Mount Charles (1) - 24/04/10

[willie reynolds]

SOUTH DOWN FEDERATION with Brendan McLoughlin

McCartan climbs a Mount

The East Down Combine pigeons moved to a new race point for the their third race of the season, on 24 April with the pigeons being transported to Mount Charles near Nenagh in County Tipperary. The early morning was dull and overcast with patches of mist throughout the country. This cleared as the morning wore on and the pigeons were liberated at 12.30 in a south-south-easterly wind.

A south-south-easterly wind is very unfavourable for South Down fanciers and the leading Open prizewinners were all to the northern end of the Combine with Newtownbreda’s M McClure taking first and second Open.

The winner of the South Down Federation this week is Annsborough’s Patrick McCartan taking his first Federation win in what is only his second year racing. It is quite an achievement to reach that standard in such a short period. Patrick had a magnificent race here with two more birds in the Federation result at fifth and sixth.

The three pigeons timed are all yearling Soontjens from stock obtained from McKinstry Bros, Dromara in 2008. The winning pigeon is a hen while the other two are cocks. Patrick has obviously followed all the advice given by Albert and Stanley and has very quickly learned the ropes. I’m sure we will hear much more from him before the season is over and in the coming years as the first win is always the hardest to get.

I know from talking to Patrick that he very much enjoys the sport of pigeon racing and the camaraderie that exists within pigeon circles.

Mr & Mrs Irvine Tyrella are 2nd Fed this week to give them two club wins in a row. Mervyn and Philomena’s birds are certainly in top form at the moment. The pigeon timed this week is a two-year-old hen, which was bought in Belgium as a young bird from Criss Donders from Tienanf, from a Soontjens based family. While this bird was in the clock last year this is her best performance to date.
Dundrum’s A Murray & Son keep their great start to the season going taking third and fourth Fed here. They took the top eight positions in the Dundrum club this week having made a clean sweep of the top ten the previous week from Tullamore.

Their first pigeon was 1st club YB INFC Skibbereen last year and 3rd club Tullamore this year. She is a sister of the Corriens cock that was 1st south Down Fed, 1st East section, 2nd Open East Down Combine Nenagh, last year. Her mother is a half sister of the hen that they reared for Ron McKelvey, Newry, which was 1st section G and 5th Open NIPA Talbenny Young Bird Derby. It is a Corriens x Gevaert – Van Schorisse cross.

The 2nd hen is a Corriens hen being a direct daughter of the '66 ' cock winner of 10 x 1st clubs, 3x 1st South Down Feds and 1st East Section plus numerous other positions. Her dam is a daughter of the direct Corriens hen and is dam of numerous prizewinners including 1st club 5th Open EDC Portsmouth.

Last week’s winner Patrick Brown, Annsborough are in the result again at 7th Fed, with last week’s winner. This bird was 1st Fed, 1st section, and 4th Open Tullamore last week. This bird is from stock obtained from Annalong’s K Rooney & Son. The sire of the winning pigeon this week is the Lindelauf cock that won the section from Pilmore Beach in 2008. The dam is a Busschaert, which has bred a lot of prizewinners for the Rooney partnership.

Benson Bros Annsborough are 8th Fed this week with a yearling Vandenabeele hen from M & D Evans stock. This bird wasn’t raced as a young bird and has got into its race pattern very quickly.

Annsborough’s James Cleland is 9th Fed here with a Pros Roosen yearling cock from a line of prizewinners for the Newcastle Road lofts.

The result is completed by Tyrella’s S Halpin & Sons at 10th Fed. The Halpins were 2nd Open from the first race of the season from Mullingar and this was their third time second club this year after three races. The pigeon timed here is a two-year-old Wily Jacobs hen. This hen has just been timed from 2nd Mount Charles to give the partnership their fourth second club of the season.

Full Result: 1, P McCartan Annsborough 1474; 2, Mr & Mrs Irvine Tyrella 1472; 3, 4, A Murray & Son Dundrum 1471; 1470; 5, 6, P McCartan 1462, 1461; 7, P Brown Annsborough 1460; 8, Benson Bros Annsborough 1456; 9, J Cleland Annsborough 1449; 10, S Halpin & Sons Tyrella 1447:

* The second round of the Loft KO will take place this week from Fermoy. The are some interesting pairings with the top match being M Croskery v J Maguire & Ptrs.