Homers Odyssey - Loft Feature J Eagleson & Sons (Ballymena)
Johnston Eagleson & Sons - Ace loft in Ballymena & District
This is a story from the beginning when the Eagleson Busschaerts began to shine in Ireland right up to the current pigeons raced in the present day. Johnston Eagleson was born and raised in Ballymena in 1949, after leaving school he raced a few pigeons for fun, played for his local football teams on a Saturday morning and afternoon and also done a bit of sea angling. The pigeon bug had never left Johnston and in 1982 at the age of 33 he decided to take up pigeon racing again.
Johnston Eagleson ace racer in Ballymena & District HPS.
Four Busschaert pigeons were purchased from Louella Pigeon World, these being 'Longneck', 'Louella', 'Little brother' and 'The Blue Hen'. The bloodlines of the new stock included Parkside Superman, Palmer's Boy, Mew, Firefly, Sister Sue, Dynamic Consistent, Big Brother, Jubilee Jet, Triple Crown and Madame Crayonne. A couple of birds were also acquired from Des Power who raced in Ballymena & District at the time, one of these birds would later be called 'Desdemona'.
Long Neck
The partnership of Johnston Eagleson & Sons (myself and brother's John & Bryan) was formed and the loft joined Harryville HPS for young bird racing in 1983. Success followed quickly topping the Mid Antrim Combine & Section B from the fifth young bird race from Wexford with a pencil cock 'Greedy' which when retired at 5yo had won 6 x 1st and would later be the sire and grandsire of many top winners.
Unfortunately, one the original's 'The Blue Hen' escaped from the stock loft and Johnston's wife Val who knew the pigeon's like the back of her hand selected a replacement from the British Homing World. This hen would be known as 'Val's Choice' and she contained the bloodlines of Jolly Roger, Shy Lass, Mannequin, Mew and Parkside Wonder Woman and she too would become a fantastic stock hen. Latebreds were kept for stock, and a blue racing cock 'Seventy' that had topped the Mid Antrim Combine was also retired at an early age. 'Seventy' was out of 'Longneck' and 'The Blue Hen' and this was to retain the blue hen's bloodline. It was a masterful decision by Johnston as 'Seventy' went on to sire 2nd Open INFC Sennen Cove Yearling National and grandsire 2nd Open INFC Penzance YB National. Another blue pied cock was introduced in 1985 and he would be called 'Superboy' Breeding of this cock was Parkside Superman, Dynasty, Hollywood, Pretty Fancy and Palmer's Boy and a blue w/f hen 'Cinderella' was purchased too and she was a full sister to the original 'Louella' hen. The foundations of the loft were in place and very little more stock was added over the next twenty years.
Louella
First of the major wins came in 1987 when 'Eddie' won 1st Section & 1st Open NIPA Arklow with 17,095 birds competing. The sire of 'Eddie' was a son of 'Little Brother' and 'Val's Choice' and the dam was a daughter of 'Longneck' and 'Val's Choice'. 'Eddie' when retired would later be the sire of 'Ned' a winner of 30 prizes and 1st Section Talbenny.
Eddie
In the same 1987 season the loft won 1st Open NIPA Old Bird National from Guernsey with 'Big Harry' 404 miles. Sire of 'Big Harry' was 'Sixteen' a son of the originals 'Longneck' and 'Louella' and the dam was 'Desdemona' one of the hens Johnston acquired from Des Power when he started up. 'Sixteen' turned out a top stock cock and the year previous bred 2nd Open NIPA Lochgilphead and would later sire 10th Open NIPA Talbenny YB National and 8th Open INFC Sennen Cove Yearling National. The loft also won 1st Section & 5th Open Penzance OB Classic and 10th Open INFC Penzance Yearling National and along with other top Open positions in 1987 and at the end of the season Johnston was awarded both the NIPA and Northern Ireland fancier of the year awards.
Big Harry
'Linda Ann' was the next of the big winners when in 1989 she won 2nd North Section & 2nd Open INFC Sennen Cove Yearling National 331 miles. An excellent racing hen winning prizes as a young bird and as a yearling 1st Fed & 1st Open Northern Ireland Channel Fed from mid-week Arklow. Her first NIPA race of the '89 season was from 1st Talbenny were she won 1st Club and 3rd Section. She was then entered in the Yearling National and won 2nd Open INFC and £2562. After this race she was retired to stock and became a top breeder. Sire of 'Linda Ann' was 'Seventy' and the dam 'Val's Choice'.
Linda Ann
A blue pied cock 'Stormin' Norman' was next on the scene with over 60 positions and 17 x 1st on his CV. 'Stormin' was a fantastic racer topping the Combine on four occasions 4000 birds and 3 x 1st Section 6000 birds. In his last eight races he made the top 20 of the Mid Antrim Combine on each occasion and at the age of 2 was retired to the stock loft. Sire of Stormin' Norman was a good blue racing cock '50'. He was a grandson of Longneck, Louella and Val's Choice. His dam was a daughter of 'Superboy' & 'Val's Choice'.
Stormin Norman
In the same 1991 season 'Valda' emerged as the next Champion. She like 'Stormin' won the big Ballymena & District club a record 3 weeks on the trot, this when on average 35 members would be sending 600-800 birds weekly. During that period 'Valda' won 4th Open Nipa Arklow and was then entered in the INFC blue riband Penzance YB National 328 miles where she won 2nd Open INFC £1500 and new Vauxhall Nova car. Two other arrivals would finish 19th & 36th Open INFC National. Sire of 'Valda' was 'Greedy' and the dam was 'Linda Ann' who herself was 2nd Open INFC Sennen Cove Yearling National only 2 years previous.
Valda
Two years later 'Double Delight' was the next star when from a tough Penzance she won 1st Open NIPA and 1st Open NIPA Penzance Classic. Sire was a half-brother to 'Parkside Superman' which I forgot to mention was brought in two years previous and the dam was 36th Open in the Penzance YB National two years before and she was out of 'Greedy' & 'Linda Ann'. The Classic win enabled the Eagleson Loft to be one of a select few which had won both the NIPA OB National & Classic events.
Double Delight
After 'Stormin' Norman' was sold to Louella Pigeon World the loft's acquired a direct son of 'Stormin' Norman' when paired to an inbred daughter of 'Champion Adam'. This new introduction a chequer pied cock named 'T66' would become the new No1 stock cock and take Johnston to newer levels. In the first season's breeding from T66 he was paired to 'Precious Lass' This hen was a daughter of 'Stormin' Norman' and '375' (Superboy & Louella) The pair hit it off straight away and from their first nest in 1997 a chequer cock and a blue cock were bred. The chequer cock was placed 12th Section & 103rd Open in the Nipa Talbenny YB National and a week later won 1st North Section & 1st Open INFC Penzance YB National 328 miles and £1726. The National winner was named 'Precious Memories' after Johnston and Val's son Bryan who was sadly killed in a car crash only three years previous. A second arrival was clocked in the National to win 17th Open and secured the INFC Best 2 bird Average Cup. The National win was well deserved having previously been runner up twice in INFC Nationals in the past. The blue nestmate cock to 'Precious Memories' was named 'Storm trooper' and he too was an excellent racer winning many firsts and would have won many more but for some poor trapping. Two weeks after 'Precious Memories' won the Penzance National Storm trooper was sent to the INFC Skibbereen YB National where he was clocked in a tough race to win 3rd Combine and 39th Open INFC. This result won the Eagleson Loft the Best Average in the two INFC YB Nationals. What made is so remarkable was the fact it was achieved with nestmates.
Precious Memories
The following 1998 season 'True Grit' was to be the next Open winner housed at the loft's after she won 1st Section and 1st Open NIPA Bude 287 miles. This turned out a very tough race with the blue w/f hen's winning velocity 860. She was bred from a daughter of the original's 'Longneck' & 'Louella'.
True Grit
Next big winner was a blue pied cock 'Champion White Cheeks'. One of the best racers to fly to the loft's winning 40 positions, 9 x 1st and £2000. As a yearling he won 92nd Open Rosscarbery OB Inland National and then 17th Open INFC Sennen Cove Yearling National. His best ever season was in 1999 as a 3yo. In the opening race from Arklow he won 1st Section & 1st Open NIPA 11670 birds followed by 11th Section & 70th Open Nipa Arklow 20629 birds, 31st Section Rosscarbery OB Inland National, 1st Mid Antrim Combine & 4th Open Nipa Tramore 8724 birds, 2nd Open New North Flying Club Tramore + T3 Clock, 4th Section & 14th Open Nipa Penzance 6113 birds and 4th Section & 13th Open Nipa Penzance OB Classic. These results and other performances won 'White Cheeks' the RPRA Irish sprint Champion, RPRA Irish Any Distance Champion, 3rd Overall for RPRA British Sprint Champion and the Tony Cornwell Memorial Cup for RPRA Best British All Round Performance Champion 1999. Sire of 'Champion Whitecheeks' was a blue pied cock 'Voucher' who's racing record was truly fantastic winning over 50 positions including 6 x 1st and placed 1st, 3rd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 5th, 6th, 6th, 7th, 11th, 14th, 15th, 16th & 17th in the Mid Antrim Combine with an average of 4000 birds at the time. 'Voucher' was bred from Little brother paired to a daughter of Superboy & Louella. The dam of White Cheeks was a daughter of 'Louella'.
Champion White Cheeks
The 2001 season saw another star emerge from the loft's a 2yo chequer pied hen. She had won many prizes right up to Open level in the INFC Skibbereen YB National of '99. A bad trapping hen that was first to the loft many times on training and race days but never trapped, she would just sit on the house ariel hence she got the nickname 'Ariel'. As a 2yo she was sent to the NIPA Lamballe OB National 470 miles and after 14 1/2 hours fly she arrived and trapped perfectly to win 1st Section & 1st Open NIPA Lamballe OB National velocity 960ypm. Only 12 birds were recorded on the day of liberation. The hen would be given the new name 'Northern Lass' and retired to stock. She won the RPRA Irish Distance Champion award and also the British Homing World Shy Lass cup for best British hen flying over 400 miles in 2001. Sire of Northern Lass was 'R24' and he was bred from 'Nikita' (Superboy & 375) 'R24' was another top breeding cock having also bred 1st Section & 9th Open NIPA Bude in another tough race. The dam of Northern Lass was 'Top Lady' and she was bred from 'T66' & 'Precious Lass'. Top Lady was a full sister to 'Precious Memories'.
Northern Lass
Two years after the Lamballe National win Johnston retired from the sport having won 8 x 1st Open in the mighty NIPA and 4 x 2nd Open NIPA, 1 x 1st Open INFC National and 2 x 2nd Open INFC Nationals, 57 x 1st Mid Antrim Combine & 44 times runner up and 35 x 1st Section B & 21 times runner up.
Major results 1983 - 2001 only 1st & 2nd Open results included.
2nd Open NIPA Lochgilphead 13417 birds 1984
5 x 1st Mid Antrim Combine 1985 (A record at the time)
1st Open NIPA Arklow 17095 birds 1987
1st Open NIPA Guernsey OB National 1996 birds 404 miles 1987
Northern Ireland Fanciers of the year 1987
NIPA Fanciers of the year 1987
1st Open NIPA Bude 3 Bird Championship Club 1988
1st & 2nd Open Northern Ireland Channel Fed Midweek Arklow 1989
1st Open Northern Ireland Channel Fed Midweek Arklow 1989
2nd Open INFC Sennen Cove Yearling National 331 miles £2562 1989
2nd Open NIPA Wexford 3843 birds 1990
2nd Open INFC Penzance YB National 2576 birds 328 miles £1500 & Car 1991
9 x 1st Mid Antrim Combine (Record at the time) 1991
6 x 1st Section B (Record at the time) 1991
NIPA Section B Fanciers of The Year 1991
3rd Overall for NIPA Fanciers of The Year 1991
2nd Open NIPA Wexford 2814 birds 1992
1st Open NIPA Penzance 7658 birds 1993
1st & 4th Open NIPA Penzance OB Classic 2825 birds 1993
NIPA Section B Fanciers of the Year 1993
R/U Northern Ireland Fanciers of the Year 1993
Mid Antrim Combine OB Fanciers of the year 1994
Mid Antrim Combine Champion OB of the year 1994
Mid Antrim Combine OB Fanciers of the year 1995
Mid Antrim Combine OB Fanciers of the year 1996
1st Open INFC Penzance YB National 2364 birds 328 miles £1726 1997
1st Open NIPA Bude 287 miles velo 860 1998
1st Open NIPA Arklow 11670 birds 1999
Mid Antrim Combine Champion OB of the year 1999
RPRA British all round performance Champion of the year 1999 ' Champion Whitecheeks'
Mid Antrim Combine OB Fanciers of the year 2000
1st Open NIPA Lambelle OB National 1501 birds velo 959 14 1/2 hours on the wing 2021
2nd & 3rd Open NIPA Malahide 11245 birds 2001
NIPA Section B Fanciers of the year 2001
I think most will agree this is an incredible list of results flying up into Ballymena for 20 years.
In the years that followed the retirement Johnston acquired a few finches, quail and bantams and also reared a few turkeys to give him something to do although like most pigeon men when the bug's there it's there and around 2013 he decided to gathering new stock to have another crack at the racing.
Stock acquired at present mainly consists of Louis Thijs, Van Den Brande and Lambrechts from two of Ireland's top racer's and breeder's Paddy & William McManus of Ahoghill and Lambrechts from another of Ireland's top men Danny Dixon of Ballymoney plus self-sourced Van Den Bulck and Hereman Ceusters. A few kits of young birds were purchased from Jackie Steele of Rasharkin's top Lambrecht family of birds and they also performed very well topping the Mid Antrim Combine on a number of occasions. There's also a few Busschaerts still knocking about down from the Champion's 'Whitecheeks' 'Stormin' Norman' and 'Northern Lass' still getting good prizes.
Louis Ttitjs Cock
Recent top results include.
1st & 5th Section & 11th & 78th Open NIPA Skibbereen OB Inland National 5234 birds 2016
1st & 2nd Mid Antrim Combine & 1st & 2nd Section Fermoy 2016
Mid Antrim Combine Champion Old Bird of the Year 2016
1st Section & 35th Open NIPA Fermoy 5 Bird 2241 birds 2017
1st Mid Antrim Combine, 2nd Section & 29th Open NIPA Talbenny YB National 3572 birds 2017
1st Mid Antrim Combine & 6th Open INFC Penzance YB National 2251 birds 2017
1st Mid Antrim Combine Skibbereen YB National INFC 2017
Mid Antrim Combine Champion Young Bird of the Year 2017
6 x 1st Mid Antrim Combine 2017
Mid Antrim Combine Champion Old Bird of the Year 2019
NIPA Section B Champion OB 2019
1st Mid Antrim Combine & 1st Section B NIPA Skibbereen OB Inland National 2020
1st Mid Antrim Combine & 1st Section B Talbenny 2020
1st Mid Antrim Combine & 1st Section B Gowran Park 2022
5th, 7th, 8th, 30th, 34th Section & 29th, 43rd, 46th Open NIPA Skibbereen OB Inland National 4363 birds 2022
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 16th, 17th Mid Antrim Combine & 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 20th, 21st Section Fermoy 2022
Section B OB Inland Champions 2022
1st Section & 4th Open NIPA Penzance 5019 birds 2023
1st Section & 3rd Open NIPA Penzance OB Classic 1905 birds 2023
2024 Season
The 2024 racing season was another top one for Johnston Eagleson & Sons who finished the season winning 5 x 1st Mid Antrim Combine and 3 x 1st Section B. They also won NIPA Section B Champion Old Bird of The Year with 'William's Choice' and NIPA Section B Old Bird Inland Champions.
Williams Choice
In the Mid Antrim Combine they won Old Bird Points Champions, Old bird Inland points and the Old bird inland average.
Some of the top results 2024
1st, 2nd, 6th, 9th, 11th Section & 39th, 42nd, 59th, 66th & 74th Open 19875 birds NIPA Roscrea
2nd Mid Antrim Combine & 4th Section 2831 birds Roscrea
1st, 18th, 19th, 20th Mid Antrim Combine, 2nd, 35th, 36th, 37th Section 3158 birds NIPA Fermoy
6th, 10th, 18th Mid Antrim Combine & 6th, 11th, 20th Section 1363 birds NIPA Dale
1st, 2nd, 10th, 15th, 24th, 46th Section & 19th, 83rd, 119th, 149th, 231st Open 6850 birds NIPA Dale
7th, 9th, 11th, 14th Mid Antrim Combine & 10th, 12th, 16th, 25th Section NIPA Bude
2nd, 3rd, 6th, 10th, 16th, 23rd, 24th, 25th Mid Antrim Combine & 4th, 5th, 8th, 13th, 23rd, 43rd, 45th, 47th Section Fermoy
2nd, 15th, 16th, 21st Mid Antrim Combine & 3rd Section Fermoy 5 Bird
1st, 6th, 10th, 16th, 17th, 18th Mid Antrim Combine & 4th, 10th, 14th Section NIPA Skibbereen Yearling National
1st, 2nd & 9th Mid Antrim Combine & 1st, 6th, 20th, 45th, 46th, 47th Section NIPA Fermoy
2nd Mid Antrim Combine & 3rd Section 2398 birds Kilbeggan
5 x 1st Mid Antrim Combine 2024
3 x 1st Section B 2024
NIPA Section B Champion OB 2024
NIPA Section B OB Inland Champions 2024
Mid Antrim Combine Old Birds Points Champion 2024
The win record in the Mid Antrim Combine and Section B now stands at 83 x 1st Mid Antrim Combine & 74 x 2nd Mid Antrim Combine and in the Section 48 x 1st Section B & 35 x 2nd Section B
Ch 09 Ch 38 Blue 22 Blue Diamond
De 41 Desdomana Emma
Kittle Hen Paddy’s Gift Rosie Superboy The Dirk
Mervyn Eagleson - Mid Antrim PO.
HOMER - Willie Reynolds
Tel/Fax: (028) 256 44683
Mobile: 07538 238364
Twitter: willie reynolds@homerbhw>
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http://www.irishnationalflyingclub.com
