By Tommy Cairns – Glengormley
It is always a great honour to be asked to write an article on such a special event, but while I can talk about pigeons all night, putting pen to paper does not come so easy.
It must be every fanciers dream to win one of the National long distance races. It certainly was my secret ambition but I always thought at the back of my mind that the odds were too great. However since 1963 I have only missed sending birds to the Kings Cup race on one occasion, so you can see that I was always trying.
Up until 1961 I had absolutely no interest in pigeons, my sporting activities were with Springer spaniels and shooting, I also attended field trails. About the middle of 1961 a young neighbour, Jackie Walker, bought a young exhausted pigeon to me and asked me to feed it. I did this and about the same time I got to know a workmate called Allister Colgan a pigeon fancier who raced in the Glengormley Club. As a result of the chats I had with him, I became very interested in pigeons and in the winter of 1961 Allister offered to start me off. I accepted and got a Mealy cock and a Black Cheq Crooter hen plus several others, these were the first birds I owned.
I started racing with Y/Birds in 1962 and in the first race won 5th Club. I also won an Arklow race that year and looking back I believe I raced quite well for a novice. In this year I received the gift of a Black Cheq Pied hen from Kyle Bros of Glengormley. Her breeding was Delbar of (McNeilly) and Gits from Rossbotham. This hen proved to be an outstanding Stock Hen and has bred 1st prize winners with five different cocks. She is also the G/G/Dam of my Kings Cup Winner “Mary Ann”.
My father who in his younger days kept Bald Plates and Doves started to take a great interest in the pigeons in 1963. He became so interested that I wanted to race as John Cairns and Son, but he would not here tell of it and is quite content to remain in the background.
I would like to give a few details of some of the birds in the pedigree of “Mary Ann” and of some of the best racing birds I have had. In 1962 I bred a Black Cheq Hen from the old Grooter Hen and Mealy Cock from Allister Colgan. This hen proved to be a good breeder for me and in 1964 a Black son of hers won 34th Open Skibbereen Y/Bird National. The same year I was also 8th Section, 14th Open Skibbereen Derby with a Mealy Hen. In 1965, another son of the Black Cheq Hen, this time a Red cock, won 5th Open Bude Y/Bird National after 11 hours on the wing. I was also 60th in the same race with a Blue Cheq hen, a daughter of the Kyle hen. I sent these two pigeons back to Skibbereen for the National and the Blue Cheq Hen took 24th Open while the Red Cock was just out of the money.
In 1966 I bred the G/Dam of “Mary Ann” from the Kyle Hen and an inbred Kenyon Cock. This Black Cheq Pied Hen was also a prize winner from Arklow and finished 3rd Club from Dinard, also there was a Blue cock who finished 1st Club, 1st Section from Wexford. In 1968 this time I bred the G/Sire of “Mary Ann” he was a Blue Cheq Cock and a prize winner on four occasions. His full brother was 45th Open Skibbereen National.
In 1969 I bred the Sire of my Kings Cup Winner from the Blue Cheq Cock and the 66 bred Black Cheq Pied Hen. This bird a Blue Tip Cock, was also a very good racer winning 1st Club, 2nd Section Wexford and 1st Club, 2nd Section and 5th Open NIPA Dungarven.
Also in 1969 I was presented with a pair of late breds by David Walker of Daogh Road, Cloughfern. These were from his Jock Reid stock, going back to Reid’s 1st Section, 2nd Open Scottish National winner through his Red Cock SURP 60 – 14661. The Sire of my Late Breds was a Black son of the 14661 pigeon; he was also the G/Sire of David’s 8th Open Beauvais winner, his 6th Section 13th Open NIPA Dinard winner and sire of his Okehampton winner.
The two late breds, Black Pieds, one a cock and the other a hen, were given several training tosses and the Cock was lost. The hen survived and in 1970 was mated to the Blue Tip Cock. In the first nest two youngsters hatched, one was a weakling and was put down, the other turned out to be “Mary Ann”. I bred two late breds from the same pair, one of which flew the hard Beauvais race this year.
“Mary Ann” winner of 1st Open INFC Kings Cup Nantes, 551 miles winning a Ford Escort Car plus £840. Bred and Raced by Tommy Cairns of Monkstown, Co.Antrim.
“Mary Ann” showed her promise early on. She was flown up to Skibbereen winning 15th Open and £55. As a yearling she flew Wexford (2), Dungarven (1) and (2), Taunton then Penzance where she was clocked after 13 hours on the wing. When she went to Penzance she was sitting due to hatch and when she returned she went back on the eggs and sat for another two weeks when she was hampered for Nantes 551 miles. She was clocked on the 2nd morning at 5.15am to win 57th Open.
I started the 1972 race programme with my main objective for “Mary Ann” being again the Nantes race. She had three inland races winning 6th Club, Wexford (2) sitting 18 days, one Channel race from Haverfordwest and she was then jumped to Nantes sitting 16 days. She had only one training toss between Haverfordwest and Nantes that was on the Monday before the race, a single up toss from Newry. The remainder of the time she had the open loft all day.
In yet another very hard Kings Cup race “Mary Ann” was timed the second morning at 8.46am with no arrivals on the day. She was pooled to £1 and Nom plus the Car Nom, winning the brand new Ford Escort. What an achievement.
My loft management is quite simple and straight forward. Birds are hopper fed on beans all year round and get a little seed in a galipot in their nest box after the Y/Birds have been weaned. Fresh grit and minerals are given daily and the water is changed twice daily. Old
And Young have the open loft from dawn until dusk and this I can thank my father for. Birds have one or two tosses per week from the border and are raced hard.
My advice to novices is to go to a good long distance fancier and purchase three pairs of young birds, the following year breed a large team of youngsters and race them right through the programme and up to Penzance as yearlings. This should sort out the weeds. If, one of these should be showing form I would have no hesitation in sending it to Dinard as a yearling. As 2 year olds pick their races and jump the best to Nantes. Always be on the look-out for additional birds to improve your team. In 1970, I myself introduced 5 late breds from Syd Montgomery. They were Krauths and up to the present I have been pleased with the results, a Blue Cheq Tip cock having won 1st Club, 1st Section Dungraven this season. I have also purchased the “Ballon Hen” from Tom Bradford of Ballyclare and I am pleased with her youngsters.
I have been asked what I would like to do most now that I have won the coveted Kings Cup. Apart from trying to win the National again what I would like most, would be to become a successful fancier at the distance year after year, if I can do this then I will be happy.
Finally I would like to thank all those who have sent or come personally to congratulate me and may I add a special thank you to my father for his invaluable assistance throughout the year.
Tommy was just in front of the Larne loft of Major McIntyre and his son Duncan who actually timed some 9 minutes before Tommy but where flying 5 miles shorter. The pigeon in question was a 3 year old Red Cheq Cock of (Kilpatrick) breeding. He was sent sitting 14 days on eggs as is a G/G/Son of “Galabank Supreme” purchased at the Hallmark Auctions. The McIntyre loft was one of the fortunate ones that timed two arrivals on the 2nd day clocking the second one at 7.45pm, this one coming down from the “Galabank Prince” line so we have there the best of long distance Scottish blood which I am sure gave the Major a great deal of pleasure, him being a Scot by birth.