Mason's
'1210' Strain And It's Legacy
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In
Ireland, County Antrim is one of the friendliest
places that one can experience and when the
Almighty was handing out beauty
(the comprehension of that which is pleasing)
he gave a significant portion to the land of
the Clan O'Neill.In
fact the 'Red Hand' which symbolises Ireland's
nine county province of Ulster derives from
a legend arising from the clan. However at present
I am dealing with history for it is from that
county that the recent old bird national winner
from Messac, France, was raced. The owner is
Jimmy Greer from Portglenone within the shadows
of the Slemish mountain. There Jimmy has achieved
what every Irish south road pigeon fancier hopes
and plans for. May we all experience someday
that joy by clocking in a pigeon equivalent
to 'Rachael' from the land of the wine groves.
However
this article is not about Jimmy Greer's achievements
in pigeon racing (that will be
written ) but there is a relevancy as the reader
in due course will see. All I ask is for he
or she to abide with me. The resultant journey
will relate to pigeon fanciers of two Celtic
nations namely Ireland and Scotland. Yes, I
have forgiven the latter country for taking
the ancient name of Ireland which was Scotia
and why not (?) for recent research findings
confirmed that the Scots and the Irish are from
the same gene pool. Perhaps a joy and a shock
for many!
We shall begin our journey at the end of the
first decade of the last century around about
nineteen ten in the land of the thistle. There
observing the exploits of a pigeon fancier by
the name of Alexander Mason of Dungeonhill,Easterhouse,
Glasgow. At that time Alex' Mason was successfully
flying from Guernsey (450 miles), Granville
(500 miles), Rennes (550 miles), and Marennes
(708 miles). In fact he was the winner of the
old bird average in the West of Scotland Flying
Club for 1909 and 1910, and runner up in 1911.
His family of pigeons derived from the crossing
of birds from J.B. Clarke of Bothwell and a
few other fanciers but the strain which evolved
did not become known as theMason strain instead
it is known as the '1210 strain'. The name derives
from a black cheq cock's ring number bred in
1900 by J.B.Clarke which flew from Donaghadee
as a youngster but kept for stock by Mason after
its first race. It came from Clarke's 2nd Scottish
national winner and was the breeder of many
outstanding winners at the distance with different
hens.Also the children and the grandchildren
of '1210' bred winners for Mason and others
from Rennes, etc,. However let us now cross
over the Irish sea to the City of Derry in the
early years of the nineteen fifties and imagine
beautiful country roads between the counties
of Derry and Donegal. There strolling along
are four figures intent on their journey- the
latter being four young fanciers namely Paddy,
Robert and Thomas Cassidy from the Brandywell
area of Derry City and Noel McGrotty from the
Derry rural hinterland of Ardmore. Fired by
youthful imaginations the four travellers were
seeking the mecca of pigeon racing in the nineteen
thirties within their region. And as the four
eventually reached a farm house nestling in
the mountains there they encountered which one
of them called " a giant of a man in a
black suit carrying a walking stick". Their
destination was Castruse, Bogay, and the figure
they met was called William Mason.
Now William Mason settled in the north west
of Ireland in the early years of the twentieth
century after leaving his native Scotland. Prior
to his state of exile Mason had along with his
brother raced pigeons and who was his brother-
the one and only founder of the '1210' strain,
Alexander Mason. Upon his arrival in Ireland
William Mason established a loft based upon
the best of the'1210' strain and began achieving
outstanding results on the difficult north west
route. Racing as a member of the Londonderry
Club after 1927 the loft won a few old bird
averages outright and by the year 1935 his name
was on the new average cup. But perhaps Mason's
greatest achievement was the recording of 3rd
Irish National in 1935 from Laval in
France
a distance of 557 miles by a beautiful black
pied yearling hen known as '3682'. The
latter was of the best of bloodlines for its
grandam under 'smash' conditions flew from Le
Sables in 1930, a distance of 636 miles. Again
in 1931 the grandam scored 16th in the Irish
National from the same race point. Some flying
in those days when one considers the reality
surrounding the racing of pigeons then. But
as I pondered these facts my thought turned
to my recent suggestion in an article on Irish
national racing that the sport in Ireland should
be looking at the possibility of a 650/750 national
race for here is recorded a gallant pigeon flying
636 miles in an Irish national 73 years ago.
To
continue I wonder did Alexander Mason ever envisage
that an Irish writer would be
referring in 2004 to the exploits of the '1210'
strain which he founded. Or that his strain
would be beating the best into Ireland in the
nineteen thirties or indeed into County Antrim
in 2004. Yes we have come full circle for the
national winner of Jimmy Greer contains the
bloodlines of '1210' For via Alex Geddis of
Scotland who alas is no longer with us the 2004
Irish National winner contains Mason's as well
as Aarden and Jansenn bloodlines on the sire's
side whereas the dam was a Norbet Sierens. Yes,
in pigeon racing blood will tell and here it
has reached through the decades... To return
to the four Derry lads in the nineteen fifties
at the end of their pilgrimage they saw what
appeared to be a pigeon sanctuary for on the
walls of the 'Barn Lofts' hung pigeon memorabilia
including panniers and other items from the
nineteen twenties and thirties. However more
mportant what they heard in that sanctuary from
the gentle giant of a Scots man inspired those
wandering youths for they also have experienced
success from France. As for myself whenever
I drive past where pigeons once raced to at
Castruse I imagine the joy of William Mason
as he saw the black pied yearling hen landing
from France to win 3rd national in the nineteen
thirties. That dear readers is part of the magic
of our
sport and may the Mason brothers
and indeed '1210' and '3682' rest in peace as
we come to the end of our journey.
by: Liam O Comain
