North Section won by McComb Bros Killyleagh - The breed of the bird is
sDe klak latebred reared for stock out of d croskery and son from annsbrough purchased at there club fund sale. This cock was raced and has 7x1st clubs including 1st east section edc 28th open skibbereen on derby stopped racing because of injury. In stock now breeding numerous winners - Dam. Is a of our good friend Gerard Adair from Crossgar Hps who race under caskey and Adair this hen is from his top class sootjens pigeons and has produced winners every year for us. Including daughter and grand daughter winning edc opens
The winner on Tuesday has bred winners him self for fanciers. He also has numerous club positions plus his nest mate has 2x1st clubs. Also scored 2nd section f from rosscarbary ob derby 2014 nipa in same type of conditions as Tuesday winner. We have named our winner on Tuesday Tommys boy called after my granda.
NOTE: INFC ROBIN DUDDY CHALLENGE 2015 –
The 3 Bird Average Challenge – Yearling Nat & Channel YB Nat with Robin Duddy Trophy to the winner.
SKIBBEREEN O.B. NATIONAL 2015.
Update at 11:30 on Tuesday 26th May.
Skibbereen old bird inland national.
496 members have entered 4714 birds competing for £16302.00 in pools and prizemoney.
The pigeons have been released at 11.00 am in a light northerly wind turning to north north west enroute.
Next update this evening.
Update Tuesday 26th May @ 09:00
Skibbereen old bird inland national.
Conditions on route are not yet favourable to release but are to improve later this morning.
Our next update will be around 11:30 when further information will be available.
Skibbereen Old Bird National Provisional Result. Subject to correction.
North Section - 1. McComb Bros. Killyleagh 1346, 2. O & M Monaghan Andersontown 1345, 3. Whiteside Bros. Eastway 1344, 4. A Bradley Dromara 1342, 5. B & M McCorriston Dromore 13416. Grattan Bros Eastway 1339, 7. Harper & Young Cloughey 1339, 8. Bingham & Seaton Ligoniel 1338, 9. McCartan & Woodsides Crossgar 1336, 10. A. T & J Houston Lisburn & District 1333.
South Section - 1 A Hillis Wexford N & S 1432, 2 Dempsey Bros Wexford N & S 1405, 3 G Furlong Wexford N & S 1396, 4 R & M Hillis Wexford N & S 1378, 5 A Hillis Wexford N & S 1369.
Middle Section - 1 L Newman & Family Ballymun 1370, 2 M & U Gorman Balbriggan 1369, 3 N & N Smith Greenhills 1368, 4 McCabe & Byrne Dublin N.C. 1365, 5 P Rock & Son Skerries 1362.
All positions subject to correction.
The opening race of the INFC season was the Skibbereen Inland National flown on Tuesday 26th May with liberation at 11.00am in a Lt North wind, local birds were competing in the North Section with clocks returned to Muckamore Centre. East Antrim lofts dominated the result with the best bird timed by Whiteside Bros of Eastway at 16.35hrs recording velocity 1344 for the 255 miles. Reid Bros & McCloy from Cullybackey topped Mid Antrim at 17.03hrs recording velocity 1263 for the 260 miles followed by W & N Gilbert 1st Ballymena & Dist.
East Antrim Combined – Whiteside Bros Eastway 1344, Grattan Bros Eastway 1339, Bingham & Seaton Ligoniel & Dist 1338, D & J Campbell & Bigger Eastway 1333, Grattan Bros 1329, G McKenna Eastway 1310, J Burrows Eastway 1310, J Burrows 1309, S & A Leitch Doagh & Dist 1305, Bingham & Seaton 1300.
Mid Antrim Combined – Reid Bros & McCloy Cullybackey 1263, W & N Gilbert Ballymena 1244, A Darragh Cullybackey 1239, A Darragh 1223, Reid Bros & McCloy 1211, A Darragh 1207, K Wilkinson & Son New Antrim 1204, Scott & Clements Kells 1201, A Darragh 1197, A Darragh 1196.
Cullybackey – Reid Bros & McCloy 1263, A Darragh 1239, 1223, Reid Bros & McCloy 1211, A Darragh 1207, A Darragh 1197, 1196, 1181, Reid Bros & McCloy 1164, 1154.
Ballymena & District 3/28 – W & N Gilbert 1244, M Graham 1162, 1141, 1123, 1119, W & N Gilbert 1103, M Graham 1072, 1070, 1064. Good winner for W & N Gilbert who timed at 17.06hrs flying 260 miles to finish 2nd MAC.
Ballymoney HPS 5/55- D Dixon 1227, 1187, 1167, D & G McMullan 1158, 1148, L Neill 1148, Curry & Gilmore 1121, 1118, D Dixon 1111, 1109. Danny wins the first of the 5 National races. His Skibbereen winner is a yearling Cheq cock, and is a direct Lambrecht.
Kells & Dist – Scott & Clements 1201, 1167, 1140.
Ahoghill Flying Club – C Moore 1161, 1158, 1151, 1131, 1130, C Young 1106, C Moore 1055, 1029, A & N Young 1021.
Dervock RPS 2/24 – D & G McMullan 1158, 1148, 1056, 1027, 1022, W & L McCaw 1002, 989, 987, 978, 967.
Ballymoney West Combine – L Neill 1148, Curry & Gilmore 1121.
Local Club Results –
Arklow United RPC 8/40 – M & J O’Reilly 1368, J Annesley & Son 1336, M & J O’Reilly 1328, 1315, G & M Doyle 1299, M & J O’Reilly 1293, 1286, G & M Doyle 1277, M & J O’Reilly 1276, 1269.
Skerries 5/68 – P Rock & Son 1362, P & J Jones 1333, P Rock & Son 1327, Walton Family 1283, P & J Jones 1281, P Rock & Son 1271, P & J Jones 1270, P Rock & Son 1266, Walton Family 1247, B Walton 1242.
Wexford Premier – Dylan Whitmore 1362, Jimmy Hamilton & Sons 1326, Mary Hore 1322, Mary Hore 1322, L & D Whitmore 1316, Dylan Whitmore 1302, Jimmy Hamilton & Sons 1300, Jimmy Hamilton & Sons 1293, Mary Hore 1282, Thomas Hore 1261, Thomas Hore 1261. Well done once again to the clubs youngest member Dylan Whitmore.
Sallynoggin HPS – S Cunningham & Sons 1342, R Matthews 1312, Brady & Burton 1312, S Cunningham & Sons 1306, Brady & Burton, S Cunningham & Sons.
Ballynahinch HPS – A Bradley 1342, 1281, W Carherwood & Sons 1251, A Bradley 1235, 1212, 1208, W Catherwood & Sons 1195, 1178, A Bradley 1171, 1160.
Bray South End 5/41 – S Homan 1300, V Brady Jnr 1254, B McCann & Son 1252, J Cowap 1231, V Brady Jnr 1230, S Homan 1225, V Brady Jnr 1221, S Homan 1218, V Brady Jnr 1210, B McCann & Son 1206. Stephen Cunningham & sons win 1 of 6 club Gold Medals for a 1st club INFC race. Well done all in the result.
Ballyholland – M Peters 1295, Sands & Rice 1276, 1258, 1250, 1250, T Gordan 1243, A McAteer 1220, C O’Hare 1213, Sands & Rice 1206, M McDonald 1182. Well done Michael a great result in the hardest race of the year so far.
Gilford & District – Rafferty & Toman 1291, T McKinstry 1287, Adamson & Anderson 1275, C & H Beattie 1265, Fitzpatrick & Hyde 1262, T McKinstry 1252.
Lurgan Social – Furphy Bros 1282, 1263, K Henderson & Son 1252, J Douglas & Son 1235.
Cullybackey – Reid Bros & McCloy 1263, A Darragh 1239, 1223, Reid Bros & McCloy 1211, A Darragh 1207, A Darragh 1197, 1196, 1181, Reid Bros & McCloy 1164, 1154.
Edgarstown HPS 6/50 – P Hope 1261, J Whitten & Son 1256, 1255, S & E Buckley 1253, 1253, R Bell & Son 1230, J Whitten & Son 1229, 1229, 1219, P Dunlop 1204. Well done to Paul Hope on winning a hard race.
Laurelvale – A Craig 1256, J Dowey & Sons 1253, G & C Topley 1248.
Portadown & Drumcree – M Livingstone 1249, Hagan & Rowney 1220, Prunty & Hamill 1209, Hagan & Rowney 1200, 1186, Larkin Bros 1167, A McDonald 1167, 1162, Larkin Bros 1149, A McDonald 1145, B Creaney 1139. A fantastic two in a row for Malcolm, taking top honours in both Nationals. Congratulations great flying.
Ballymena & District 3/28 – W & N Gilbert 1244, M Graham 1162, 1141, 1123, 1119, W & N Gilbert 1103, M Graham 1072, 1070, 1064. Good winner for W & N Gilbert who timed at 17.06hrs flying 260 miles to finish 2nd MAC.
Ballymoney HPS 5/55- D Dixon 1227, 1187, 1167, D & G McMullan 1158, 1148, L Neill 1148, Curry & Gilmore 1121, 1118, D Dixon 1111, 1109. Danny wins the first of the 5 National races. His Skibbereen winner is a yearling Cheq cock, and is a direct Lambrecht.
Armagh HPS 8/90 – D C & P McArdle 1220, 1208, I Parkes & Son 1201, J Campbell 1187, 1159, R Parkes & Son 1158, 1154, J Campbell 1134, S Fields & Sons 1113, P Campbell & Sons 1111. Armagh 2 Bird Club - 1. D, C & P McArdle 1208.876 2. J Campbell 1187.750 3. R Parkes & Son 1154.711 4. S Fields & Sons 1113.368.
Kells & Dist – Scott & Clements 1201, 1167, 1140.
Ahoghill Flying Club – C Moore 1161, 1158, 1151, 1131, 1130, C Young 1106, C Moore 1055, 1029, A & N Young 1021.
Dervock RPS 2/24 – D & G McMullan 1158, 1148, 1056, 1027, 1022, W & L McCaw 1002, 989, 987, 978, 967.
Ballymoney West Combine – L Neill 1148, Curry & Gilmore 1121.
South Leinster Fed – A Hillis Wexford N & S 1432, Dempsey Bros Wexford N & S 1405, G Furlong Wexford N & S 1396, R & M Hillis Wexford N & S 1378, A Hillis 1369, M & J O’Reilly Arklow Utd 1368, Dobbs Bros Wexford N & S 1359, S Duffy Wicklow SR 1353, Dobbs Bros 1352, Dobbs Bros 1348. Well done Adam lifting the premier position in the Wexford N/S Inv, South Leinster Federation & Irish National Flying Club Skibbereen OB Inland National.
East Antrim Combined – Whiteside Bros Eastway 1344, Grattan Bros Eastway 1339, Bingham & Seaton Ligoniel & Dist 1338, D & J Campbell & Bigger Eastway 1333, Grattan Bros 1329, G McKenna Eastway 1310, J Burrows Eastway 1310, J Burrows 1309, S & A Leitch Doagh & Dist 1305, Bingham & Seaton 1300.
North South Federation – R Williamson Newry & Dist 1298, M Peters Ballyholland 1295, P McCabe Newry & Dist 1290, Mal Maguire & Son Newry & Dist 1286, Mal Maguire & Son 1280, Sands & Rice Ballyholland 1276, G Hughes & Son Newry & Dist 1271, N Murtagh Newry & Dist 1270, G Hughes & Son 1263, G Hughes & Son 1262.
Mid Antrim Combined – Reid Bros & McCloy Cullybackey 1263, W & N Gilbert Ballymena 1244, A Darragh Cullybackey 1239, A Darragh 1223, Reid Bros & McCloy 1211, A Darragh 1207, K Wilkinson & Son New Antrim 1204, Scott & Clements Kells 1201, A Darragh 1197, A Darragh 1196.
Skibbereen OB Nat - 26/05/15
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willie reynolds
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Skibbereen OB Nat - 26/05/15
Last edited by willie reynolds on Tue Jun 09, 2015 1:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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willie reynolds
- Posts: 6810
- Joined: Sun Nov 09, 2008 4:44 pm
Re: Skibbereen OB Nat - 26/05/15
IRISH NATIONAL FLYING CLUB SKIBBEREEN OLD BIRD NATIONAL
The first of the 6 races organized by the Irish National Flying Club was held on Tuesday 26th May from Skibbereen in Co Cork. 496 members sent 4,712 birds to compete for £15,040 in pools and prizemoney. This was well up on last year’s entry of 4,293 birds, and it’s always good to see an upward trend. The race was sponsored by Bamfords Top Flight and we are very grateful to them for their continued sponsorship. The race took the same format as last year with the Ronnie Johnston Challenge Cup and diploma awarded to the Overall winner and the Gerald Delaney Trophy awarded to the best velocity of the other two sections. The winner of the section with the lowest winning velocity will receive a coveted INFC diploma. There are no Open positions for the Skibbereen Nationals but prizes are allocated to the three sections. As the result is divided into 3 sections I will cover the top 5 in the three sections in this article.
The birds were liberated at 11am in a light northerly wind, which is reflected in the velocities with the early pigeons in the South section doing velocities of over 1400 with the winners of the Middle section and the North section doing 1370 and 1346 respectively.
1st South Section, 1st Open, Adam Hillis, Vel 432, Flying 127 miles, winning £80 and the Ronnie Johnstone Challenge Cup
The winner of this year’s Skibbereen Old Bird National is 16-year-old Adam Hillis from the Wexford North and South club, surely one of the youngest National winners anywhere. It’s great for the future of the sport to see young people like Adam not only taking part but winning such a prestigious race. Adam has been racing for six years now and got is interest in pigeons from his grandparents Robert and Mary who are 4th South section in this race and who have a great record from this race. This is a particularly big year for Adam as he is currently sitting his Junior Cert exams and I wish him every success with those.
The winning pigeon is a blue yearling hen racing on widowhood. The breeding is Staf Van Reet from his grandfather’s old bloodlines. While just racing steady this year this bird was Adam’s first bird most week’s as a young bird so he had high hopes for her.
Adam tends to train up until racing starts and then the birds are flown before and after school every day. Feeding is a light mixture with geryplus.
2nd South section, Dempsey Bros Wexford North & South, Vel 1405, Flying 132miles, winning £176
2nd in the South section are Dempsey Bros also from the strong Wexford North & South club. The partnership was originally Francis and Geoffrey but Francis retained the partnership’s name when Geoffrey passed away. This loft had a great result in this race in 2012 when they were 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th.
The pigeon timed here is a two-year-old Blue cock racing on semi widowhood. Breeding is Karel Boeckx and the parents were bought from Dave & Ann Beswick’s Lynwood Lofts. As a young bird this cock won from Skibbereen but was held back as a yearling as he had a knock early on in the season, but he has really taken off this year having been in the top 20 in six out of the eight races he has had.
Francis trains hard before racing starts and thereafter only if he feels they need it. Feeding is Versele Laga.
3rd South section, G Furlong Wexford North & South, Vel 1396, Flying 131 miles, winning £168
3rd South section is Ger Furlong again from Wexford North & South and a previous winner of this race. Ger was 1st Open in 2013 and he was also 4th South section that year. The pigeon timed here is a three-year-old Blue cock racing widowhood. The breeding is from the family that Ger had built up with his Uncle Jimmy over a period of 40 years with just an occasional bird introduced over the years. This pigeon won the South Leinster Fed Derby from Skibbereen in 2013 and also had a few high positions in the Fed last year. The sire was Old Bird of the Year in the club in 2009 and was put to stock after that.
Birds are just flown around the loft with an occasional toss as and when Ger feels they need it. Feeding is a widowhood mix but it doesn’t matter what brand it is as long as it’s good quality.
4th South section, R & M Hillis Wexford North & South, Vel 1378, Flying 130 miles, winning £40
4th South section are Robert & Mary Hillis also of the Wexford North & South club. As mentioned above they are the grandparents of young Adam who won this race. Robert & Mary have won three Irish National Flying Club nationals. 2001 was an exceptional year for them when they won both the Yearling National and the Young Bird National. The Yearling National was flown from Skibbereen that year. They also won the Young Bird National from Skibbereen in 1990 winning a new car in the process.
The pigeon timed here is a yearling hen flying roundabout. The breeding is Staf Van Reet x Heremans Ceusters with the Ceusters coming from Wall. Lunt & Green, Manchester and the Staf Van Reets they have had for years. Robert told me that the birds aren’t given much training but are flown around home.
5th South section Adam Hillis Wexford North & South, Vel 1369, Flying 127 miles, winning £34
We go back to the winning loft of Adam Hillis for the 5th South section pigeon. It’s always good to see the winner back up the result with a few other birds. This one is another yearling hen racing widowhood. Breeding is Pieter Veenstra bred by Louella PigeonWorld. This bird is a super racer and has already been 1st Open South Leinster Federation from Kinsale (93 miles). The South Leinster Fed can boast of a host of National winners so the future certainly looks bright for this young fancier.
1st Middle Section L Newman & Family Ballymun, Vel 1370, Flying 179 miles, winning £170 and the Gerard Delaney Trophy for the best Velocity in the Sections not winning the Open
Winners of the Middle section and the Gerald Delaney Trophy is Lee Newman & Family from the Ballymun club in Dublin. The partnership is made up of Lee, his sons Scott and Nathan, and his brother Darragh. They were 4th Middle section in the Young Bird Skibbereen National last year and with Lee having previously won the Miller Gold Cup when he raced in partnership with James Kelly they are no strangers to success. In fact last year was the first year they raced as a family loft.
The pigeon timed here is a black two-year-old cock sent to this race driving his hen. He had been on roundabout but he was paired 6 days prior to this race as this is the way he races best. Breeding is Andree Roodhooft on one side from Sheldon Leonard while the other side is Van Herck from a bird gifted to Nathan by Billy Harris. Lee informs me that this is Nathan’s bird and is known as ‘Helicopter’. He raced consistently to the loft last year and had a selection of 2nd, 3rds, 4ths, and 5ths but this was his first win. Training is to Edenderry (35 miles) twice a week with Herbie Thorpe and feeding is a small see in the morning with Vanrobaeys PLX in the evening.
2nd Middle Section M & U Gorman Balbriggan, Vel 11369, Flying 192miles, winning £100
2nd Middle section are Michael & Una Gorman from Balbriggan. They are great supporters of the Irish National Flying Club and I was fortunate to be sitting with them at the 2013 Annual Prize Night in the Stormont Hotel.
The pigeon timed is a blue yearling cock racing Natural. He was in Owenahincha the Saturday before this race and was their Nom bird that day. He was five and a half hours on the wing but was fresh on arrival. He actually lost his hen in Owenahincha but when he came home he went straight on to the eggs and was still sitting when Michael sent him to the race. Breeding is Marc Capelle with the sire being bought at the Dublin Show in 2013. They bought two that day but both turned out to be cocks so they later got a hen to put to one of them. They bred four youngsters from them last year and still have three of them left. Training is 2/3 times a week with Barney Fitzsimmons and feeding is from Cyril & Henry Beattie with Geryplus added.
3rd Middle Section N & N Smith Greenhills, Vel 1368, Flying 175 miles, winning £351
3rd Middle section are the Greenhills lofts of Noel Smith Senior and his son Noel who were also 3rd Middle section in this race in 2013. The pigeon timed here is a latebred hen that was hatched on 18th November 2014. He was sent to the race unpaired but was in a loft with 10 other latebreds. But this was no freak result as before this the hen was 2nd club 19th Open Irish South Road Fed from Barleycove two days before basketing for the National. The previous week she was 4th club, 23rd Irish South Road Fed from Skibbereen with approximately 10, 000 birds competing and the week before that she was 4th club, 70th Open from Mallow.
The breeding is Van Winkle with the sire from Noel’s good friend Val Flood, Dublin North East and the dam from clubmate Brian Brady. This pair has bred 4 winners with others taking plenty of good positions. The Smiths train hard with a 20 mile toss every day, weather permitting, including Friday. Feed is Versele Laga and Merrimans Varimix with homoform, small seed and depurative also given. The lads asked me to thank Eugene Fitzgerald for taking their pigeons up to the Marking Station.
4th Middle Section McCabe & Byrne Dublin North County Vel 1365, Flying 180 miles, winning £60
We stay in Dublin for 4th Middle section but move to the Dublin North County club to the lofts of Ken McCabe and Henry Byrne who is Chairman and Race Controller for the Irish South Road Fed. The pigeon timed is a blue yearling hen racing widowhood. She was bred by Ian Gibb and Son Glenavy, the dam being Marijke Vink while the sire, a Van Dyke was one of Ian and Peter’s best racing cocks, with the following positions, 21st Open NIPA (21,000 birds), 13th Open NIPA (28,000 birds), 10th North section INFC (3,100 birds), 59th Open NIPA 5-Bird Fermoy, 71st Open NIPA Roscarbery, 6th section D NIPA Clonmel (6,100 birds) and 147th Open NIPA Fermoy (18,500 birds). He was 4 times 1st club in Glenavy and is a half brother to two birds that were 2nd Open NIPA.
The hen had been racing well this year and was in both club and Open result every week this year and was in Skibbereen, Barleycove, Skibbereen in the space of 9 days and was back in Pilmore Beach on the Saturday after this race when she was 30th Fed. Feeding is Vanrobaeys. They get a half an ounce in the morning and as much as they want in the evening.
5th Middle Section P Rock & Son Skerries Vel 1362, Flying 183 miles, winning £40
5th Middle section is the 1997 King’s Cup winners P Rock & Son of Skerries who were 6th Middle section in this race in 2013. Paddy and Martin are great supporters of the Irish National Flying Club and regularly travel to Lisburn for the Annual General Meeting and also attend the prize nights. The pigeon timed here is a blue widowhood cock that had four races before the national and was 7th club Pilmore Beach also in a northerly wind. His last race before this one was also from Skibbereen with the East Coast Federation on 16th May. He was given a short toss the Sunday before marking to fly home to his hen just to freshen him up. The cocks were all shown their hens for a short while basketing on the Monday. This cock was bred by Frank Bristow, Hobling and Paddy and Martin asked me to thank Frank for breeding this pigeon for them. The widowhood cocks are fed on 2 parts Vanrobaey’s widowhood and one part Beyer’s widowhood blended together with both supplied by Henry Byrne of Sandyhill. Peanuts are fed to trap the birds.
1st North Section McComb Bros Killyleagh Central, Vel 1346; Flying 247 miles, winning £450
1st North section and winner of a Framed Diploma is the Killyleagh lofts of McComb who were 2nd North section in this race in 2010. The sire is a De Klak latebred bred by D Croskery & Son, Annsborough and was purchased at their club’s development sale in 2012. This bird was raced and has won 1st club on seven separate occasions including 1st East section, 28th Open East Down Combine Skibbereen Old Bird Classic. He was put in the stock loft after receiving an injury and has bred numerous winners. The dam is from their good friends Caskey & Adair, Crossgar. This hen is from their top class Soontjens stock and has produced winners every year including daughter and granddaughter winning East Down Combine Opens.
The North section winner here has himself bred winners for other fanciers. He has numerous club positions and his nestmate was twice 1st Club and was also 2nd Section F from Roscarbery in 2014 with the NIPA in similar conditions to this race. The North section winner has now been named ‘Tommy’s Boy’ after their father.
2nd North Section O & M Monaghan Andersonstown, Vel 1345, Flying 248 miles, winning £471
2nd North section this year is Owen and Michael Monaghan from Andersonstown. They also race in Colin HPS. Owen and Michael were 4th North section in the Skibbereen Young Bird National in 2013. The pigeon timed here is a three-year-old Van der Rhee x Vandenabeele hen racing on widowhood. As a yearling she 1st club, 10th section, 30th Open Roscrea with the NIPA and she was also 7th section 19th Open Yearling Hens race with the NIPA in the same year. The hen had been coming well in training all year and had all inland races except for Roscarbery. Training is mostly private training with an occasional transporter toss. Feeding is Versele Laga Super Star. The pigeon has been named ‘Proud Mary’ after Owen’s sister whose birthday was the day of the race. Owen and Michael had a great race here with a further six pigeons in the result at 82nd, 92nd, 172nd, 209th, 288th and 296th North section.
3rd North Section Whiteside Bros Eastway, Vel 1344, flying 255 miles, winning £762
3rd North section are Whiteside Bros Eastway. The partnership was originally Billy and Frankie but when Frankie passed away on 26th May 2012 Billy decided to retain the partnerships’ name. The pigeon timed is a blue yearling cock racing roundabout. The breeding is Janssen x Huybrect from good friend John White of Muckamore. The pigeon timed here at 3rd North section was 34th Open Roscarbery with the NIPA the Saturday before. This was the fifth race in a row that he was first bird to the loft. His nest mate won £560 in the club’s breeder buyer last year. Billy trains with both Jackie Scates and Mark Johnston. Feeding is from Robert and June Kirkwood as well as Frazers and is usually Gem Widowhood mix and Vanrobaeys. Billy asked me to pass on his congratulations to McComb Bros on winning the North section here.
4th North Section A Bradley Dromara, Vel 1342, Flying 241 miles, Winning £250
Alister Bradley of the Dromara club is 4th North section here improving on his 6th North section in the Skibbereen Young Bird National last year. The pigeon timed is a blue yearling hen racing on roundabout. The sire was a Red Belgium cock and the dam a blue tipped hen obtained from Jason Smyth Ligoneil, through Tom Marshall Newtownbreda. The hen was a steady racer last year and was just out of the money in the Skibbereen Young Bird National. She was steady again this year without winning any prizes before the National. Alister was training before racing but following a few peregrine attacks decided to reduce the number of training tosses to just an odd toss now and again. He prefers now to fly the birds at home. Feeding is a Natural widowhood mix from his mentor and friend Tom Marshall.
5th North section B & M McCorriston, Vel 1341, Flying 236 miles, winning £247
5th North section goes to B & M McCorriston of Dromore with a yearling pied hen racing on widowhood which Mo’s granddaughter has now called ‘Minnie’. The sire is a Van Wildemeersch from the late Bertie Fletcher while the dam is from Billy Hayes from Ballynahinch and contains the breeding of Jim Moreland of Dromore. A pigeon the same way bred as the pigeon at 5th North section was 1st club, 1st section, 17th Open Talbenny on the Saturday after the Skibbereen National. Another brother was 4th Open Sennen Cove Yearling National in 2010.
‘Minnie’ had only two training tosses and two races from Roscrea and Pilmore Beach before the National. However the birds are flown around the house and sometimes the widowhood hens will fly for two hours. Mo feeds Frazers corn, mainly breed and wean and a widowhood mix.
The committee of the Irish National Flying Club would like to thank all those who helped at the marking station and all who helped at the clock centres. Thanks to Clifford Browne for his help in completing this report and to all who helped with photographs.
Brendan McLoughlin
INFC Press Officer
The first of the 6 races organized by the Irish National Flying Club was held on Tuesday 26th May from Skibbereen in Co Cork. 496 members sent 4,712 birds to compete for £15,040 in pools and prizemoney. This was well up on last year’s entry of 4,293 birds, and it’s always good to see an upward trend. The race was sponsored by Bamfords Top Flight and we are very grateful to them for their continued sponsorship. The race took the same format as last year with the Ronnie Johnston Challenge Cup and diploma awarded to the Overall winner and the Gerald Delaney Trophy awarded to the best velocity of the other two sections. The winner of the section with the lowest winning velocity will receive a coveted INFC diploma. There are no Open positions for the Skibbereen Nationals but prizes are allocated to the three sections. As the result is divided into 3 sections I will cover the top 5 in the three sections in this article.
The birds were liberated at 11am in a light northerly wind, which is reflected in the velocities with the early pigeons in the South section doing velocities of over 1400 with the winners of the Middle section and the North section doing 1370 and 1346 respectively.
1st South Section, 1st Open, Adam Hillis, Vel 432, Flying 127 miles, winning £80 and the Ronnie Johnstone Challenge Cup
The winner of this year’s Skibbereen Old Bird National is 16-year-old Adam Hillis from the Wexford North and South club, surely one of the youngest National winners anywhere. It’s great for the future of the sport to see young people like Adam not only taking part but winning such a prestigious race. Adam has been racing for six years now and got is interest in pigeons from his grandparents Robert and Mary who are 4th South section in this race and who have a great record from this race. This is a particularly big year for Adam as he is currently sitting his Junior Cert exams and I wish him every success with those.
The winning pigeon is a blue yearling hen racing on widowhood. The breeding is Staf Van Reet from his grandfather’s old bloodlines. While just racing steady this year this bird was Adam’s first bird most week’s as a young bird so he had high hopes for her.
Adam tends to train up until racing starts and then the birds are flown before and after school every day. Feeding is a light mixture with geryplus.
2nd South section, Dempsey Bros Wexford North & South, Vel 1405, Flying 132miles, winning £176
2nd in the South section are Dempsey Bros also from the strong Wexford North & South club. The partnership was originally Francis and Geoffrey but Francis retained the partnership’s name when Geoffrey passed away. This loft had a great result in this race in 2012 when they were 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th.
The pigeon timed here is a two-year-old Blue cock racing on semi widowhood. Breeding is Karel Boeckx and the parents were bought from Dave & Ann Beswick’s Lynwood Lofts. As a young bird this cock won from Skibbereen but was held back as a yearling as he had a knock early on in the season, but he has really taken off this year having been in the top 20 in six out of the eight races he has had.
Francis trains hard before racing starts and thereafter only if he feels they need it. Feeding is Versele Laga.
3rd South section, G Furlong Wexford North & South, Vel 1396, Flying 131 miles, winning £168
3rd South section is Ger Furlong again from Wexford North & South and a previous winner of this race. Ger was 1st Open in 2013 and he was also 4th South section that year. The pigeon timed here is a three-year-old Blue cock racing widowhood. The breeding is from the family that Ger had built up with his Uncle Jimmy over a period of 40 years with just an occasional bird introduced over the years. This pigeon won the South Leinster Fed Derby from Skibbereen in 2013 and also had a few high positions in the Fed last year. The sire was Old Bird of the Year in the club in 2009 and was put to stock after that.
Birds are just flown around the loft with an occasional toss as and when Ger feels they need it. Feeding is a widowhood mix but it doesn’t matter what brand it is as long as it’s good quality.
4th South section, R & M Hillis Wexford North & South, Vel 1378, Flying 130 miles, winning £40
4th South section are Robert & Mary Hillis also of the Wexford North & South club. As mentioned above they are the grandparents of young Adam who won this race. Robert & Mary have won three Irish National Flying Club nationals. 2001 was an exceptional year for them when they won both the Yearling National and the Young Bird National. The Yearling National was flown from Skibbereen that year. They also won the Young Bird National from Skibbereen in 1990 winning a new car in the process.
The pigeon timed here is a yearling hen flying roundabout. The breeding is Staf Van Reet x Heremans Ceusters with the Ceusters coming from Wall. Lunt & Green, Manchester and the Staf Van Reets they have had for years. Robert told me that the birds aren’t given much training but are flown around home.
5th South section Adam Hillis Wexford North & South, Vel 1369, Flying 127 miles, winning £34
We go back to the winning loft of Adam Hillis for the 5th South section pigeon. It’s always good to see the winner back up the result with a few other birds. This one is another yearling hen racing widowhood. Breeding is Pieter Veenstra bred by Louella PigeonWorld. This bird is a super racer and has already been 1st Open South Leinster Federation from Kinsale (93 miles). The South Leinster Fed can boast of a host of National winners so the future certainly looks bright for this young fancier.
1st Middle Section L Newman & Family Ballymun, Vel 1370, Flying 179 miles, winning £170 and the Gerard Delaney Trophy for the best Velocity in the Sections not winning the Open
Winners of the Middle section and the Gerald Delaney Trophy is Lee Newman & Family from the Ballymun club in Dublin. The partnership is made up of Lee, his sons Scott and Nathan, and his brother Darragh. They were 4th Middle section in the Young Bird Skibbereen National last year and with Lee having previously won the Miller Gold Cup when he raced in partnership with James Kelly they are no strangers to success. In fact last year was the first year they raced as a family loft.
The pigeon timed here is a black two-year-old cock sent to this race driving his hen. He had been on roundabout but he was paired 6 days prior to this race as this is the way he races best. Breeding is Andree Roodhooft on one side from Sheldon Leonard while the other side is Van Herck from a bird gifted to Nathan by Billy Harris. Lee informs me that this is Nathan’s bird and is known as ‘Helicopter’. He raced consistently to the loft last year and had a selection of 2nd, 3rds, 4ths, and 5ths but this was his first win. Training is to Edenderry (35 miles) twice a week with Herbie Thorpe and feeding is a small see in the morning with Vanrobaeys PLX in the evening.
2nd Middle Section M & U Gorman Balbriggan, Vel 11369, Flying 192miles, winning £100
2nd Middle section are Michael & Una Gorman from Balbriggan. They are great supporters of the Irish National Flying Club and I was fortunate to be sitting with them at the 2013 Annual Prize Night in the Stormont Hotel.
The pigeon timed is a blue yearling cock racing Natural. He was in Owenahincha the Saturday before this race and was their Nom bird that day. He was five and a half hours on the wing but was fresh on arrival. He actually lost his hen in Owenahincha but when he came home he went straight on to the eggs and was still sitting when Michael sent him to the race. Breeding is Marc Capelle with the sire being bought at the Dublin Show in 2013. They bought two that day but both turned out to be cocks so they later got a hen to put to one of them. They bred four youngsters from them last year and still have three of them left. Training is 2/3 times a week with Barney Fitzsimmons and feeding is from Cyril & Henry Beattie with Geryplus added.
3rd Middle Section N & N Smith Greenhills, Vel 1368, Flying 175 miles, winning £351
3rd Middle section are the Greenhills lofts of Noel Smith Senior and his son Noel who were also 3rd Middle section in this race in 2013. The pigeon timed here is a latebred hen that was hatched on 18th November 2014. He was sent to the race unpaired but was in a loft with 10 other latebreds. But this was no freak result as before this the hen was 2nd club 19th Open Irish South Road Fed from Barleycove two days before basketing for the National. The previous week she was 4th club, 23rd Irish South Road Fed from Skibbereen with approximately 10, 000 birds competing and the week before that she was 4th club, 70th Open from Mallow.
The breeding is Van Winkle with the sire from Noel’s good friend Val Flood, Dublin North East and the dam from clubmate Brian Brady. This pair has bred 4 winners with others taking plenty of good positions. The Smiths train hard with a 20 mile toss every day, weather permitting, including Friday. Feed is Versele Laga and Merrimans Varimix with homoform, small seed and depurative also given. The lads asked me to thank Eugene Fitzgerald for taking their pigeons up to the Marking Station.
4th Middle Section McCabe & Byrne Dublin North County Vel 1365, Flying 180 miles, winning £60
We stay in Dublin for 4th Middle section but move to the Dublin North County club to the lofts of Ken McCabe and Henry Byrne who is Chairman and Race Controller for the Irish South Road Fed. The pigeon timed is a blue yearling hen racing widowhood. She was bred by Ian Gibb and Son Glenavy, the dam being Marijke Vink while the sire, a Van Dyke was one of Ian and Peter’s best racing cocks, with the following positions, 21st Open NIPA (21,000 birds), 13th Open NIPA (28,000 birds), 10th North section INFC (3,100 birds), 59th Open NIPA 5-Bird Fermoy, 71st Open NIPA Roscarbery, 6th section D NIPA Clonmel (6,100 birds) and 147th Open NIPA Fermoy (18,500 birds). He was 4 times 1st club in Glenavy and is a half brother to two birds that were 2nd Open NIPA.
The hen had been racing well this year and was in both club and Open result every week this year and was in Skibbereen, Barleycove, Skibbereen in the space of 9 days and was back in Pilmore Beach on the Saturday after this race when she was 30th Fed. Feeding is Vanrobaeys. They get a half an ounce in the morning and as much as they want in the evening.
5th Middle Section P Rock & Son Skerries Vel 1362, Flying 183 miles, winning £40
5th Middle section is the 1997 King’s Cup winners P Rock & Son of Skerries who were 6th Middle section in this race in 2013. Paddy and Martin are great supporters of the Irish National Flying Club and regularly travel to Lisburn for the Annual General Meeting and also attend the prize nights. The pigeon timed here is a blue widowhood cock that had four races before the national and was 7th club Pilmore Beach also in a northerly wind. His last race before this one was also from Skibbereen with the East Coast Federation on 16th May. He was given a short toss the Sunday before marking to fly home to his hen just to freshen him up. The cocks were all shown their hens for a short while basketing on the Monday. This cock was bred by Frank Bristow, Hobling and Paddy and Martin asked me to thank Frank for breeding this pigeon for them. The widowhood cocks are fed on 2 parts Vanrobaey’s widowhood and one part Beyer’s widowhood blended together with both supplied by Henry Byrne of Sandyhill. Peanuts are fed to trap the birds.
1st North Section McComb Bros Killyleagh Central, Vel 1346; Flying 247 miles, winning £450
1st North section and winner of a Framed Diploma is the Killyleagh lofts of McComb who were 2nd North section in this race in 2010. The sire is a De Klak latebred bred by D Croskery & Son, Annsborough and was purchased at their club’s development sale in 2012. This bird was raced and has won 1st club on seven separate occasions including 1st East section, 28th Open East Down Combine Skibbereen Old Bird Classic. He was put in the stock loft after receiving an injury and has bred numerous winners. The dam is from their good friends Caskey & Adair, Crossgar. This hen is from their top class Soontjens stock and has produced winners every year including daughter and granddaughter winning East Down Combine Opens.
The North section winner here has himself bred winners for other fanciers. He has numerous club positions and his nestmate was twice 1st Club and was also 2nd Section F from Roscarbery in 2014 with the NIPA in similar conditions to this race. The North section winner has now been named ‘Tommy’s Boy’ after their father.
2nd North Section O & M Monaghan Andersonstown, Vel 1345, Flying 248 miles, winning £471
2nd North section this year is Owen and Michael Monaghan from Andersonstown. They also race in Colin HPS. Owen and Michael were 4th North section in the Skibbereen Young Bird National in 2013. The pigeon timed here is a three-year-old Van der Rhee x Vandenabeele hen racing on widowhood. As a yearling she 1st club, 10th section, 30th Open Roscrea with the NIPA and she was also 7th section 19th Open Yearling Hens race with the NIPA in the same year. The hen had been coming well in training all year and had all inland races except for Roscarbery. Training is mostly private training with an occasional transporter toss. Feeding is Versele Laga Super Star. The pigeon has been named ‘Proud Mary’ after Owen’s sister whose birthday was the day of the race. Owen and Michael had a great race here with a further six pigeons in the result at 82nd, 92nd, 172nd, 209th, 288th and 296th North section.
3rd North Section Whiteside Bros Eastway, Vel 1344, flying 255 miles, winning £762
3rd North section are Whiteside Bros Eastway. The partnership was originally Billy and Frankie but when Frankie passed away on 26th May 2012 Billy decided to retain the partnerships’ name. The pigeon timed is a blue yearling cock racing roundabout. The breeding is Janssen x Huybrect from good friend John White of Muckamore. The pigeon timed here at 3rd North section was 34th Open Roscarbery with the NIPA the Saturday before. This was the fifth race in a row that he was first bird to the loft. His nest mate won £560 in the club’s breeder buyer last year. Billy trains with both Jackie Scates and Mark Johnston. Feeding is from Robert and June Kirkwood as well as Frazers and is usually Gem Widowhood mix and Vanrobaeys. Billy asked me to pass on his congratulations to McComb Bros on winning the North section here.
4th North Section A Bradley Dromara, Vel 1342, Flying 241 miles, Winning £250
Alister Bradley of the Dromara club is 4th North section here improving on his 6th North section in the Skibbereen Young Bird National last year. The pigeon timed is a blue yearling hen racing on roundabout. The sire was a Red Belgium cock and the dam a blue tipped hen obtained from Jason Smyth Ligoneil, through Tom Marshall Newtownbreda. The hen was a steady racer last year and was just out of the money in the Skibbereen Young Bird National. She was steady again this year without winning any prizes before the National. Alister was training before racing but following a few peregrine attacks decided to reduce the number of training tosses to just an odd toss now and again. He prefers now to fly the birds at home. Feeding is a Natural widowhood mix from his mentor and friend Tom Marshall.
5th North section B & M McCorriston, Vel 1341, Flying 236 miles, winning £247
5th North section goes to B & M McCorriston of Dromore with a yearling pied hen racing on widowhood which Mo’s granddaughter has now called ‘Minnie’. The sire is a Van Wildemeersch from the late Bertie Fletcher while the dam is from Billy Hayes from Ballynahinch and contains the breeding of Jim Moreland of Dromore. A pigeon the same way bred as the pigeon at 5th North section was 1st club, 1st section, 17th Open Talbenny on the Saturday after the Skibbereen National. Another brother was 4th Open Sennen Cove Yearling National in 2010.
‘Minnie’ had only two training tosses and two races from Roscrea and Pilmore Beach before the National. However the birds are flown around the house and sometimes the widowhood hens will fly for two hours. Mo feeds Frazers corn, mainly breed and wean and a widowhood mix.
The committee of the Irish National Flying Club would like to thank all those who helped at the marking station and all who helped at the clock centres. Thanks to Clifford Browne for his help in completing this report and to all who helped with photographs.
Brendan McLoughlin
INFC Press Officer