The Bellers - NIPA Young Bird Liberation Dollymount
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From an early age (12) and reading through the RP, skipping through the pages hoping to see different pigeons and different colors for my scrap book, but in hearing the the general conversation around the clubs, members all talking about the new upcoming continental fanciers, praising their birds and races flown etc .. as a kid, I obviously couldn't say much, because what kid would of had an opinion back then? .. I know I didn't, I would have got a clip in the ear and sent on my way home, but in my own mind and even back then I was thinking, these old boys where crazy with their thought of the continental fanciers and their birds, in my own mind I was thinking how could they even think that after seeing many liberations from the (Bellers, a Dublin term used for the NIPA Liberation), because hanging around clubs and fed rooms as a kid helping load the federation transporters etc, as a kid you get the sense, that there were thousands of members sending thousands of birds and how great this race was going to be, oh how proud I was to be a young pigeon fancier.

I didn't know it yet but all of my self pride was about to change, only for the best, at an even greater magnitude when I was invited to drop down to Dollymount beach to watch the (Bellers), the first young bird release for the NIPA.... (Oh My God) a sight that was about to stay with me and has impacted my entire life forever! ...to watch the 4-5 NIPA transporters roll down the ocean estuary road, like great roman legions about to let loose a wrath of birds that would conquer the sky's around the Dublin bay.

Approaching the dollymount beach early Saturday morning seeing a line of 4-5 transporters lined on the estuary road, winds hammering the sliding curtains, liberators feeding, watering and cutting create seals, getting ready for the early release.

I don't know if the Northern Ireland fanciers really know this or not, but this event brought out, the entire population of Dublin's fanciers to witness this amazing release, fanciers lining the estuary roads and surrounding shores lines with their young families and friends, some truent kids hiding out along the beach, 2-3 miles from either side of the transporters but in directly in line with the hopes of an injured bird or two falling, the more colorful the bird the better in a child's mind...

With a great silence the liberators removed their ladders and each manning their stations and point of release, with one shout, get ready!!!!! pull........thousands and literally thousands of birds filled the Dublin sky's, feathers flying everywhere, birds in lower crates being knocked to the ground like a great massacre, even the local pair of peregrine falcons that frequent the Dublin bay, one shot right over the middle transporter taking a young bird in each claw, dropping down to the lower marsh area of the beach to feed on two young birds. With in minutes, the bright, cloud free sky turned to a completely dark sky with thousands of birds with their backs to the sun blocking the light..

A personal experience that has impacted my life forever and inspired me now at the age of 43 to build a pigeon website using my work profession and fancier experiences to create one of the leading and strongest supported pigeon sites on the internet in 2007.

Just giving back a little something that was given to me many years ago, memories of the
The NIPA Young Bird Liberation - Dollymount.

Amazing Experience!


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Ray Delaney:
PigeonNetwork.com