Outstandingly Consistent At All Levels.
To race well and win out of turn in the Muckamore Club is quite a feat but when a loft also features quite often in Section and Open competition with the NIPA and INFC, then its time that loft was featured in the pigeon publications. Such a loft is owned by Hanlon and Lavery.
John Lavery of the Hanlon and Lavery partnership pictured here holding the Blue Nantes Hen.
I will start from the time they commenced racing in the Muckamore Club in 1961. They hadn’t long to wait until they made their presence felt in Open competition. In the Skibbereen Y/Bird Derby in 1962 they won 5th North Section and 11th Open. A few more years of consistent racing then they hit the jackpot with a vengeance for in two weeks in 1965, they won 9th North Section, 18th Open Skibbereen Y/Bird Derby then the following week won 11th Open Y/Bird National Bude – that’s not bad racing by any standards. Two more seasons of good racing following in 1967 and 1968, the partnership finished runner-up in the Y/Bird averages.
If I was to ask the partnership what their biggest disappointment was they would undoubtedly say the Y/Bird fly away which they experienced in 1971. Their team of 35 y/Birds were let out for their morning exercise and not one youngster returned that day. Next morning eight returned together and altogether 20 eventually worked their way back, with some of the missing ones being reported as far away as Northumberland.
“The Blue Cock” winner of 1st Club Dublin and 1st in four clubs on the one weekend from Arklow also a winner of 1st North West Section 6,112 pigeons competing. Bred and Raced by Hanlon & Lavery
However, this disappointment turned out to be a blessing in disguise because the Hanlon & Lavery loft had their best Y/Bird season ever. Racing in four Clubs inside the space of three weeks they won 3 x 1st’s in each Club, 12 x 1st’ in all with the youngsters which returned from the flyaway.
Now many theories have been expressed as to the reason for flyaway’s not the least of which is lack of space. I don’t think this can be said about the H & L loft, it is a good 30ft long with excellent ventilation and an aviary at one end. There is adequate perch room for the birds, approx. 20 – 25 pairs are wintered. Trapping is via the open door method.
John Lavery expressed his opinion about flyaways. He thinks a few highly strung Y/Birds can be the cause and I’m not going to disagree with that.
On the left “The Dinard Hen” winner of 4th Section, 17th Open Dinard 1972. On the right “The Nantes Hen” winner of 29th Open INFC Nantes 1972. Both bred and raced by Hanlon & Lavery
Back now to what the partnership describes as their best season’s racing. 1972 saw them win Old Bird Average and the Channel Average in three clubs, Muckamore, Antrim Amal and Antrim Combine. The Dinard Cups in Muckamore and Antrim Amalgamation, also the Nantes Cup in Muckamore. In the Enkalon RPS they won the O/Bird, Y/Bird and the Combined Averages including the Dinard Cup. In 1972 18 x 1st were won and 8 of these in the one Club. Now that certainly is quite some seasons racing.
I will now list some of the birds responsible for winning in Open competition during the season.
Pride of the loft is Blue Hen 34629, as a Y/Bird she was raced up to Penzance Y/Bird National where she took a credible 78th Open, 2030 Birds on a Velocity of 1143. She flew Dinard on the day in 1969 and 1970 arriving home on the day at 9.45pm on both occasions. 1971 saw her win 1st Club Penzance with the Enkalon Club on a Vel of 841. 1972 she won 1st Club, 29th Open INFC Nantes Kings Cup flying 555 miles with 2,151 pigeons in competition on a Velocity of 637ypm winning £73.
Next bird is a half sister to the above hen, both birds bred from the same cock. She is Blue Hen 89112, won £20 in the Y/Bird National from Skibbereen and as a yearling in 1970 flew Dinard. 1972 saw her go to Dinard again to win 1st Club, 4th N/West Section and 17th Open, 3,395 birds, Velocity 683ypm winning £120.
“The Cheq Cock” A winner of 4 x 1st plus a 2nd all in 1972.
A very good prospect for the future is Blue Cheq cock 59401. He won nothing as a Y/Bird but paid up for this as a yearling in 1972, winning 4 x 1st’s, three of these in the Enkalon Club from Arklow, Wexford and Haverford West. He also won 1st and 2nd in the Antrim Amalgamation.
The Hanlon & Lavery loft have come close on many occasions to winning their Section but it always seemed to elude them until this year when a young Blue Cock 28035 came on to the scene. He won 1st Enkalon Club from Dublin then won 1st in all four clubs from Arklow and also won 1st Section 6,112 birds, Vel 1099.
There are a number of other pigeons in the loft that have won all 4 clubs on the day and also taken Section prizes but I am afraid space would not permit me to mention them all.
I asked “what was the best pigeon they had raced” and was informed that it was a Blue Hen: she won 8 x 1st’s in one Club and won prizes from every race point up to Penzance. She won 3 x 1st’s in successive weeks as a Y/Bird, went on to win the Fed and also was 2nd Fed. She was of the famous Tennyson Bros of Crumlin blood and was presented by Pat Tennyson to John Lavery when she was returned after having been lost off the roof. She certainly was a great racing pigeon and a great gift. Money doesn’t always buy good birds.
The foundation of the present team is based on Edmondson Barkers from Tennyson Bros of Crumlin, Savage Barkers from Harry Loughlin of Muckamore and Jurion x Hansenne from Sammy Topping of Donacloney. They have also tried a cross from Watts Bros of Ballyclare and they seem to be blending well with the present team. Sire of the Nantes and Dinard Hen is a Blue Cheq Cock, Half Tennyson and half Loughlin, an outstanding breeder; he is Sire to no less than four different hens to fly France. The Dams of both hens were bred by Topping of Donacloney.
Now to the management of the loft, this is mostly carried out by John Lavery who cycles a 10 mile round trip to the loft each day as the loft is at John Hanlon’s home. O/Birds are given the open loft all day long and are hopper fed on No 1 mixture. As far as possible they try and fit in a couple of 30 mile tosses per week so the birds are always pretty fit. Y/Birds are flown night and morning and are hand fed each time. Deep litter has been used in the past but the partners much prefer to clean the loft daily. Birds are raced pretty hard throughout their racing careers and when one looks at the two Blue Hens it hasn’t done them any harm. The Nantes hen has flown Penzance and won money as a Y/Bird and at 4 years of age has flown France 3 times whereas her half sister flew and won money from Skibbereen as a Y/Bird and has now flown Dinard twice at 3 years of age. They say hard work never killed anyone – well it certainly hasn’t done the Hanlon & Lavery pigeons any harm.
Hanlon and Lavery are more than holding their own in all levels of competition and for a man who cycles 10 miles a day to tend to his pigeons deserves all the success that follows.