It’s
been a constant but enjoyable balancing act for Henry McLaughlin
since the formation of the Coalisland based “Blue Devil
Lofts” in 1998. The lofts are sited on the Derryvarne
Road, which lies about 3 miles outside of Coalisland town itself.
As for racing he is a very competitive member of the Coalisland
& Dist HPS, which in turn is affiliated to Section A of
the Mighty NIPA.
Pigeons
have been about the McLaughlin household in some form or fashion
since 1993 but after many long hours of work on a daily basis
equally long weeks and months with mediocre results Henry thought
long and hard before going about pigeon racing properly in 1998.
Following continual research of the years Henry set his stall
out to purchase a line of pigeons that had proven themselves
time and time again against strong competition from the shortest
to the extreme middle distance, in other words a strain of winning
pigeons that would handle the tasks asked of them with regards
the testing Irish Pigeon Racing that this country beholds.
During the
late 1990’s the Hartog strain was what was classed as
the “in strain” nearly to the point at times were
strains of pigeons are a fashion statement for many, even still
to this present day many strains pop up all over the continent
with hugely inflated price tags, these are generated by inflated
prices being paid at public auctions in full view of many concerning
pigeon fanciers, and it is merely this that’s sets the
stall for the price and demand in the days, months and maybe
years that are to follow (or not).
Fortunately
in the 1990’s this wasn’t such a big occurrence
and the Hartog strain to this day is raced and won with, by
many fanciers in every part of the world. Henry didn’t
waste much time in purchasing from the master himself namely
Mr Rodger Lowe, still a very common name and much talked about
fancier 10 years after his Clearance Sale of 1998 when speaking
to many which I do in this field of work. You would have to
say that Henry’s pursuit in search for an over-all prize
winning family of pigeons was timed to perfection with regards
Rodgers entire Clearance Sale.
Having made
several phone calls and conducted a massive amount of research
he set about booking flights to make sure he was to be at the
sale in plenty of time to handle his 10 purchases that day in
what has proven to be the founding strain of the “Blue
Devil Lofts” Empire, when I say Empire that’s exactly
what I mean.
Henry is
a full-time mechanic and works every hour god sends fortunately
the business is sited to the rear of the substantial family
owned land. But Henry being Henry he refuses nobody, often putting
himself under immense pressure trying to please all and if it
weren’t for the unparalleled support and assistance of
his good wife Siobhan he openly admits to not being able to
race pigeons for it is the good lady who often accompanies the
hampers to the Club on basketing night.
After purchasing
the Hartogs at Rodgers clearance sale Henry set about adding
and breeding them into his own already established family, a
family of pigeons that collectively were already producing the
goods just not for him but many fanciers around the country,
but over-all they weren’t holding their own from every
distance. One of the most successful pigeons inside the stock
loft was one purchased from Thompson Bros of the Maze just outside
Lisburn, this being a full sister to Jeff’s 2nd Open Yearling
National and Car Winner which was of Lefebre Dhaenens breeding
coming down from the family once owned and sold at Blackpool
that being the famous Loughy Brennan of Killyleagh.
Time is
very important as I am sure many of you the readers are more
than aware with regards pigeon racing, unfortunately Henry no
longer has the time that he once did when setting out in 1998
to form a family of prize winning pigeons, so over the last
couple of years he has bred and sold pigeons privately rather
than putting them to public auction, and I would have to say
he has a very good record of supplying the goods. Not surprising
of course as he himself was NIPA Section A Fancier of the Year
in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 before taking a break from racing
in 2004.
You would
have to admit the family that he had set out to build has more
than achieved what he has requested of them. In all since the
introduction of the Rodger Lowe Hartog’s into his own
established family he has won countless 1st Club’s, no
less than 25 x 1st Section A Diploma’s including many
top Open results both with the NIPA and INFC, and also not forgetting
RPRA Awards. Just having a check through the results already
in 2008 with very little effort Henry McLaughlin has finished
1st Section A Roscrea, 1st, 4th & 7th Section A Clonmel
(1,853 Birds); 1st Section A & 2nd Open NIPA Fermoy (5,657
Birds); 5th Section A & 9th Open NIPA Rosscarbery O/B Inland
National (6,990 Birds)
As for the
breeding of winners or should I say what we know, as in the
pigeon game you will not always hear if your pigeons have been
successful with other fanciers, this is an occurrence that more
times happens than not. I have collated a few performances over
the last couple of years with pigeons obtained from “Blue
Devil Lofts” again Henry also doesn’t keep a lot
of records, so these have just been knocked together with the
assistance of “Homer”:- Richard Corey (Coalisland)
1st Section A Kilkenny 2005, 1st Section A & 4th Open NIPA
Bude 2005; Willie McCarthy (Dublin) 1st Open Irish South Road
Federation Talbenny; Henry Beattie (Laurelvale) 1st Section
E & 6th Open NIPA Kilkenny (25,214 birds); M & R Hamilton
(Coalisland) 2 x 1st Section A also 2nd Open Yearling Cocks
National 2006; G Buckley & Son (Annaghmore) 2nd Open Irish
National Flying Club Sennen Cove Y/Bird National 2006; Kevin
Carolan (Coalisland) 2nd Open Picauville O/B National (420 miles);
Tom Nelson (Dublin) 1st Open Irish South Road Federation Wadebridge
2005; Prunty & Larkin 1st Open INFC Skibbereen O/B National,
and 1st Open NIPA Talbenny Y/B National, also bred the Dam of
Donnelly Brothers (Newry City) 3rd Open INFC Skibbereen O/B
Inland National 2008, 9th Open INFC Yearling National, as well
as 24th Open NIPA Rosscarbery.
With reading
all above you would have to say that the “Blue Devil Lofts”
are in Red Hot Form. Like every top class operation you are
always searching for something just to keep you up among the
leaders in any given sport, Henry is no different and has brought
in a few Soontjens over the last number of months, these he
will try for a couple of seasons to see how they perform before
blending them into the already established set up. For stock
pigeons there are many with all the main pairs kept in individual
breeding boxes, this ensures that every nest of youngsters are
on the same level of fullness when weaned, as Henry quotes when
you have them in their own box they can eat and drink when they
need, there is plenty of room and no other inmates harassing
them when feeding the youngsters, this will allow for every
nest pair to be equal when weaned doesn’t matter what
time of the year it is, were as if they were roaming freely
in a stock loft you will always find that come the 3rd or 4th
round from you main stock will always not be as good as your
1st round. This problem seems to be eradicated with the individual
breeding boxes. The 27 purpose built boxes are housed in a custom
made 40ft enclosed trailer with fitted lighting and extraction.
These will be the main pairs but many more are housed in aviaries
around the back of the garages where the daily work is attended
to. As you would imagine winner after winner then multiple winner
it doesn’t matter where you turn they are all there. Seen
a lot of the old originals now responsible for four or five
generations of winners.
Handled
many of the top birds, too many to mention in this column to
be fair would take a weekend to go completely around the complete
setup. Some of the ones that come to mind “Blue Devil
73” Blue cock 2000 bred he is sire of “Ballybay
Henry” winner of the Skibbereen O/B National for Prunty
and Larkin as well as 5th Open and 10th Open prizes, now back
with Henry at Blue Devil Lofts were he has bred a 1st Section
Roscrea and 4th Section, 9th Open Rosscarbery O/B National already,
“Blue Devil 73” is also G/Sire of 2nd Open Picauville
O/B National, G/Sire of 2nd Open INFC Yearling National, G/Sire
of 1st Section A & 2nd Open Fermoy the same pigeon was also
3rd Section A Five Bird Mallow. A full sister to him I also
handled 2001 bred she was 1st Section A & 2nd Open NIPA
Swansea Y/B National the loft also finished 2nd Section A &
18th Open that year with only 124 birds home from over 4,000
liberated. She was put to stock as “Swansea Lady”
and has bred numerous top class pigeons including 2 x 1st Section
winners for Henry himself. In the past she was mated to “Blue
Devil Clickity Click” an Ace Racer with no less that 3
x 1st Section success’s to his name they as a pair produced
a 1st Open winner for Tom Nelson of Dublin from Penzance, a
very good friend.
A full brother
to “Blue Devil Clickity Click” is “Blue Devil
Wild Boy” you can guess why he has that name he also a
winner of 2 x 1st Sections. In the previous paragraph I mentioned
about “Ballybay Henry” bought back at the clearance
sale of A Smyth & Son of Ballymena a couple of season’s
ago, A Smyth & Son having previously purchased him at the
Clearance sale for Prunty & Larkin a few years ago. Now
Ballybay Henry was mated to “Blue Devil White Flight”
on his return she has already produced 4 x 1st Section winners
and as quoted above they have produced a 1st Section A Roscrea
and 4th Section A & 9th Open Rosscarbery O/B Inland National
since entering the stock loft (Trailer). Now “Swansea
Lady” and “Blue Devil 73” are brother and
sister coming down from the founder of many generations of Section
winners namely the 1999 bred “Blue Devil Lady” (see
photo). Then you have “Blue Devil Treble O” a 1999
bred Blue Cock he has produced 3 generations of Champions his
C.V. includes no less than 5 x1st Section winners and he was
also G/Sire to Prunty & Larkin’s Talbenny Y/B National
Winner.
“Blue
Devil Darkie” Busschaert/Janssen 1999 bred Dark Cock already
sire of 3 x 1st Section A Winners plus a 1st Open Winner he
is bred down from a pigeon purchased from a good friend of my
own Paddy McManus of Ahoghill when mated to a Janssen hen purchased
from Mick Fitzhugh of Newcastle. Another one that comes to mind
2001 bred Cheq Cock he is a nest mate of Prunty & Larkin’s
best breeder known as “Wingy” he also has bred a
1st Section winner. As I stated earlier I could go on and on
the lofts are awash with winner after winner, breeder after
breeder. I have included a few bird photos in this article for
you to witness the sheer class and similarities displayed throughout
this Empire of a family.
I have compiled
some loft profiles in my time, with Henry you will not find
a more basic system for racing, the O/Birds are raced Roundabout,
around 50, and all 80 of the youngsters will be put on the Darkness
System. Feeding is the exact same for O/Birds and Young “Gerry
Plus” as much as they want the hopper is never empty.
With the O/Birds they will be tossed around 8 times before the
start of the season and that is it, no more tossing once racing
commences. Henry was one of the first to practice this theory
during his explosive racing campaign that seen 4 x Section A
Fancier of the Year crowns on the bounce, during one of those
years he also won 6 x 1st NIPA Section A Diploma’s in
a row, how is that for racing. Purely he puts this down to operating
this system flying around the home once per day, feeding in
with them at all times and no tossing after the first race.
Many more of the Coalisland Club members are starting to follow
suit and anybody who follows the racing in Northern Ireland
will know how well this area is doing now on a weekly basis.
The Y/Birds on the other hand will get as much tossing as possible
before the start of the Y/Bird season with the first toss around
8 miles with the furthest 35 miles, they will then be brought
back to 25 miles and kept there. When racing starts they will
still be tossed but will be reduced to 3 times per week Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday. The youngsters come off the Darkness
System on the 15th of June and up until then they would have
been reared on a mixture of Breeding and Y/B Special. Barley
will then be added to their diet to start the process of ranging,
they are kept on deep litter with the O/Bird lofts scraped once
per day. The water fountains are changed once per day with the
usual Garlic and Vinegar added occasionally during the week.
The only other additive is Propel.
I would
like to thank Henry and wife Siobhan for their hospitality during
my visit, I also know that same hospitality is extended to many
members of the Coalisland Club for a cooked Sunday breakfast
weekly. I have absolutely no doubt that the Blue Devil Lofts
will be producing many more winners over the coming months and
years and I very much look forward to maybe one day returning
to this fine pigeon empire.
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