By Adie McCormick
http://www.pigeonnetwork.com
“Billy’s Gift” wins the 1970 NIPA Dinard O/Bird Derby
for McClintock Bros of Ballymena, Co. Antrim, N.Ireland
1970 is not the first time that the NIPA O/Bird Derby has been won into the town of Ballymena and as history has proved it wasn’t the last and I am sure it will be won into this popular hot bed of pigeon racing again. However the 1970 winners were comparative new comers to the sport. Crawford and Bertie McClintock took over their Brother Billy’s birds only three years prior and after a couple years of steady racing smashed their novice status in 1969 with a Red Marriot Cock presented to them by the highly regarded local partnership of McClintock & Workman. This particular bird won 2nd club Arklow (1), and the following week from the same race point won 1st Club and the DTW lifting a tidy sum of £22. The brothers had carried on where the left off in 1969 by having a good steady season in 1970 and prior to Dinard their best performance to date was 2nd Club from Haverford winning £32 in the highly competitive Championship Club with a Red Grooter Cock. To Dinard the brothers sent only 2 birds a Dark Cheq Cock, Tommy Harper bloodlines and the eventual winner of the race a Blue Cheq Cock now named “Billy’s Gift”. The Harper bred cock came on the second day. As a Y/Bird “Billy’s Gift” flew through to Wexford and as a yearling through to Okehampton with the New North Flying Club. Prior to Dinard he competed in a couple of Arklows and 4 Haverfords and in nearly all the races sent he was the 2nd bird to the loft beaten on many occasions by loft mates particularly the Red’s that the McClintocks were well known for. From Dinard he was sent to the race sitting on 7 day old eggs and put up a hell of a performance.
The late Crawford McClintock of McClintock Bros holding "Billy's Gift" winner of 1st Section, 1st Championship Club and 1st Open NIPA Dinard O/Bird Derby in 1970 winning £382
You may be wondering how the bird got the name “Billy’s Gift”, well Billy McIlhagga of Tullygarley just on the outskirts of Ballymena town was a painter by trade, he was working close to the McClintocks Loft one particular week, and being a fancier for many years called in with Crawford McClintock to see the birds. He told Crawford jokingly that he had a bad team of youngsters and Crawford duly handed him a ring and told Billy to rear him a Y/Bird, well “Billy’s Gift” was that Y/Bird. The McClintock’s loft was sited at the top of Princess Street in the town and I can recall visiting the loft on at least one occasion. Crawford had some outstanding pigeons and related back to a story of a good Red Cock that landed on the loft ring number 1009, the bird was badly down when entering the loft, Crawford reported it and discovered it had been lost by Jim Rintoul of Airdrie when attempting to fly France for the 5th time. As the McClintock Bros were just starting up Jim gifted this stunning French racer to them, such was the relationship formed between both parties Jim sent over another pair to the McClintock Bros which included a beautiful Blue Hen bred down directly from Jim’s good pigeon at that time “Maria” the parents and G/Parents of this particular bird were responsible for pigeons to win more than £1,000 from Scottish National events over the years.
"Billy's Gift" An old snap took in the loft of the 1970 O/Bird Dinard Derby Winner bred by Billy McIlhagga and raced by the McClintock Bros of Ballymena this Cheq cock beat 3,594 other hopefuls sent by 1,329 members who were competing for £6,674 in pools and prize money.
The Rintoul pigeons proved an inspiration at the hands of the McClintock boys and proved their worth from many testing races including winning the Ballymena Club from a disastrous Y/Bird event from Holyhead, the pigeon timed that day was a G/Son from the Red cock when mated to the Blue Hen.
Looking over the archives and briefly the methods employed by Crawford and Bertie were birds out at 6am every morning and flown 1 hour, they also had to fly for an hour in the evening also, added to this they were tossed 3 days per week from North, South, East and West, depending on what the prevailing wind condition was and what tasks lay ahead of them in the race programme. The birds were fed twice per day by hand on a good sound mixture plus the drinkers were also changed twice daily and a tit bit of mixed wheat and groats was used sparingly as a trapping incentive. The McClintock Bros remained a force to be reckoned with for many years in and around the Ballymena area and proved themselves to be and equally prolific partnership from the distance events with their fantastic family of pigeons.