Loft Feature Bertie Blair of Ballymena & District -
Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2020 2:03 pm
Ace Ballymena & National Loft of Bertie Blair -
The City of the Seven Towers Ballymena has produced many champion lofts over the years, the big club Ballymena & District HPS are founder NIPA members and a number of their lofts became household names of the sport. Latest to join the list was Blair & Rankin who in 2019 achieved Highest Prize-winner for the second time and who over several years have achieved many notable performances, none better than winning 1st YB National Talbenny in September last year. Bertie Blair like many other family members was a keen football player locally, some going as far as representing teams in the Irish League. He married Doreen Rankin who lived next door to us in the old Brooke Park in Harryville, her father raced the birds as Jack Rankin & Son and it was through them we got involved with the pigeons through my younger brother Michael who was about their lofts most days. He moved off to Florida and set up a very successful plumbing business in Orlando and I was left in full charge of the birds. Jack Rankin had good success racing in Harryville and both sons Billy and Abie also raced the birds, Bertie later formed a partnership with Billy who is now deceased but the loft still operate as Blair & Rankin. What I have noticed over the years and I have said this to Bertie, more often than not when he achieves 1st Club, it’s not unusual for his loft to take a big prize in the Combine, Sect and even up to 1st Open NIPA. He has loaned me a number of his old diplomas and I will feature a few here, some go back far enough to have my own loft listed. At our last AGM we arranged jobs for each individual member, Bertie is looking after the cups and trophies, he could easily have been the Entertainment Manager with his story telling and songs - we always know when Bertie is present in the club. So far going round the local clubs I have featured Jimmy Rock in Harryville, Gary Gibson in Cullybackey and now Blair & Rankin in Ballymena & District, all very modest so far and all questions answered direct to the point. None would explain the full story of each lofts success but the reports will be at least an insight.
This little bit was penned by the Mid Antrim PO after last season’s Talbenny YB Nat.
What a young bird season Bertie Blair is having at present and to top it all off he goes and wins the NIPA Talbenny young bird National in some style. Not only did he win 1st Mid Antrim Combine, 1st Section B and 1st Open NIPA but also took 8th, 11th and 12th section B, 57th, 91st and 92nd open NIPA 2218 birds. First bird clocked at 12.12hrs flying 219 miles to the lofts in Chichester Park was a blue w/f hen. This super hen five days previous scored 1st Ballymena & Dist and 2nd Mid Antrim Combine from the INFC Skibbereen YB National 260 miles. The sire a direct Danny Dixon Lambrechts and was given to Bertie by MDC Magill of Harryville HPS. The dam is a red Frans Myers hen from Paddy McManus of Ahoghill. This No 1 stock hen has now bred at least 16 x 1st including 5 x 1st Combine winners, 1st Open NIPA Mullingar 2016, and his 1st MA Combine & 24th Open INFC Sennen Cove Yearling National pigeon this season. You need two hands to count the number of 1st Open's Bertie has won while racing with the NIPA but this latest winner and his first major National win ices the cake. Bertie was close on a couple of occasions before when in 1974 he won 1st Section B and 2nd Open NIPA Haverfordwest YB Derby with a chequer hen "Doreen's Choice" and more recently 2nd Open INFC Penzance YB National in 2011. A well-deserved win, for a top, and very popular fancier. Mervyn Eagleson PO.
LOFT FEATURE
Q1. When started racing, what club and was any family involved? Why did you start in the pigeons and what birds did you start with?
I started racing in the Harryville HPS in 1968 with a team of young birds bred by a number of good friends.
Q2. What organizations do you fly with currently?
Joined the NIPA at the start and have been a long time member of the Irish National FC and have always flown in the local Mid Antrim Combine.
Q3. Your Loft, Structure, length and how many?
I have one loft of 30ft for young birds and stock birds, another 12tf x 6ft for the double widowhood and then a little 8ft x 6ft for stock birds.
Q4. Racing/training methods for old birds and young birds. Do you put YB’s on Darkness System, and what about Old Birds – Widowhood, Roundabout or just Natural?
All the young birds are flown on Darkness, the old birds are mostly raced double Widowhood and a few on Natural.
Q5. Feeding and systems etc over the season?
The young birds when racing get Versele Laga Gerry Plus and the birds on double Widowhood have Beattie’s Widowhood Mix. The stock birds in the breeding season are fed on Beattie’s Breeding Supreme mixed with Frazer Feeds Breeding Supreme.
Q6. Treatments, what and when used? Do you use Vitamins, if so what?
I treat the birds for Canker with Medpet and for Coxi I use Baytox, administered before the birds are paired up. I would also use Aviform the popular 11 in 1 and from the same company Polytech.
Q7. Breeding info when done etc.? - now that the rings are available before Christmas.
I pair the stock birds in the 8tf x 6ft loft at the same time as the double widowhood birds to float the eggs.
Q8. Birds at stock, strains kept and families etc.?
I have 8 pair of long distance birds which include the very best off Jackie Waring of Lisburn and Aaron Murtagh of Armagh. I also have a cock from ace National winner John Halstead plus 2 children from D & R Turkington INFC Merit Award winner in the INFC the bird they named “Bertie;s Boy”. For the shorter and middle distance I have good success with the Lambrecht family of birds raced by Jackie Steele of Rasharkin, and Frans Myers from good friend Paddy McManus, a top racer for many years in Ahoghill.
Q9. Racing results over the years – Club, Sect & Combine and best Open positions with NIPA & INFC?
Covered in two lines, impossible. I won from all race points even winning from the North when we were on the Scotch Route, and we might just be back there again. From some of the winning Diplomas I see 1st Open NIPA in a young bird Tramore 1250/15,459 in 1994 and another young bird Tramore 1083/12,849 in 1998. He had another 1st Open NIPA from Carnsore Point in 2002 and 1st Open in the Mullingar Area Lib 114/3357 in 2016. He had many other 1st Combine & 1st Sect B winners and in 2011 had 1st Club and 1st Mid Antrim Combine in the INFC St Malo Friendship Nat with a Chew Pied hen.
Q10. Outstanding racers and stock birds since starting the sport?
Best racer I ever had was a Blue Frans van Wildemeersch cock all told winning 12 x 1sts racing on pure widowhood. When put to stock he was a Gold Mine breeder.
Q11. What about cross channel racing both old bird and young bird?
Old Bird racing on the channel in Ballymena & District is keen and its hard to win, just the two young bird cross channel events and I have been lucky enough to win both, 1st Open NIPA Talbenny and 2nd Open INFC Penzance.
Q12. Any positions held past or present? – Any work covered at the club?
I help every week during the basketing for the various races and usually present for loading the transporter.
Q13. Special mention of anyone who helped, or influenced you in the sport? Any views for the future?
My main influence was the late Tom McCallum who passed away recently at a advanced age, raced for many years in Ballymena & Dist and finished in Harryville. Had a fantastic record from France especiall in the Kings Cup when it was flown from Nantes, and won the Hall of Fame Diploma in 1997 from St Nazaire at 554 miles. Paddy McManus from Ahoghill has been a friend for many years.
Q14. Last but not least your best result, and what was biggest disappointment in the sport?
I regard my best result winning the NIPA Talbenny YB National in 2019 with “Faith” and I had great pleasure breeding “Bertie’s Boy” for D & R Turkington of Doagh & Dist to win a Merit Award in the INFC Kings Cup. The biggest disappointment was missing the arrival of my 2nd Open INFC Penzance YB Nat when I was helping at Cullybackey Centre marking the birds for the Rosscarbery YB National. Bertie was close before in the NIPA Young Bird, a Derby in those days winning 1st Section B and 2nd Open NIPA Haverfordwest YB Derby with a chequer hen "Doreen's Choice" her photo included with this report. That race so many years ago was won by W V Troughton of Bleary in Portadown.
Q15. Anything I missed you would like to mention? Another very modest fancier who lets his birds do the talking, he has a long history of success and with more time in retirement will score many more big wins. HOMER.
Back in the day Harryville HPS members late Billy Rankin (l) and partner Bertie Blair.
Bertie Blair of Ballymena & Dist holding his Talbenny YB National winner “Faith”, he said that was his best result.
“Dorren’s Choice” winner of 2nd Open NIPA Haverfordwest in 1974
for Blair & Rankin then racing in Harryville HPS.
“Faith” won 1st Open NIPA Talbenny YB National in 2019.
Diploma for 1st Open NIPA Tramore in 1994.
Diploma for 1st Open NIPA Tramore in 1998.
“Bertie’s Boy” INFC Merit Award winner in Kings Cup for
D & R Turkington of Doagh & District.
The City of the Seven Towers Ballymena has produced many champion lofts over the years, the big club Ballymena & District HPS are founder NIPA members and a number of their lofts became household names of the sport. Latest to join the list was Blair & Rankin who in 2019 achieved Highest Prize-winner for the second time and who over several years have achieved many notable performances, none better than winning 1st YB National Talbenny in September last year. Bertie Blair like many other family members was a keen football player locally, some going as far as representing teams in the Irish League. He married Doreen Rankin who lived next door to us in the old Brooke Park in Harryville, her father raced the birds as Jack Rankin & Son and it was through them we got involved with the pigeons through my younger brother Michael who was about their lofts most days. He moved off to Florida and set up a very successful plumbing business in Orlando and I was left in full charge of the birds. Jack Rankin had good success racing in Harryville and both sons Billy and Abie also raced the birds, Bertie later formed a partnership with Billy who is now deceased but the loft still operate as Blair & Rankin. What I have noticed over the years and I have said this to Bertie, more often than not when he achieves 1st Club, it’s not unusual for his loft to take a big prize in the Combine, Sect and even up to 1st Open NIPA. He has loaned me a number of his old diplomas and I will feature a few here, some go back far enough to have my own loft listed. At our last AGM we arranged jobs for each individual member, Bertie is looking after the cups and trophies, he could easily have been the Entertainment Manager with his story telling and songs - we always know when Bertie is present in the club. So far going round the local clubs I have featured Jimmy Rock in Harryville, Gary Gibson in Cullybackey and now Blair & Rankin in Ballymena & District, all very modest so far and all questions answered direct to the point. None would explain the full story of each lofts success but the reports will be at least an insight.
This little bit was penned by the Mid Antrim PO after last season’s Talbenny YB Nat.
What a young bird season Bertie Blair is having at present and to top it all off he goes and wins the NIPA Talbenny young bird National in some style. Not only did he win 1st Mid Antrim Combine, 1st Section B and 1st Open NIPA but also took 8th, 11th and 12th section B, 57th, 91st and 92nd open NIPA 2218 birds. First bird clocked at 12.12hrs flying 219 miles to the lofts in Chichester Park was a blue w/f hen. This super hen five days previous scored 1st Ballymena & Dist and 2nd Mid Antrim Combine from the INFC Skibbereen YB National 260 miles. The sire a direct Danny Dixon Lambrechts and was given to Bertie by MDC Magill of Harryville HPS. The dam is a red Frans Myers hen from Paddy McManus of Ahoghill. This No 1 stock hen has now bred at least 16 x 1st including 5 x 1st Combine winners, 1st Open NIPA Mullingar 2016, and his 1st MA Combine & 24th Open INFC Sennen Cove Yearling National pigeon this season. You need two hands to count the number of 1st Open's Bertie has won while racing with the NIPA but this latest winner and his first major National win ices the cake. Bertie was close on a couple of occasions before when in 1974 he won 1st Section B and 2nd Open NIPA Haverfordwest YB Derby with a chequer hen "Doreen's Choice" and more recently 2nd Open INFC Penzance YB National in 2011. A well-deserved win, for a top, and very popular fancier. Mervyn Eagleson PO.
LOFT FEATURE
Q1. When started racing, what club and was any family involved? Why did you start in the pigeons and what birds did you start with?
I started racing in the Harryville HPS in 1968 with a team of young birds bred by a number of good friends.
Q2. What organizations do you fly with currently?
Joined the NIPA at the start and have been a long time member of the Irish National FC and have always flown in the local Mid Antrim Combine.
Q3. Your Loft, Structure, length and how many?
I have one loft of 30ft for young birds and stock birds, another 12tf x 6ft for the double widowhood and then a little 8ft x 6ft for stock birds.
Q4. Racing/training methods for old birds and young birds. Do you put YB’s on Darkness System, and what about Old Birds – Widowhood, Roundabout or just Natural?
All the young birds are flown on Darkness, the old birds are mostly raced double Widowhood and a few on Natural.
Q5. Feeding and systems etc over the season?
The young birds when racing get Versele Laga Gerry Plus and the birds on double Widowhood have Beattie’s Widowhood Mix. The stock birds in the breeding season are fed on Beattie’s Breeding Supreme mixed with Frazer Feeds Breeding Supreme.
Q6. Treatments, what and when used? Do you use Vitamins, if so what?
I treat the birds for Canker with Medpet and for Coxi I use Baytox, administered before the birds are paired up. I would also use Aviform the popular 11 in 1 and from the same company Polytech.
Q7. Breeding info when done etc.? - now that the rings are available before Christmas.
I pair the stock birds in the 8tf x 6ft loft at the same time as the double widowhood birds to float the eggs.
Q8. Birds at stock, strains kept and families etc.?
I have 8 pair of long distance birds which include the very best off Jackie Waring of Lisburn and Aaron Murtagh of Armagh. I also have a cock from ace National winner John Halstead plus 2 children from D & R Turkington INFC Merit Award winner in the INFC the bird they named “Bertie;s Boy”. For the shorter and middle distance I have good success with the Lambrecht family of birds raced by Jackie Steele of Rasharkin, and Frans Myers from good friend Paddy McManus, a top racer for many years in Ahoghill.
Q9. Racing results over the years – Club, Sect & Combine and best Open positions with NIPA & INFC?
Covered in two lines, impossible. I won from all race points even winning from the North when we were on the Scotch Route, and we might just be back there again. From some of the winning Diplomas I see 1st Open NIPA in a young bird Tramore 1250/15,459 in 1994 and another young bird Tramore 1083/12,849 in 1998. He had another 1st Open NIPA from Carnsore Point in 2002 and 1st Open in the Mullingar Area Lib 114/3357 in 2016. He had many other 1st Combine & 1st Sect B winners and in 2011 had 1st Club and 1st Mid Antrim Combine in the INFC St Malo Friendship Nat with a Chew Pied hen.
Q10. Outstanding racers and stock birds since starting the sport?
Best racer I ever had was a Blue Frans van Wildemeersch cock all told winning 12 x 1sts racing on pure widowhood. When put to stock he was a Gold Mine breeder.
Q11. What about cross channel racing both old bird and young bird?
Old Bird racing on the channel in Ballymena & District is keen and its hard to win, just the two young bird cross channel events and I have been lucky enough to win both, 1st Open NIPA Talbenny and 2nd Open INFC Penzance.
Q12. Any positions held past or present? – Any work covered at the club?
I help every week during the basketing for the various races and usually present for loading the transporter.
Q13. Special mention of anyone who helped, or influenced you in the sport? Any views for the future?
My main influence was the late Tom McCallum who passed away recently at a advanced age, raced for many years in Ballymena & Dist and finished in Harryville. Had a fantastic record from France especiall in the Kings Cup when it was flown from Nantes, and won the Hall of Fame Diploma in 1997 from St Nazaire at 554 miles. Paddy McManus from Ahoghill has been a friend for many years.
Q14. Last but not least your best result, and what was biggest disappointment in the sport?
I regard my best result winning the NIPA Talbenny YB National in 2019 with “Faith” and I had great pleasure breeding “Bertie’s Boy” for D & R Turkington of Doagh & Dist to win a Merit Award in the INFC Kings Cup. The biggest disappointment was missing the arrival of my 2nd Open INFC Penzance YB Nat when I was helping at Cullybackey Centre marking the birds for the Rosscarbery YB National. Bertie was close before in the NIPA Young Bird, a Derby in those days winning 1st Section B and 2nd Open NIPA Haverfordwest YB Derby with a chequer hen "Doreen's Choice" her photo included with this report. That race so many years ago was won by W V Troughton of Bleary in Portadown.
Q15. Anything I missed you would like to mention? Another very modest fancier who lets his birds do the talking, he has a long history of success and with more time in retirement will score many more big wins. HOMER.
Back in the day Harryville HPS members late Billy Rankin (l) and partner Bertie Blair.
Bertie Blair of Ballymena & Dist holding his Talbenny YB National winner “Faith”, he said that was his best result.
“Dorren’s Choice” winner of 2nd Open NIPA Haverfordwest in 1974
for Blair & Rankin then racing in Harryville HPS.
“Faith” won 1st Open NIPA Talbenny YB National in 2019.
Diploma for 1st Open NIPA Tramore in 1994.
Diploma for 1st Open NIPA Tramore in 1998.
“Bertie’s Boy” INFC Merit Award winner in Kings Cup for
D & R Turkington of Doagh & District.