Gold Medal Award. Article from Facebook FUSE FM Ballymeney.
Out of nearly six thousand pigeons flying 500 miles from France Tommy’s Dream just last month won a coveted gold medal award.
Tommy’s Dream is from the loft of AC & T Tweed from the Rasharkin and District Homing Pigeon Club.
Tommy, his wife Anne and son Chris from The Bravellan Road are rightly very proud of their achievement.
Tommy’s love of pigeons goes right back to 1959 when he was just 13. An old neighbour had a few pigeons and Tommy was hooked.
A gentleman called Willie Smyth gifted Tommy his first pigeons after he built his very own wee loft in 1962. As they say the rest is history!
So back to Tommy’s Dream. Four years ago It was transported to France to make it’s way back to The Bravellan Road. The bird had to navigate not only over land but also over the English Channel and the Irish Sea.
The next year it completed the journey to claim the bronze award.
Last year it completed the journey a third time which won the loft a silver medal. The Rasharkin club have only nine members and to have one of their own receiving a silver medal was a very proud moment.
There were many sleepless nights and much thought went into the decision whether or not they would send Tommy’s dream off to France one more time. If it completed the journey successfully they would collect Gold. Of course the gamble was it may not make it. Eventually they decided to go for it.
It was an anxious wait for the bird to come home. All three of the Tweeds were out checking for Tommy’s dream return and then one morning the dream turned into reality. It was a very emotional homecoming.
Next stop will be the NIPA award ceremony where the official handover of the award will be made. This has only been achieved by one or two others in the history of pigeon racing in Northern Ireland over the years.
A huge congratulations from Fuse to The Tweeds and Tommy’s Dream.
Tommy is well known for penning poems and monologues and here he tells his own story.
What a way to complete 50 years clocking pigeons from France. I clocked my first French pigeon bird in 1974. She was later called “Meadow Queen” when she won 7th open Rennes, Kings Cup 1976, winning us £784, exactly 1/3 of the price we had paid for a brand new Opel Kadett Special which cost £2250 at the time.
My gold award winner may be the furthest flying winner in the NIPA, sent sitting 10 days, flew 3 races from Roscrea 150miles. No more tosses, just flew each morning with 25 young birds, usually 1 hour+, fed on the best Van Tilburg Varimix, supplied by Henry McLaughlin. Also peanuts and sunflower hearts & iron tonic in the water.
She has won us over £1000 from her past 3 races home from France.
I’m under pressure from Anne & Chris to not race her again, but we will just have to watch this space…
Tommy Tweed holding his Gold Medal winner in 2024 Tommy’s Dream
2021 St Malo – 2nd Mid Antrim Combine, 5th Section B & 43rd Open Nipa 1980 birds velo 578
2022 St Malo – 4th Mid Antrim Combine, 7th Section B & 71st Open Nipa 1232 birds velo 280
2023 St Malo – 2nd Mid Antrim Combine, 3rd Section B & 30th Open Nipa 1309 birds velo 625
2024 Plougastel – 3rd Mid Antrim Combine, 4th Section B & 61st Open Nipa 1371 birds Velo 79
Gold Awards 2024 winning a Gold Medal & Gold Diploma (4 Times OB Nat France) –
A C & T Tweed Rasharkin & District Dk Cheq w/f hen GB19R-09182
2021 – St Malo 43rd Open & 5th Section B Vel 578, 2022 – St Malo 71st Open & 7th Section B Vel 280, 2023 – St Malo 30th Open & 3rd Section B Vel 625, 2024 – Plougastel 61st Open & 4th Section B Vel 798.
One of the major presentations was the Gold Medal awarded for a bird 4 times in the result of the OB National from France. A C & T Tweed from Rasharkin were the worthy winners in 2024 to join the list of 12 previous winners. The INFC have an equivalent award for 4 times Kings Cup and only 14 winners there, a very worthy achievement.
NIPA Gold Medal winners over the years. 2000 – Murphy & Martin of Cookstown with “Billy’s Pride”. 2001 – A Darragh Cullybackey with “Golden Dreams” and Speirs & Campbell from Cookstown with “Tommy Girl”. 2007 – A Darragh Cullybackey. 2008 – B & M Gilmore Ballyclare & District with “Easton Gold”. 2010 – S Corrigan Loughgall with “Blue Boy”. 2011 – Elliott Bros Carrick & District and B McNeide & Sons Lurgan Social with “Miss Consistance”. 2012 – C & L Fryers Dromara and W G Neill Annaghmore. 2023 – G & C Topley Laurelvale with “Honeysuckle”. 2024 – A C & T Tweed Rasharkin & District with “Tommy’s Dream”.
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