First Race Arklow (1) - April 1978

[willie reynolds]

Mid Antrim Combine – I was looking through some old cuttings from the 1970’s and I think I have recovered the overlap of the Mid Antrim 2 Bird Club and the start of results for MAC, that is what it was in those days a list of results from the local Ballymena area clubs. No Diplomas, no cups or trophies, no meetings or officials, just a result. Can’t remember how exactly it all worked but Davy Campbell who was highly involved at that time collected the club results over the phone no doubt, and supplied a hand written result for the Top 30 or 40 birds. The local press appear to have listed a Top 20, there was a lot more space in those days and the local press reports were done by James Martin. The first result done would appear to be in 1978 Arklow (1) 205/2139 – B Lynn Cullybackey 1780, J Mawhinney & Son Kells 1744, A Barkley Kells 1732, J W & T Harper Ballymena 1722, J Cameron Harryville 1722, H Moore & Son Ballymena 1722, T Shanks & Son Kells 1719, McClintock Bros Ballymena 1718, G Barr Championship 1715, 1715.

This bird won 1st Sect B 314/3194 and finished 10th Open NIPA with 19,890 birds competing but the reason behind a local combined result for the Ballymena area was more often than not the best birds were being timed short in the Crumlin, Muckamore and Antrim areas. Down the line the Championship Club was dissolved, Randalstown and Rasharkin Clubs were added and so were New Antrim when they moved from Antrim to Ballymena. They also joined the RPRA and elected officials and held an AGM every year. Race points and results have changed, we are now down the middle of Ireland and not only can the short flyers have the early birds but the longer lofts can record birds in front of the Ballymena area.
As a pilot scheme last year I introduced a result for Borough of Ballymena to try and bring us back to where we started, a Ballymena Area result. You had to live in the Ballymena Council area, basically your bin had to be collected by Ballymena Council to be listed. Don’t know how accurate the results were, that was the intention, will it get off the ground? - I just don’t know.

There is some talk going around about the make-up of the NIPA Sections and some discussions are to take place, in the period of the above the NIPA had Sections A, B, C, D and E – now they have 8.
For those with computer there is a lot of archive material listed on Forum at www.pigeonnetwork.com