Maris Barcelona Bluebelle

[retired]

Our subject was one of the elite marathon thoroughbred racing pigeons ever produced and flown in the history of the sport. And as the subject this blue bar athlete is of special interest to me. Not alone because of its accomplishments in being the first racing pigeon to conquer the 1,000 plus miles from Barcelona into the north of Ireland as well as having flown from Nantes in France into Ireland 4 times ( 560 miles on on each occassion ) but because she was the subject of the first pigeon sport report that I ever wrote.That was in the January issue of a British monthly pigeon racing journal in 1966 under the pseudonym of 'Nomad'.

 

 

After Mairs record breaking and making accomplishment I along with some members of my family paid a visit to the Ballyclare lofts where I handled Barcelona Bluebelle. My thoughts then were of a well muscled athlete whose keel was not too deep and possessing the caste of a long distance pigeon.A product of a 30 years line bred family whose successes at the distance form of racing are too numerous to relate.In fact Barcelona Bluebelle (NU. 60.P.27779) was of the 'Old Mealy' strain based upon Jurion and Delmotte bloodlines which made the Mairs family known world-wide in the 20th Century.Containing among others such Irish National prizewinners as the renowned 'Eventide' and 'Courage'.Two of the best to have been born and raced in Irish Nationals.Our subject being the grand- daughter of 'Eventide'.

 

In my initial report I referred to our subject as a 'magnificient flying machine' and time has not dimmed that opinion. For Barcelona Bluebelle was a gem of a pigeon and when she conquered a very tough 1,000 miles plus task into the outer regions of the west of Europe she had not received any special kind of preparation.That year 1965 our 5 year old had two inland races from Arklow and Wexford followed by two races from the island of Britain namely Haverfordwest and Okehampton.The latter was just over 300 miles.She had been sitting upon eggs and on the verge of being sent to the marathon of all marathons the eggs hatched so Sandy removed the squeakers and replaced them with other young about a week old.Actions which reflect the mind of a thinking pigeoner.

 

That year of her success Sandy Mairs was reaping the rewards of good management and excellent stock for in his club he had won the Old Bird Average, the Cross Channel Average and the Long Distance Trophy.But surely the achievement of his great thoroughbred was the icing on the cake- the creme de la creme so to speak.

 

To conclude I will end this piece with a quotation from the well known British pigeon sport scribe namely 'Old Hand': "If pigeon racing resolves into a mathematical formula of time and distance, then the prime factor of the two is distance." It is the same quotation which I used all those decades ago- in the joyful days of my youth