AlbertJ

The Summer edition of Irish Countrysports and Country Life is in the shops or FREE to READ online at www.countrysportsandcountrylife.com. Coverage of Irish game fairs, gundogs, fishing, shooting etc

At the very successful press conference staged at Parliament Buildings Stormont to launch the Game Fairs at Shanes Castle and Birr Castle, leading Irish chef Emmett McCourt launched the new Irish GO FOR GAME campaign to promote the health benefits of eating game and fish. Emmett is not only a very successful and creative chef but is also passionately involved in shooting and fishing. In fact at the Ballywalter Game Fair he was only just pipped by young casting sensation Thomas Armstrong in the distance casting competitions pushing Thomas's well known casting father Sean into third place. There have been game promotion campaigns carried out in Ireland before including the quite successful one launched and run by former BASC director Roger Pollen, until he left the organisation. BUT the new campaign will be taken to a much wider all Ireland audience through the medium of the Irish Countrysports and Country Life magazine and demonstrations at the Great Game Fairs of Ireland plus other promotional evenings. A game and fish cookery DVD is being made and Emmett's, soon to be published book, will also help spearhead the campaign. We invite all fishing, shooting and country sports irganisations to back this campaign. Emmett's next demonstration will take place at Ireland's largest Game Fair, the Irish Game Fair at Shanes Castle on the 25th & 26th June on the Irish Countrysports and Country Life magazine stand. Do drop in to see him and pledge your support for GO FOR GAME. Photo: Emmett's GO FOR GAME gets some serious political backing at Stormont from Councillor Mervyn Oswald ( Mayor of Ards; Simon Hamilton,MLA( Minister of Finance Designate) and Councillor Paul Michael (Mayor of Antrim) join Fair Director Albert Titterington and Emmett to formally launch the GO FOR GAME campaign at Stormont.

First Irish Game Fair of the season and will be one of the best ever! The new Ballywalter Game Fair under the management of the team from the Great Game Fairs of Ireland ( who organise Ireland's top fairs at Shanes Castle and Birr Castle) takes place this weekend and will be the best fair ever staged at Ballywalter. With over 130 quality stands and excellent competitions ( with prize funds only bettered by Shanes Castle) this is a fair that you should not miss. AND even better news is that if you purchase a ticket for Ballywalter you get an equivalent ticket for Shanes Castle FREE of CHARGE - giving two big days out for the price of one. To see full details visit www.ballywaltergamefair.com

The new Ballywalter Game Fair under the management of the team from the Great Game Fairs of Ireland ( who organise Ireland's top fairs at Shanes Castle and Birr Castle) takes place this weekend and will be the best fair ever staged at Ballywalter. With over 130 quality stands and excellent competitions ( with prize funds only bettered by Shanes Castle) this is a fair that you should not miss. AND even better news is that if you purchase a ticket for Ballywalter you get an equivalent ticket for Shanes Castle FREE of CHARGE - giving two big days out for the price of one. To see full details visit www.ballywaltergamefair.com

You are going to miss the best Irish Game Fair ever !

Downloadable and printable programme for the Irish Game Fair at http://www.irishgamefair.com/latest.asp Also see the launch of the Fair at Parliament Buildings, Stormont on fieldsportschannel.tv at 7pm on 23rd June and the programme on the Fair on the 30th June.

Our own photos will be published in the Summer edition of Irish Countrysports and Country Life magazine out last week May and on the www.ballywaltergamefair.com web site but the www.downnews.co.uk web magazine covered the event and their INDEPENDENT report and photos are available on their site. A big thank you from our team must go to all who turned out and made this a great start to the Irish Game Fair season. Also thanks must go to a great turnout of Terrier & Lurcher enthusiasts who appreciated the new facilities I had put in place for them. My personal thanks must go to the guys from Monkstown for the good natured response they gave to me and to the whippet owners who justified our decision to increasingly give them parity with the Terriers and Lurchers AlbertJ

Downloadable/printable guide to the Fair available in latest news on www.ballywaltergamefair.com

Country comes to Town on Monday 26th April at 12.00 noon with a preview of the Ballywalter Game & Country Living Fair. We are taking over the Town Square in Newtonards to take the Country Sports message to the people of Ards before the election. There will be horses & hounds; terrier racing; fly casting; falconry, gundog demos and Keith Mathews problem dogs clinic. The Fair takes place on the 2nd May 10 -6. www.ballywaltergamefair.com

The final course has not been decided but will take in last year's ground and a lot more including a bit of woodland. The test is being organised by Ken Lindsay & the Antrim & Down Club but we have allocated more ground as we think gundogs should be easily viewed by the public as they are the most attractive of the country sports competitions.

Springers start at 9.30 sharp on new improved and larger course. Prizes as per the web site www.ballywaltergamefair.com There are also fun events for gundog handlers such as dummy throwing contests and a gundog scurry plus a fantastic range of stands with canine products. Also introductory ticket offer in that admission price to Ballywalter includes a FREE ticket to Shanes Castle. Albert

NEW Ballywalter Game & Country Living Fair Things are looking good for the NEW Ballywalter Game Fair planned for Sunday 2nd May with over 100 stands already booked in and many more applications coming in daily. The exhibitor base is excellent with a good Gunmakers Row and an excellent range of fishing tackle and clothing on display. We are pleased that virtually all the usual UK stands will be there and a large number of new ones and we are dellighted to report that the Sporting Village in the yard is completely full with all sorts of things to interest the shooter including modern guns, antique guns including a display of John Rigby guns, taxidermy, BASC, Game Cookery, Game Keeping supplies etc. Sponsorship of events has proven buoyant with over £3,000 in prizes for the clay shooting i.e. BALLYWALTER GAME FAIR CLAY PIGEON PRIZES CLASSIFIED Top Gun : Omega Seamaster Watch RRP £1200 sponsored by Lunns 2nd £100 sponsored by Irish Countrysports & Country Life magazine 3rd Hunters Jacket sponsored by Firefly/Jack Pyke 4th Hunters Gilet sponsored by Firefly/Jack Pyke UNCLASSIFIED 1st Bettinsoli Shotgun sponsored by Donal McCloy Guns Unlimited 2nd Three Seater Garden Hammock RRP £250 sponsored by Haldane - Fisher 3rd £100 sponsored by Irish Countrysports & Country Life magazine 4th Hunters Jacket sponsored by Firefly/Jack Pyke 5th Hunters Gilet sponsored by Firefly/Jack Pyke LADIES COMPETITION Top Lady £100 sponsored by Wrights Skips Organised by the Ballycranmore & Kircubbin Clay Pigeon Club Gundogs, Terrier and Lurchers and fly casting competitions are also well sponsored and there is even a new Irish Championship - the sport of dummy throwing - both distance and accuracy! Terrier & Lurcher Events Ballywalter Game Fair 2nd May sponsored by Countryside Alliance Ireland, H & J pet Foods and Irish Countrysports and Country Life magazine Main Arena Display 12.30 Show Starts 1.00pm Prizes include Trophies & Rosettes each class Overall Champion £50 Cash plus Specially Engraved Champion’s Tankard Champion Terrier, Champion Lurcher and Champions Whippet Engraved Champion Tankards for each plus £40 Voucher for H &J Pet Food Stand, plus Pawlines Dog Leads plus Bag of Dog Food Racing over 23” ; under 23” Lurchers and Whippet Racing Top Dog in each class Trophies, Rosettes £30 Voucher for H & J Pet Foods Stand and Bag of Meal. Other prizes will be notified by PA at the demonstration at the Main Arena at 12.30. Good Parking beside the rings and race track WITHIN the main Fair. Gundogs, Terrier and fly casting competitions are also well sponsored and there is even a new Irish Championship - the sport of dummy throwing - both distance and accuracy! And don't forget to give everyone the opportunity to see this new event we are giving a special INTRODUCTORY offer of TWO SHOWS for THE PRICE OF ONE. When you purchase your ticket at the gate at Ballywalter you get a FREE ticket to Ireland's largest Game Fair at Shanes Castle.

NEW Ballywalter Game & Country Living Fair Things are looking good for the NEW Ballywalter Game Fair planned for Sunday 2nd May with over 100 stands already booked in and many more applications coming in daily. The exhibitor base is excellent with a good Gunmakers Row and an excellent range of fishing tackle and clothing on display. We are pleased that virtually all the usual UK stands will be there and a large number of new ones and we are dellighted to report that the Sporting Village in the yard is completely full with all sorts of things to interest the shooter including modern guns, antique guns including a display of John Rigby guns, taxidermy, BASC, Game Cookery, Game Keeping supplies etc. Sponsorship of events has proven buoyant with over £3,000 in prizes for the clay shooting i.e. BALLYWALTER GAME FAIR CLAY PIGEON PRIZES CLASSIFIED Top Gun : Omega Seamaster Watch RRP £1200 sponsored by Lunns 2nd £100 sponsored by Irish Countrysports & Country Life magazine 3rd Hunters Jacket sponsored by Firefly/Jack Pyke 4th Hunters Gilet sponsored by Firefly/Jack Pyke UNCLASSIFIED 1st Bettinsoli Shotgun sponsored by Donal McCloy Guns Unlimited 2nd Three Seater Garden Hammock RRP £250 sponsored by Haldane - Fisher 3rd £100 sponsored by Irish Countrysports & Country Life magazine 4th Hunters Jacket sponsored by Firefly/Jack Pyke 5th Hunters Gilet sponsored by Firefly/Jack Pyke LADIES COMPETITION Top Lady £100 sponsored by Wrights Skips Organised by the Ballycranmore & Kircubbin Clay Pigeon Club Gundogs, Terrier and Lurchers and fly casting competitions are also well sponsored and there is even a new Irish Championship - the sport of dummy throwing - both distance and accuracy! And don't forget to give everyone the opportunity to see this new event we are giving a special INTRODUCTORY offer of TWO SHOWS for THE PRICE OF ONE. When you purchase your ticket at the gate at Ballywalter you get a FREE ticket to Ireland's largest Game Fair at Shanes Castle.

Dazza, The Spectator Group of papers including the Ards Chronicle have come on board as Media Sponsors which gives us sponsored advertising, competitions and should give good editorial coverage. In addition it will be advertised widely in other media - we have a good news story to tell so we will tell it widely! Albert

I agree - why would you want to use the minimally effective weapon when you could and should use the optimal weapon to ensure a clean kill and the minimum of suffering to the animal? Of course an air rifle COULD kill a fox or indeed a person but it is MORE LIKELY simply to injure both. I have seen good experienced shots take two or more shots with a shotgun to kill a fox. AlbertJ