Views from Slievenamon And The Munster Federation:

By Darren Lyons
07/03/2009

I would like to start by wishing everyone well for the 2009 season. As usual life has been hectic for me this past six months but hopefully 2009 will bring me more luck than last year. As I write this article I have a screaming 19 month old just screaming at me because he can. I’m sorry to all who wanted their photo’s published but I just haven’t had the time to think never mind sit down to write with my Dad taking ill last October and ending up in hospital for a month. He told me to sell the birds and so I started about selling them. They all went very quickly but I decided to take some and build my own loft in my own house just in case he would change his mind when he got better so I kept twenty four out of about one hundred and twenty.

I built a sixteen by eight foot loft bought all I needed and more for the loft and proceeded to put in the few birds. I decided then that if my Dad would never get back into them that I was going to go it alone. So being the Secretary of the local club I decided to organise a trip to the Open Day at Petron Lofts where eight of us travelled from the club. We flew into Leeds Bradford airport from Dublin and Peter and Sarah Hall had a bus waiting for us which brought us to the Petron Stud. Here we were all looked after very well with refreshments all laid on for us and we were blessed with the weather. Then after a while Peter set about showing us his stock birds in which I got to handle some of his best which I ended up buying two young ones. I then met Peter again a couple of weeks later at the Dublin Show which I was going to try to buy the loft on auction but was told a couple of days before that the loft had been sold in advance of the show but I talked to Peter and he went home and had another one for me the same in a couple of weeks delivered to my door and this is where the fun started.

The day before my new Petron Loft was due to arrive I got a registered letter from the Council to tell me to remove all Pigeons from the site and demolish any lofts within a certain period. I wrote to the council under the Freedom of information act to see who had alerted the council as I live out in a rural area about two miles outside of town with only about ten houses within a half a mile but they declined to tell me as whoever wrote to them did so in confidence that their name would not be given. At this moment in time I am half way through a planning application which has cost me a lot of money that I could have done without spending and with no guarantee that I will be able to get retention. I really think it’s crazy where I live that I would need planning permission. I have a bungalow on a half acre of land surrounded by open fields and I will not know whether or not I can keep the birds and lofts until March 29th. To say I’m stressed after spending all this money is an understatement. Anyway that’s enough about me and more on the latest topics of the Fed.

We held our Federation annual dinner dance in The Carrig Hotel in Carrick-on-Suir and would like to take this opportunity to thank Paul Norris and his staff for the wonderful meal and the way in which they looked after us for the night. The only thing I would say is that it was badly supported on the night and I really think that as pigeon men we should all forget the politics for the one night and all get together to have a good time. I might be wrong on this but it seems to me that we can all travel to Blackpool and Belgium and we cannot go to our own Federation Annual night out or we can spend hundreds on birds and give out about a few quid on fees or something to make things better for the birds.

Anyway on to our A.G.M. this again was held in the above hotel on February 8th and after the usual arguing all matters came to a conclusion and election of Officers for the coming season. Before I welcome these new people to their new positions I would like to thank the outgoing officers for their work over the last few years. Stepping down were our Chairman Noel Naughton and Secretary Mark Drummey after a number of years in their positions. Thanks for all the hard work over the years lads!! I now have to welcome our new Chairman Peter Power and our new Secretary Paddy Naughton who have come in and have control over our wonderful organization along with our returning Treasurer Alan Daniels who I have great praise for taking the Bull by the Horns last year and set about moving the federation into a position which sees us have a new Mercedes 818 Atego twin sleeper cab complete with Geraldy body for 2,500 birds being delivered in early March 2009 in a time of international recession. No doubt about it this is the five star hotel for our birds and at no extra cost on fees. I know that some people had to give up some things for this to happen but it has to be worth it to move forward. Anyone who looks at the balance sheet will see that the maintenance costs alone on the old one would pay for the new one. I know Alan put a lot of time and effort into this along with the transport committee who have all done a tremendous job in my opinion anyway.

I also must say farewell to William Drummey who has been our driver for a number of years and welcome Aidan O’ Halloran to the position. Also a mention for Johnny ( Boats) our convoyer again for the coming season. You finally have a bed to sleep in, I hope you are not too comfortable now and remember to get up in the morning to release the birds. Next I suppose I have to thank Pat Parker from Youghal who again works hard every year to try to get the best conditions for our birds to be released in. Thanks Pat we know you are up when we are all in bed phoning here there and everywhere to do your best for our birds. The race program has been set but this will be sent out shortly. Please take note of marking dates but these can change so if you are not sure please check week by week as this is only for weather permitting and can change anytime but only by the race controller. It’s your own responsibility for knowing or finding out when the race is on.

Finally when the fun starts again on April 25th if you send me your photos of the winners and birds I will send them in. You can take then with a camera phone and text them to me along with some information or e-mail them and I will do the rest. Anyway we’re off to Belgium and Holland on February 27th for the weekend to visit Houten, Antwerp and the Lier Market so I hope to have a few photos on this for the next article and a few photos of our new transporter. I’d just like to thank all at Petron Lofts for their hospitality shown to us on our visit and look forward to seeing them all again soon. All I have left to say is Peter you better pick out two good ones and I’ll have to pray I get the Planning Permission I need.