amazement. And not just at its inaccuracies. Alan, what were you thinking of when you put your foot in it? The donkey's stirrup that is. Have you been reading too many books on chivalry?
Don Quixote
Let us be honest. No one, and I mean no one. No body. No group of bodies. No amalgamation, collection or confederacy has done more for North Road racing into Ireland than I have. In my previous time in this sport I took over the position of secretary of the Munster Federation, an ailing federation on the perimeter of Europe. A federation and a sport in decline with a falling membership of 88 members. No transport. No money. No future. In the words of the late Tommy Sheehan " Bill Walsh dragged the Munster Federation kicking and screaming into the 20th century." When I resigned 5 years later it had a membership approaching 150. It was paying out more prize money than the National Flying Club in England. I brought the turn around for results down from 6 weeks to 6 days. More than doubled the number of federation races. I began the Munster Federation Show. The Channel Club. The breeder buyer. The guaranteed pools. The same financial system operates to this day. 20 years on rather than building on what was handed over to them there has been a decline of gigantic proportions. A decline that has gone unacknowledged which in turn leads on to further decline. 20 years on not only should the Munster Federation be the Rolls Royce of pigeon racing, in fact Rolls Royce should be sending people over here to see how it's done. The Munster Federation should have its own hallmark of excellence. You guys had 20 years to build upon what you had.To modernise even further. To develop. To create. But those in charge lack the vision to restore the North Road to anything approaching her former beauty.
I refuse to "look up." Optimism nauseates me. It is perverse. Since man's fall, his proper position in the universe has been one of misery.”
? John Kennedy Toole<https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3049.John_Kennedy_Toole>, A Confederacy of Dunces<https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/968084>#
I take no pleasure in saying this, On the contrary, it is this abject lack of vision, this lack of optimism that saddens me.
As for Breakaway clubs etc, Alan. In 2015 I took over as secretary of the Tower Invitation. It had one member. Within a year it became the biggest competing club in Waterford with 17 members. Birdage previously unheard of. All of those members came from your own club, Alan. They had enough. The losses. The doctrine. The archaic ways. They kept quiet at meetings but they voted with their feet. There is a buzz around pigeon racing in Waterford I have not witnessed since the 70s. What chance Alan do you have of saving Munster when your own club members are deserting you? Next year the balance, those small band of brothers that are still flying north, will also in the main have switched south. When you are sat alone at club meetings, will you then accept that perhaps something might not be quite right? Or, Alan, will you simply argue with yourself?
As you well know Alan, it was you who created the Tower Invitation. Your refusal to accept members into your federation who you felt had a better loft location that has caused the initial rupture. The Tower Invitation is not a breakaway club. It is not even an invitation club. It was simply the name given by its founders 30 years ago. It had fallen into decline in recent years kept alive by one loft that of D & T Ryan. Another fancier refused membership of the Munster Federation. In fact, an open invitation was given to all fanciers in Waterford and that Invitation was published in the British Homing World. Membership applications are received regularly and all have been accepted.
As for your contention that losses in your organisation are comparable to elsewhere? It was satire worthy of Swift. Your surpassed even Ignatius J Riely. I sat there, eyes fixed to a stare, mouth open, chin firmly planted into my chest. Dinner growing cold. Utterly, utterly, speechless.
I am delighted to have handed over the secretarial duties of the Tower Invitation to the capable hands of Brendan Buckley and I know it is a role he is filling with gusto. I wish to concentrate on my responsibilities with the South Central Superclub and the I.H.U.N.F.C.
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"When there's blood on the street, buy property" was advice once given by Baron De Rothschild. Who clearly wasn't a pigeon fancier either. One thing the Rank Celtic Tiger did bring, other than the biggest property crash since the Japanese managed to surprise even themselves, was the motorway network. And so in under 3 hours I found myself on the outskirts of Belfast, at the beautiful home and magnificent pigeon set up of Ian and Peter Gibb (aka Gibb & Byrne).
Ian Gibb with the Marc Janssen YB ready for Irish Night with the Stars
The first thing that struck me, and remained with me through out the visit visit, was the calm, assured manner displayed by father and son. No drama, no speed, no haring about, no birds haring about. The entire atmosphere is one of utter relaxation.
The set up was far larger than I had anticipated from the photographs I had seen previously online and on various pigeon magazines. In the main the breeders occupied individual breeding pens. Everything was immaculate. The birds were mainly from the partnerships Stefan Lambrecht imports supplemented with top class additions from Flanders Collection Van Den Bulcke family including children of Kittle, and some very impressive Mark Janssens' National ace pigeon "King of Sprint" lines. Direct children and others same way bred as Marc's Ace and I suspect these lines will be a big hit at the Les Green auction in Blackpool.
Peter brings the tea while Ian passes one pigeon after another, all of superb quality given Stefan's family is derived from a number of principal breeders it was not the least surprising the birds would not be peas in a pod. What they each had in common was real quality and superb condition. Strong, well muscled, on the larger side of medium. Intelligent with beautiful feathering. The lads find there is no loss of condition whatsoever in keeping the birds in the single breeding pens and in the off season have free and complete access to a large aviary.
Ian outside the new aviaries recently fitted at the lofts
These lads first came to my attention some years ago when I was considering re starting with my good mate Jim Cullen from Scotland giving me the low down on the Soontjens he had acquired from Ian. Other major introductions over the of course of time saw the very best of Marijke Vink, Kees Bosua., Stefan Steenbergen, Stickers Donckers and others all make their mark not only for Ian and Peter but for their many friends and visitors through out the years. One particular Bosua and open winner was a real machine and open winner in the huge NIPA and was a real stunner of a pigeon into the bargain. Ian and Peter believe their new introductions might prove to be even more successful with the early indicators being very positive. Some top results being recorded including........... 11th open yb National Skibbereeen 2767b. 7th Open Roscarberry hen National 1558b. 12th Open Fermoy 12,040 b 22nd Open Fermoy 5 bird 2068b 25th Open Skibbereen National 4498b 35th Open Fermoy 6847 b
Beyers feeds are used quite extensively with every supplement for the birds health being used . A particularly pungent acid based product from Germany is given once or twice a week to the youngsters and has been very successful in combating any threat of ybs. Approximately 100 yb are raced. Over 100 old birds start the new season with the partnership racing right out to France.
My thanks to Ian and Peter for a splendid morning out and also for the superb Marc Janssens yb the partnership are sending down for the Irish Night with the Stars.
Prometheus.
