A Lifetime in Pigeons - Noel McGrotty
When people speak of spending a lifetime doing one thing or another, one man who this surely applies to when speaking about keeping pigeons, must be Noel Mc Grotty.
Noel started racing pigeons with the NIPA way back in 1946 and hasn’t missed a year since. He started back then in the Londonderry Club, which was the only club that existed in the city all those years ago. He started racing pigeons at the age of sixteen, an incredible 65 years ago. He then joined his current club The Foyle in the early seventies, a few years after The Foyle started up.
Noel is another fancier who, like many others in the North West is an out and out channel man. Although he does fly from all distances and a win to him from shorter distances is a bonus, his focus is primarily on the channel events. Because of this he always feeds heavy especially with channel racing as his main goal. All the birds in the loft at present are pure distance pigeons, with many being based on Jan Aarden stock which Noel brought in about six years ago. He knows the blood is in these birds and that it takes time to get the best out of them, but he does believe that he will get it out of them sooner rather than later. That is not to say that they haven’t performed at all for Noel, far from it. But he does believe that with just the right cross, the will be a fantastic line of pigeons. Patience and time are what is needed to create a family of birds that you can call your own and this as Noel would tell you himself, doesn’t happen overnight.
He has never been afraid to spend when it comes to buying the best and his stock is proof of this, with birds direct from Patrick Bros, stock from the Alpha Pair from Louella and, birds direct from Martha van Giel in Holland. Good pigeons everyone but not yet with the consistency that Noel demands from his birds. The problem Noel feels and the mistake he made, was trying to keep these lines pure. He now believes that they need a cross through them and to this end, has brought in a couple of crosses over that the last couple of years to try and get a pigeon that will do the business into this part of the world. A bird might have the best bloodlines in the world but Noel believes that there are only certain families of pigeons that will face the Irish Sea or for that matter, any of the water between us and France. These birds have to be created through the blending of the right lines but, like a fine wine maker, it’s getting that perfect blend that’s the hard part.
Noel began racing his pigeons in Ardmore, a village a few miles from the city of Derry as we have said, way back in 1946, with some old Scottish pigeons. These were then crossed with Tommy Harper pigeons and you had no bother getting these out of France. Some of these then went to the well-known Cassidy brothers when they lived in Belfast and put up some great performances in the INFC. His first French win came way back in 1956 with a red cock that was the first yearling ever to win the race. And amazingly, a red hen that was a nest mate to the red cock won the race the following year, being the only bird in race time. Back then Noel used the old LMS and GNR railways, to train his birds and you either got a toss from Dungannon or Portadown.
From Ardmore, Noel moved to Creggan where, in 1966 four grandchildren off the red cock took 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th from Dinard. What a race and what a record that was. During this purple patch Noel also won from Weymouth and was 1st and 2nd from Eastbourne. This was during the time when there was no racing from France and these race points substituted for the Derby races. And, in the years since, Noel has had many, many, fantastic wins including more French success and not forgetting his Open win from Tullamore.
He in fact took 1st and 2nd Open from Tullamore young birds with two inbred Jan Aarden hens, although talking to Noel, winning is the thing that counts and Sections and Opens don’t really men that much to him. In2005 he won 1st club, 1st section and 42nd Open from Lamballe. Then again from St.Malo, in 2010 with a yearling cheq cock took 1st club 3rd Section and was again well up in the Open. This cock must have the heart of a lion as he came home on the next morning badly hawked and bleeding and obviously had to have been down for some time. There aren’t too many about with a record like this. Just to say that all the birds from 2005 are Jan Aarden based. He thinks that with the crosses introduced he now has good two day birds that should be capable of giving him thirty hours on the wing if needed. But these types of birds must be cultivated to fly to their own particular environment.
Noel likes a medium sized pigeon, although he doesn’t believe size has any great bearing on things. He keeps about sixty birds and breeds about forty young birds. Between training and the ever growing problem of birds of prey, he thinks you need to breed as heavy as possible given the space you have in your loft.
When it comes to racing these days, he believes that the racing has become much fairer since the programme is now more central down Ireland. That said, with the prevailing winds being westerly, we will always get it tight in the North West unless we get a touch of south or south east.
Like many fanciers, not just in the North West, but throughout the country Noel has some misgivings about the NIPA and their philosophy when it comes to channel racing. This year in particular although we have seen it in the past, channel racing was a disaster. This cannot be put down to just bad birds or bad weather but surely must be down to the NIPA’s headstrong persistence in returning year after year to pigeon graveyards like Talbenny. Will they ever learn that this is not a place to release pigeons? I’m sure many fanciers have spoken to our English counterparts who are dumbfounded that we continually return to these race points. Maybe it’s time the NIPA took its head out of the sand and looked for a practical alternative especially for Talbenny. Or maybe its head has become permanently stuck in the sand, who knows. Surely it can see how it affects birdage and members competing for the rest of each season after members have taken a bleaching from such race points. This year believe it or not there have been Derry pigeons reported from France and Northern Portugal having been released in Talbenny. What on earth would have taken them so far south? Anyone from around Cornwall would tell you that it’s probably the birds of prey that are sitting in wait and attacking our birds on a weekly basis. We can’t stop all attacks from birds of prey, but we could at least give the birds half a chance. Time for a move? Yes, about twenty years too late though.
In fact, while discussing this point with Noel, he told me that this year, he sent three hens to Talbenny that had flown the channel at least twelve times between them. How many did he get back? None.
He is as ever, looking forward to next season and doesn’t strike me as a man who will ever call it a day. At 81 years young he is as keen as he ever and still trying to find that special blend to keep him going for years to come. Billy Knox.
Noel with the City of Derry Federation Trophy for
first bird from France.
The original Patrick Bros cock.
The French Cock himself, he has the heart of
a lion.
One of Noels hens flown France last year and a
definite candidate for 2012.
A beautiful full sister of the French Cock,
she will go this year as well.
Another super hen, only bird on the day from
Bude this year.
Another Patrick Bros cock, son of the famous
Invincible Spirit cock.
A new addition to the loft, this Janssen cock
will cross with his Jan Aarden.
Noel with his French winner.
NIPA Sect Diploma for Lamballe OB National in 2004.