Review: For many people around the world, they are talking about the problems that plague city streets. But, for a few, these “little birds with pea-sized brains” are truly special.
Using their ability to find their way “home” from afar, pigeon racing has been described as “the sport of kings and queens, presidents and commoners, millionaires and movie stars”.
However, Dublin baker and pigeon fancier John O’Brien believes that it’s “uneducated” nature is one of the secrets to its popularity.
A member of the Clondalkin Pigeon Club, he is one of the characters in Gavin Fitzgerald’s fascinating and eye-opening documentary (which starts on Sky TV’s Rialto Channel at 8.30pm on Thursday, June 29).
The Irish manager, who has previously focused on singer Liam Gallagher and boxer Conor McGregor, is doing an excellent job not only of providing a good introduction to sports, but also politics and controversy.
O’Brien himself finally admitted that “rich pigeon men” are in a different race than he and his teammates, while the American experts Mike and Debbie Ganus have admitted that winning races only helps to raise the price where the money is – in breeding.
It has been given
For many people around the world, pigeons are cooing on city streets. But, for a few, these “little birds with pea-sized brains” are truly special.
Mike Ganus, who sends a flock of birds to international competitions to increase his chances of winning, believes that “jealousy is one of the greatest evils of sport”. “But nobody says what I’m doing is stupid… well, maybe one or two…
British professional Paul Smith has spoken out, saying his birds dominated so much that a petition was launched to kick him out of his club – signed by his father and brother-in-law. Even O’Brien, with his modest ambitions, knows success: “When you’re a good flyer, you’re welcome as a passenger in the air.”
As we meet them, all three have one goal – to compete in the 2020 edition of the South African Million Dollar Race. Despite the entry fee of $1,000, more than 9,000 pigeons from 40 countries were registered to compete for a grand prize of $300,000 in the event where all the birds are trained and cared for by a team in one loft. But just like New Zealand’s film festival of avian competition – the 2017 Pecking Order – Fitzgerald’s cameras saw something they didn’t expect to happen.
It has been given
Dublin baker and self-confessed pigeon fancier John O’Brien is one of the iconic figures featured in the film A Million Pigeons.
What follows is compelling, slightly terrifying and jaw-dropping, so much so that Fitzgerald’s attempt to provoke is a glimpse into the coming scene in Thailand. While extolling the virtues of transparency and being with all the female “fosters” (who call themselves “Dog Heart”), it’s clear that all of the interviewees are still getting what went down in South Africa the hard way. shake it.
But what’s also clear is that this is a game in a broader sense. Increased interest rates from Asia are driving up bird prices on stock markets. Belgian pigeon New Kim sold for NZ$2.87m to a Chinese buyer.
Just flying out of curiosity, or the real idea of a bird? It cannot answer this question honestly, but these informative and interesting articles may give some insight into why some people are interested in taking up flutter in pigeon racing.
Million Dollar Pigeons will be shown on Sky TV’s Rialto Channel at 8.30pm on Thursday, June 29. It is also available to stream on iTunes.
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