Jim Emerton

ARTICLES

In this occasional series we aim to bring together two scribes in order to find out a little more about each of them and perhaps even discover what makes them tick. All of our writers are interesting and we kick start proceedings with two one offs Jim Emerton in conversation with Liam O’Comain

Cerebral force filed around the two characters is awesome and has Hercule Poirot would have said “We have an abundance of the little grey cells” and lights camera action.

Close encounters of the bird kind

First up is Jim who asked Liam some very probing questions

Jim your work is acclaimed world wide, do you gain much pleasure and satisfaction from this?

Liam if that is the case yes because I have an ego like all homo sapiens and I hope that what I have written will be of benefit to others.

Jim - You vigorously support marathon and international racing do you see the Barcelona international as a pinnacle of achievement?

Liam- The sport of pigeon racing is the greatest sport ever invented by man and I love racing at all distances but for me Barcelona is the marathon of all marathons for me. My love of the long distance and marathon levels arises I believe from the fact that I  was a member of a local athletic in my youth. I ran all the distances without much personal success  but during that time the marathon became my favourite race. That experience decades ago reaches across to influence my attitude today in the sport of the gods.

Jim- When did you realize that pigeons were of a special importance to you?.

Liam-In my childhood I was attracted to pigeons due late father participation in the sport in Limavady in the North of the Emerald Isle. Both of my parents were great lovers of nature and in my childhood and youth we kept dogs, cats ,hens, ducks ,turkeys ,budgies, canaries, rabbits, pigs, and even ponies although they belong a local farmer who my father worked for.

Down memory lane I tread,

There we are altogether,

Those years of joy and happiness

In the company of dear mother.

Not far from the pigeon loft

 When you recorded many a win

And those bicycles near by

Which helped to keep you trim !!!

Yes my father was known to have cycle distances up to 30 miles training his pigeons. Of course my association with his racing pigeons opened my mind to a unique part of creation the thoroughbred racing pigeon, a creature as surely blessed at Homo Sapiens. After all the pigeon is really a dove and we of the Jewish/ Christian tradition know of the importance of that icon.

Jim- Which fanciers do you admire and why?.

Liam- Of all those who are dead: Arden, Vanbruaene, Stichelbaut, VanRoy, Van Geel, Brakhuis, Delbar, Dordin, Florizoone, and Biss. They all created strains of fantastic breeders and racers at long distance and marathon levels by applying intellect as well as plain common sense. Of the fanciers who are still with us Jorna, Ben, Vander Velden, Hine, Denny, Rankin, Muller, and Denys amongst others and for the same reasons.

Jim-You have a natural ease with command of English, are you proud of being a Master of Arts?

Liam-I have always had a love of the verbal Arts although I would not consider myself a Master of the written and spoken words. This developed from having good teachers and a bit of blarney. Of course I have been an acid reader of books all my life and occasionally I would try my hand at verse. In fact I had a book of verse published some years ago entitled to paint in words.

Jim- Do you feel you can express exactly what you want to say in your writings?

Liam-I just write or type what comes and I leave it to the reader. However being human I am prone to mistakes and occasional blunder not alone in my daily affairs but also in the field of writing and reporting.

Jim- How do feelings on the mystical or god affect you life and work?

Liam-I am a great admirer of the Spanish mystic St John of the cross who’s poetry and writings on the mystical are  second to none because he lived a spiritual life at his highest level. The little Discalced Carmelite Mystic is admired  by most believers and none believers. To my knowledge he was not a pigeonier  but I have no doubt that he like me when I discourse with my broken wing (see photo) saw the Creator of all his Creations. Yes spirituality is important to me in all aspects of my life. There are many prayers offered to god when the annual pigeons races are held, in fact one agnostic fancier offers prayers for winning results when he gets to the Irish long distance events. Am I joking?

Jim-Do you think that publicity is essential has a platform for you ideas?

Liam-Yes publicity like new blood is of importance for the sport in the new millennium and if I believe I have ideas re: the sport which are worth disseminating then I wouldn’t say no to publicity.

Jim-When are you going to complete the book?

Liam- I am still working at it but hopefully next year. In relation to his content I have had to make some tough decisions such as referring to no pigeoneers in the book by the name of Jim or James.

Jim- How valuable are aspirations of perfection to you as a writer?

Liam-There are some importance for we are all fallible and therefore must search or reach for perfection Of course we will never reach it but will get as close to it as humanly possible if we are strong willed enough.

Jim - If you could make one change racing what would it be?

Liam-I wish all those who support and participate in the one loft racing movement all the best but if I could end its development I would.There is nothing that the daily contact with ones pigeons feeding, watering, cleaning, breeding, seeing to there daily flights, training, plus of course there a joy of seeing your birds arrive back at its loft after hundreds of soul destroying miles. No I don’t believe in pigeon racing adoption! .However if I was to agree the one exception to my position against one loft racing would be the Barcelona challenge.

Jim- Would you name some of your favourite birds to have flow in the  UK ?

Liam- McDonalds, Bann King and Bann Pride Mari’s Barcelona Bluebelle, Warren’s Lancashire Rose and Leathems Queen of Ireland amongst others.

Jim-Is it on the cards that fanciers in Ireland will race between 700 and 800 miles i.e. true marathon racing ?

Liam-Since my return to the sporting scene I have in a number of articles  advocated such a development and the response has been good, however as far as I am aware nothing positive has happened. So only time will tell if there exist those with the will and the talent of someone like the late Jack Leathem of Down Patrick in County Down. He was a fancier from boyhood and during a long pigeon career he swerved for a while as loft manager for the great Irish pigeoneers  E A Robinson. In fact when he won 1st and 2nd and 4th National in the Kings Cup race in 1937 Jack was his loft manager in that very same year Jack scored his most notable success as a pigeoneers. Some years earlier he had obtained a cock from another Irish  stalwart  Izaac Greenaway which sired a light   mealy hen. She in due course flew Readon (France) twice in a racing career and won 17 x 1sts 8 x 2nds 4 x 3rds  with such an outstanding racer in his loft Jack Leathem like all great pioneers dreamt dreams and asked why not? So his precious mealy hen when to Sam Sebastian with the English National Flying Club won 150th open. There were 1728 pigeons in the convoy. Now we all know or can imagine what it would be like to face an awesome task flying into Briton from Spain, but then to continue on her own across the Irish sea in the North of Ireland confirmed her as a thoroughbred  athletes. Taking everything into consideration the distance the terrain, the time in the basket and the travelling circumstances etc, Jacks mealy performed one of the greatest acts of flying in the history of pigeon racing. Although I haven’t  his measurements the distance must be approx 800 miles.

Jim- Have you had to over come hurdles in your life?

Liam- Yes starting with the  very bad arrival into this world from my mothers womb and yearly years of lung and chest problems. This was followed by years of depression and now the advent of poor  health in the winter of my life. However there are many who have experienced far worse and I sympathize with them. Life is a wonderful gift and I have much to be thankful for parents, siblings , my wife Shelia, and my children, my friends and of course my Irish nationality.

Jim-Which great artist and writers have influenced you?.

Liam-Amongst others Vincent Vangough Samuel Beckett James Joyce D H Lawrence, Patrick Pearce, Francis Ledwidge, and of course Juandla Cruz.

Jim- Do you enjoy being completive and using your opportunities .

Liam-Yes but true fully if I won a race  a trophy or cash it would be a bonus. However this is secondary to the joy of breeding or preparing a flying athlete that returns to its home from far away because of its love of home and all that it means

Jim-Is it of great significance to form your own strain of racing pigeon?

Liam-Yes but unfortunately I haven’t much of that great commodity left namely time

Jim- Does it please you to contemplate that our work will be read when we are atoms and dust?

Liam-Not really for I hope by that time to be experiencing the love of god in his presence of lofts of all lofts.

Now its Liam’s turn to grill Jim

Liam- Jim you are  a member of mensa and I congratulate you for one has to be very intelligent to be associated with a body of which many great scientists sought and were refused membership. What part has it played in your life, in general and especially in the relation to the sport of pigeon racing?

Jim-To gain access to mensa you need to pass a timed, supervised test with an IQ score in excess of 148. Since I was successful in 1987 I draw continued satisfaction and confidence from this. To pass you need not only intelligence, but a mesmeric like focus concentration and objectivity. In pigeon racing and life I have thrown myself at all the pigeon questions using my mind and all occasions’ to produce satisfactory answers. I believe I have done the extra mile to do this and further into the interior than most.

Liam-A side from your intellect you appear to be a very charitably person. For to give away flying athletes of the standards you possessed for nothing to Sid Barkel confirms the truth of my opinion. In a sense I regret that I did not know you then for I would  have liked to test your feathered athletes into the North West of Ireland.

Jim-Yes Liam since I am not  “thing” orientated I take great pleasure in giving all my things away, apart from a few cherished positions. My birds were part of my personality and that part of me will live on since they are at stud at Ryhope. I thought it vulgar to sell y birds for a fist full of dollars if you so desire you can still obtain birds of my origin.

Liam-What do you see could be improved in the sport of long distance and marathon pigeon racing today? Is it a dieing sport? What would you propose to bring more involvement of the young.?

Jim- Long distance and marathon racing are not dieing . At the top level of the sport they are being consolidated by some magnificent global performances. For many years I have been promoting this type of racing in the media and feel that my contribution to this objective has been significant. Just note the wonderful performance of Trevor Robinson in the Marseille International 2008. In order to initiate the young into the inner sanctum  of marathon racing we need to stimulate there minds and curiosity e.g. through internet programmes and school visits.

Liam-What pigeoneers including the pioneers of the sport and today’s Masters would you like to share a desert island with and why?.

Jim-To share a desert island with I would need to find the pigeoneers entertaining and stimulating. I would choose  Emiel Denys for his International wins and Barcelona Specialism and some of the Dutch men who have won the Barcelona  International at 750 plus  miles e.g. Wim van Leeuwen. From the UK I would take the great genius Jim Biss and keep him well questioned. Naturally we would require support staff and interpreters.

Liam- Would you agree that the distance fanciers of Britain and Ireland should unite under one organisation in order to progress the sport and ensure the production of athletes and managers of the likes of the late Frank Stubbs who finished in the top six of the Barcelona International?

Jim- In order to unite Britain and Ireland I would organise through the BICC  a massive send to the Internationals especially Barcelona. This would be good for international relations and develop some great birds and fanciers. By this type of vision and idealism progress is made.

Liam- Did the sport or more specifically, pigeons influence you in the question posed in the song “what’s it all about Alfie” That is the question of human existence.

Jim- My infinity with pigeons and nature has helped me to answer all the questions of my human existence. We are here to  develop ourselves in an acceptable if not perfect form and for many two replicate the species. The answer to the human life questions are those which are acceptable to the individual e.g. if believing a cabbage gives you faith then so be it. The individual is paramount within the sea of humanity. If you look at a live pigeon you can soon realize that everything is one.

Liam-Seven has been known traditionally as the mystical number, therefore I will end my questioning with the following can you envisage a return to the sport (aside from you writing about it) in this life time or the next.

Jim-Liam I am a mystic yet I do not believe that I will ever return to the sport in this life. Life after the death of the physical form may be possible. I rest in in the knowledge that I reached a satisfactory level in the sport when I was racing .I have moved on and secured my self  a place in the consciousness of many. I have made my mark over space and time.

Well folks how do you follow that?

A real treat for all those who find results and presentation list a little boring!!! By the way the answer to the last weeks mensa puzzle was the letter N