As
you all know I am the press officer of the Nipa
and with this title you get the privilege of
going around and seeing and handling the big
open winners in the Nipa. I’ve been to
some of the best lofts in the province and although
it gave me great pleasure seeing some of the
finest superstars in our sport I have to admit
that I was over the moon for the loft of M &
R Hamilton of Coalisland, winning the title
of Fancier of the Year in Section A.
Why you might ask? Well let
me tell you.
All you people out there that know the “Spaniard”
will see how genuine this fancier is. If you
need any help he would genuinely offer his assistance.
Only the other week he offered to wire up the
electric for myself and my new partner Kenny
Bells lofts for us and he wouldn’t take
a dime for doing this. This is what a true and
genuine fancier and dare I say a personnel friend
I class this man. When a lot of so called fanciers
have tried to knock our partnership from getting
off the ground we have had the two section fanciers
of the year in 2004 and 2005 around at some
stage giving us their help which has been much
appreciated (although some off Steve’s
jokes can be a bit off putting) but that is
his only fault? When the top men in the section
offer their assistance you wonder what all the
fuss has been about? But I know the ones that
have been doing the stirring and know doubt
me being me I will have a wee chat at some stag
with them and ask what all the fuss is about.
I believe in freedom of speech but if you have
nothing good to say about someone when they
usually don’t know the persons background
there talking about, they would be better to
keep quite! One thing about Mickey, he is a
tireless worker with the pigeons and he’s
totally dedicated and when I mean dedicated
that’s what I mean! You have heard the
saying pigeons are 365 days a year! Well they
are in this house. I’ve known this fancier
for a few years now and with my hand on heart
I am really pleased that the partnership of
M & R Hamilton have won the title that they
so deservedly deserve.
We have all come across obstacles in life which
have knocked us for six but nothing like what
this young man and children have had to suffer.
A few years back this family lost a beloved
son and to make matters worse lost a dear mother
and wonderful wife. So when I stated at the
start that I was over the moon for Mickey and
Ronan winning the coveted title, you can see
were I was coming from. Know one can imagine
how low this family must have got when troubles
came their way but I have know doubt that when
husband and devoted father Mickey and son Ronan
won the title Byran and Leon were smiling down
on them. Mickey is 100% a true pigeon man but
far more dedicated to his family. He has his
priorities right in life and this is why maybe
he is so successful. He has made his family
proud and also his club mates and friends. When
I say successful I mean successful. Since coming
back into the sport he has won 20x1st clubs
and 7x1st sections which is top class flying
from a small back garden loft. This year in
particular he has been to the front in the section
almost every week and when he phones me through
his time on a Saturday you wonder how he does
it. All you have to do is go round and see the
stock that he houses at Pinegrove and you will
see why he’s got results like these.
The stock birds are out of this world the best
Ive seen for a while. He only keeps 20 pairs
of stock and every pair has been successful
for him. The lines housed are from the best
at the Ponderosa and these are the Van Loons
and Janssen lines with top lines from his good
friend Henry Mc Laughlin off his famous Hartog
family, which have also won straight away. The
birds are of good balance and silky feather
quality with very good eyesign qualities and
a nice tight wing. You can start to see a family
of pigeons coming together and when you take
a look at the stock, you see what he’s
done in a short space of time. Last year he
finished runner up fancier of the year and as
the team grew in depth it showed this year were
they can only be described as outstanding. The
reasoning behind them getting these lines was
that when Mickey flew in the early 90`s the
Eijgerkamp pigeons were winning big so when
he restarted he saw that they were still winning
to this present day if not better? So he decided
he must have them. So with the expertise of
stud manager Tony Haynes he acquired the best
possible lines and every one that he got from
the stud have done the business, for Mickey
and Ronan. The Hartogs were know problem to
introduce as Mickey watched at first hand being
a personnel friend of Henrys the destruction
they were doing in not only Section A but also
at national level. When these were introduced
success came instantly pure and crossed into
the ponderosa lines.
The club they fly in is the strong Coalisland
and District were they could send up to 500birds
weekly when the season gets going. This is a
very strong club when you take into account
that the former four times fancier of the year,
Henry Mc Laughlin races here. This club had
also there fair share of section victories and
came close on varies occasions on topping the
mighty Nipa open and not forgetting Kevin Carolans
near miss in the Friendship national were he
finished 2nd open and nearly won a national
for the club (hope you stay in the sport Kevin).
This is the calibre of men you race against
in the Coalisland club.
As I have mentioned earlier the birds are kept
in a small compact garden with very little view
to see the bird’s race home on race days.
When they get a pigeon its on them in a flash.
The racing loft is 26ft long and of double-decker
design that has two 7ft sections for the widowhood
cocks and the rest is for youngsters. Down below,
the racing hens and stock birds are kept. The
lofts are constructed of wood and everything
is kept very neat and tidy. The stock birds
are put together on the 15th December with the
racers pared on the 29th December. All racers
rear a pair of youngsters and these are usually
sold or some given to friends to try out. The
youngsters from the stock birds form the young
bird team for that season were a total of 80
youngsters are usually raced. The lines housed
here are all crossed for racing and as the birds
are of a same type its just a matter of taking
one bird from each family and pairing them together.
Later in the year a few of the lines of the
same family are put together specifically for
stock purposes and at the end of the season
the best are selected for future stock. Before
pairing all birds in the garden would have been
treated for paratyphoid and canker. Once the
race team have reared a round of youngsters
they are split for 4 weeks before being put
onto widowhood.
The top stock pair at the moment in the garden
would have to be a lovely blue Van Loon cock
and a Janssen hen when together have bred super
pigeons lately. This season two yearling brothers
scored very well on the channel. One scored
from Bude 279 miles and took 13th open from
9,192b, and the next week from the Sennen Cove
Classic; the other brother scored 13th open
and then 22nd open from Sennen Cove 311 miles,
from a field of 7,436b.
This is not a one off either as this year six
youngsters were bred from this cock and five
are still remaining that have had every race,
with three of them scoring very well. In the
Talbenny young bird national from a field of
3,893b a daughter was 55th open and a granddaughter
was also 44th open. He is also sire to two nest
mates that were 45th and 62nd national from
the young bird Rosscarbery from a field of 6,011b.
Fast or hard days this line always comes to
the front when big results are got. This is
an exceptional cock bird and when you consider
that he is only a 02 pigeon the best is yet
to come.
Another top stock cock is a black Van Loon cock
that has bred a stack of good pigeons all of
which have made the top twenty in the section
when paired to several hens. One of his best
is a blue hen called the “57 Hen”
that has won 2x1st clubs and a 1st section.
She has been a very steady and honest racer
for the partnership and she will now be going
to the stock loft.
Another top stock cock is “Treble-One”.
This super pigeon is a direct son out of Henry
Mc Laughlin’s “Blue Devil Lady”,
that has been exceptional for Henry. “Treble-One”
in his first nest bred a bird to be 1st club
2nd section and 30th open. He also is the father
of another hen that has won 2x1st clubs and
a 1st and 2nd section from Pilmore Beach and
Rosscarbery.
A blue Janssen cock is also sire and grand sire
of 2x1st section winners. He himself has fathered
2x1st club winners and 1x1st section also a
pigeon to be 85th open in the 2003 Talbenny
Young Bird Derby. This cock is an exceptional
specimen with a top class-breeding eye.
All the old birds are raced on the widowhood
system were they are trained to fly hard as
long as possible morning and night. They like
to see the racers flying round home with zest.
You here men saying that their birds fly for
an hour or more, they don’t care if they
only fly for 15 minutes or so as long as there
going at it. Sometimes the hens are put on the
transporter maybe once a week if needed but
not the cocks. All the youngsters are placed
on the darkness and this has no detrimental
effect on them as old birds. What they usually
find is their best youngsters are usually their
best old birds anyway. “If you don’t
move with the times you get left behind”!
All the racers both old and young are fed 1
1/2oz per day of the best possible mixture available.
Sunday is a day of rest for the birds (usually
Mickey is worse for ware on a Sunday). They’re
just fed and left alone. On Monday the birds
get out in the evening and a bath is made available
for them. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
the racers get their daily exercise. They are
a big believer in keeping thinks natural and
would give the racers garlic on a Monday and
the following days cider vinegar.
All training for old birds would start around
3 weeks before the first race were they would
have as many tosses as possible from the “mountain
house” which is 28 miles back to the lofts.
They like to stagger the baskets and have them
firing out of the gun and heading straight for
home when they have them right. When they’re
doing this Mickey knows he’s got them
right. The young birds get the same regimental
training only starting slightly earlier as Mickey
likes to get them into the area libs as he has
seen that this early education with being released
from a large batch gives them great education
and sets them up ready for the section races
a few weeks later. The pigeons are raced every
week down the middle of Ireland but when it
comes to the channel they go every two weeks
as Mickey thinks the Irish Sea can take more
out of them than what fanciers realize. His
family of pigeons can win from the start right
out to Sennen Cove and this is what is needed
if you want to be successful to try and challenge
for “Fancier of the Year”.
His most memorable experience since he returned
back into the sport was winning two back-to-back
section wins at his first attempt and also the
two brothers mentioned earlier that flew brilliantly
from Bude and Sennen Cove.
Two men that Mickey would like to say a special
thank you too, are Tony Haynes manager of the
Ponderosa for his expertise on selecting him
all of his stock that have all done the business
for the partnership and also to Henry Mc Laughlin
for the birds that he got from him.
Mickey said that he thought the one-loft races
are a great avenue to get young people especially
schools involved in the sport.
His ambition in life is to continue enjoying
the sport and with the help of his family some
day if things go right win a Nipa open.
Know doubt the way they have been flying these
past few seasons it possibly could happen?
by: Bannsider
E-mail: Mcseveneyj@aol.com
