South East Ireland
with
Billy Walsh
First Super Club race of the season took place from Kinsale on the 23rd April. A testing head wind from the east slowed the velocities to the 1300s which is pretty unusual for this route. The winner and also second, and not just that, but claiming 1st and 2nd in the 2 bird nom also, is Michael Mulcahy from the Na Deise in Dungarvan. It was almost a clean sweep of the positions from Na Deise with Anthony Murray in 3rd, Ian Harty 4th, O Donnell Bros featuring the one and only Maurice O Donnell on lead guitar on 5th and 6th, Peter Whelan in 7th and 9th being split by Brerdan Buckley from Tower Inv in Waterford. Holding up the result this week are the well established Stickers Donkers loft of S & J Leahy Na Deise. Only in its second season the club is really getting the attention of its members with terrific co-operation and banter between the 4 members clubs.
In the Tower Invitation it was Brendan Buckley claiming his second win on the bounce with a 2 yo blue widowhood cock which was flown on the north road as a yb and turned south as a yearling scoring a few club cards. This is its first red card. Sire bred by Derek Cummins in Dublin the dam from Gibb & Byrne’s Marijke Vink family, a line of birds that has scored well for Brendan. In 2nd sport is almost newcomer Markus Power with a b/wf Coorman hen from club mate Pat O Brien's breeding. She was raced celibate and Markus reckons she trapped poorly but given it is a latebred having only it’s second race and gives Markus his highest position yet in the club it has to be a good day. Considering Markus had two more in the clock to take 4th & 5th place it was a really good day. M & D Pepper take 3rd spot again with one of their Ron Hillcoat Heremen Ceuster's with another in 8th place. The dam of the first is a present Ron received from Eijerkamp and is from Rossi lines. The hardworking John Collins claims 6th & 9th place, Brendan Buckley in 7th with Mr & Mrs Peare in 10th. Returns were steady with almost all home in good time.
Down in the Abbeyside Club Jimmy Maher with the first 4 places, first bird doing 1214. Jimmy came back to the south road scene after one season flirting back on the north road. And what a difference now from the sorrowful gob on him last year because of losses. Every week the the end of the world was nigh. This week, I had to hang up on before he blackened his face and broke into gospel music. Up in the Shamrock Club in New Ross John Fanning took the top 3 places the winner on 1232 claiming it’s second win in the trot, she is Janssen x Coorman. The sire is John’s Good blue cock 57 that was himself a winner of 7 x 1st prizes. It's still early days and with the warmer weather approaching, distance increasing,. and more fanciers competing the competition will become quite interesting in the Super Club.
I spent an interesting few days in Belgium this week and will include some of the detail in a future article. One fancier I did spend a pleasant few hours with was Johan Donckers from Grobbendonk. Having visited Johan previously I was more than happy to make a return visit. He has without doubt been the best al round fancier in Regio Mechelen in resent years and has the tee shirts to prove it. Though now flying mainly the hafo and fond he also races a team of cocks from Noyon and regularly shows the sprint men of the Tienverbonnd the way home. He has cultivated a terrific team of birds built around his Asduif and his son the Zoon Asduif and are already starting to breed high end winners in the UK. As if to prove the point as I was writing this article I received a text from my good mate David Hicks in Norwich to say a blue Johan Donckers hen I bred him last year had topped the fed yesterday. My thanks to Pat Maher for looking after the birds while I was away.
My own team of yb are coming out of the nest at the moment and will be kept inside until transferred to the new house in 4 weeks time. Not ideal, but you can only do what you can do. These things operate in a time zone all their own. It's best just to accept it rather than become frustrated at things over which you have no control anyway.
The I.H.U.N.F.C moot is scheduled for October 22nd in Dublin. This week I was happy to finalise the panel. Mr & Mrs Geoff & Catherine Cooper. Brian Bolton is coming from Belgium with his wife, Michelle. Brian has been under the weather of late and I know everyone wishes him a speedy and full recovery. Bob Fenech coming in from London accompanied by the MC for the evening, the more than entertaining, Ronnie Bigwood. Coming from Liverpool with his violin and canny sense of humour is Steve Goulding, the Meryseside Mozart. Apparently, they done it again yesterday taking the first 4 places in the Liverpool Amal for the second week running. Steve fancies as bit of hunting while he is here. Steve’s good mate, confidant and right arm Stephen Milner, unfortunately can’t make the journey, although it is highly likely Nigel Laycock will travel with Steve. Someone needs to.
I mentioned in last week’s article how Michael Collins is sending over a yb from Donkere Leo to the sale. This week, I am more than happy to say that Darren and Paul from P & D racing and breeding stud have stepped up with a yb direct from their excellent Van Den Bulcke cock Nieuwe Goed Rode. The lads have broke the bank in an attempt to amass the best team of Van Den Bulcke breeders in the UK and have recent;y bought the entire Van Den Bulcke stock team of Kevin Moran in Liverpool.
Tickets will be available shortly at 35 euro each. It's going to be a terrific night with most spot prizes included in the price, including a free entry to the Algarve One Loft race in 2016. Kindly sponsored by the most recognizable One Loft persona and someone with an exceptional one loft record across the globe and places beyond, Maurice O Donnell from Dungarvan. It's a terrific gesture and shows genuine commitment to the sport and to getting the I.H.U.N.F.C to toppermost of the poppermost in pigeon racing in Ireland. Maurice owned arguably the finest breeding one loft race cock the world until recently and has built his loft on it's bloodlines. I know Maurice is publicity shy but he will just have to suffer it for this week. And next.
This weeks pics seem to have had gone missing from last weeks’s article and are from the piece on Owen Kirwan from Gorey.
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Prometheus
