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2026 IKC CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWS
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2024 was eighty years since the formation of Newtownards & District Canine Club, and Saturday, 3rd saw them host their latest IKC all breed championship Show at their super venue of Ards Rugby Club, nestled under the shelter of the ancient Scrabo Hill, which houses the well-known landmark, of Scrabo Tower, built back in 1857 as a memorial to Charles William Stewart, 3rd Marquis of Londonderry.
Main Photo: Alex Douglas
Other Photos & Report: Joyce Crawford-Manton
The 3rd Marquis was a local landowner and nobleman with a distinguished military and diplomatic career. He was Lieutenant Colonel of the light Dragoons and fought in 25 major battles, earning the nickname the 'Fighting Marquis'. He was also Adjutant General to the Duke of Wellington, during the Napoleonic Wars, before becoming a diplomat as Envoy Extraordinary in Prussia and Ambassador in Austria. He inherited the title and family seat of Mount Stewart after his brother, the 2nd Marquis, better known as Viscount Castlereagh who served a term as Britain's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, tragically committed suicide.
Besides earning fame and fortune overseas, the Marquis was held in high regard in Ireland for his attempts to alleviate suffering during the potato famine in the second quarter of the nineteenth century. His generosity and kindness to his tenants gained him a level of respect, which was not commonly given to the landed gentry and led to a communal desire to erect a monument in his memory.
The ’Golden Boy’ on Saturday however was Arro, the majestic,  beautifully, coiffeured white Standard Poodle, owned by Lorraine Crawford and her husband, Ross, who handles him, and bred by Lesley Davies in North Yorkshire; Ch Exalon Apache Moon at Tussars is by Swedish import, Downpix The Piper of Pitfor, out of GB Ch Pitfor Fly Me To The Moon, and today was given the golden handshake by BIS Judge, Dick McCoy, long time popular All Breeds judge, visiting from his adopted home in Spain, and having a good day reconnecting with old friends he hasn’t seen for a while.  Dick was of course well known for his top winning ‘Cu-Ulagh’ Irish Wolfhounds back in the day, and is a well experienced, All Breeds judge throughout Europe and the rest of the world, also awarding CCs under KC rules. 

Dick’s prefix , from ‘The Annals of Ulster states that Cu-Uladh (The hound of Ulster) McGhirr-McCawell (MacCathmhaoil), 'chieftain of his own tribe', was an illustrious professor of science in England in 1368.’

‘Arro’ is another who lost his formative years in the ring due to the plague of covid, only making his ring debut at 19 months of age. Now four and a half, he hasn’t let the grass grow under his four elegant feet and has qualified for the Poodle of the Year in GB in both 2022 and ’23 having won sufficient points at GB Championship Shows to put him in the top 16 each year. In 2022 he also achieved the points needed for his Show Cert of Excellence (RKC), went on to win Limit Dog at Crufts last year and has also 3 Reserve CCs under his belt.
Another special day at Ards, this time for Anita and Jimmy Duggan, when their 22 months old Siberian Husky, Ch Winter Melody OMG Another Drama, aka ‘Brian’, having won BOB under Marion Finney, and Group 5 under her husband, Tim, went on to clinch Reserve BIS under Dick. It was a very ‘special’ day for Anita & Jimmy, as it was also their Wedding Anniversary, so a double reason for celebrations. ‘Brian’ has also been having a really good run recently, and is now sitting in 3rd position on the Group 5 Royal Canin/Irish Canine Press Top Winners’ Leaderboard, with three group wins now, as well as two BIS 4 spots.
Third in Dick’s lineup was the well-known, top winning, Shetland Sheepdog, Cathrina Dunne’s Ch, GB Ch Longrange Cailin Dubh, sent in from the breed and Group 1 by breed specialist, Thomas Rohlin, from Denmark.  IKC Top Show Dog 2023; ‘Katie’ has really put Shelties on the map here, with her multitude of wins, Groups and BISs, and of course CCs, on her occasional trips across the water. Eight Groups so far this year sees her annex the top spot on the Royal Canin/Irish Canine Press Group 1 Top Winners’ Leaderboard, a position she also held last year when she finished top overall; BIS at both Mid West and Munster Ag National Show 2, she was also RBIS at IKC St Patricks and Sligo and third BIS at ILKA as well as today.
Dick’s final choice of the ten dogs in front of him from one of surely the best line-ups so far this year, was Lauren and mum, Diane Whan’s homebred multi group winning Leonberger, Ch Sulandi Electric Storm. With BIS at the IKC Celtic Winners, the Group the next day at IKC St Patrick’s, Group and BIS 3 at Fermoy International, and now today, ‘Storm’ is second on the Group 2 Leaderboard and he was to go on to take yet another win the next day at Dun Laoghaire. Today ‘Storm’ came through the breed under local County Antrim judge, Barbara Evans, known for her Mountslemish Schnauzers, and clinched Group 2, under well known exhibitor and judge, Brian Lyons, who also hails from this scenic county; he and wife, Joan, known for their Beechview Newfies and Akitas and also for their long term business Beechview Kennels, Catteries & and car Cages. His string of titles includes Jun CH, CIB-J, LG Jugendsieger 23, DCLH Jugendsieger 23, CJW 24, CW 24, so a much travelled boy as well. Over the ‘pond’, Storm has 2 CCs and 2 Reserve CCs, and is not two years old until the end of September. Oh, and yes, he was fourth in the 2023 Pup of the Year finals earlier this year at the CCC Easter weekend.
In March this year, Lorraine and Ross moved from their native Scotland to Northern Ireland, making their home amidst the rolling drumlins of County Down. In the short time since their arrival ‘Arro’ and Ross have had a very successful run at the shows, ‘Arro’ winning his 7th Green Star and his Irish crown in early May. En Route to today’s triumph, ‘Arro’ had won his first Green Star and CACIB at his first show here on 30th March at the CCC International, and second GS & BOB from Mid-West, another CACIB coming from Fermoy Int., together with the Green Star, yet another GS the next day at South Tipp.
His first foray onto the Royal Canin/Irish Canine Press Leaderboard was from Group 9 second at Portadown, and then at Banbridge when he went BOB, won Group 9 under Breed specialist Lauren Coulter, and finished Reserve Best in Show under Mariano De Chico from Italy. Newtownards, with the breed and Group from Heather Lamont of the Moorfields CKCS, and his Best in Show has sent him straight into fourth on the Royal Canin/Irish Canine Press Leaderboard, so currently one of four qualified for Group 9 at the IKC Top Showdog finals for 2024, though we still have a plethora of shows to go.
So, a success story for ‘Arro’ since he took up residence in Ireland and he is on the top of the world after Newtownards and his first All Breeds Best in Show.
Newtownards committee, headed by President, Eddie and Club Sec Gail Patterson, working as Show Manager & Show Secretary respectively, are a well regimented team of mostly local enthusiasts, with everyone knowing their duties, enabling them to run an efficient and well-timed event, made the more enjoyable by the weather, which actually behaved itself, (with the exception of a small blip) altogether making for a pleasant day out for exhibitors, dogs and spectators alike. The new body warmers in the Club colours made each committee member easily identified for any queries, and the Secretary’s Office was ideally situated in the large covered pergola area in front of the clubhouse, the other end of which was conveniently just in front of the Clubhouse bar, so handy for refreshments and also to keep a quick check on the Olympic results, especially on the day, the Gold Medal performance of Rhys McClenaghan on the Pummel Horse, as attested to by the cheers coming from that direction!
So, a Gold Medal performance for Newtownards, both Olympian, and Show wise – congrats to the Ards committee for a job well done……
United we stand, divided we fall….
           We don’t believe in coincidences!
Seems just too much of a coincidence, and too soon after the new IKC Journal is produced, and online, that we see, on a well know ‘scandal’ page in GB, a derisory post about the very people who have produced this professional publication, in tandem with the IKC.  All should bear in mind that the IKC Journal is, and will always be, a totally impartial publication, where everyone gets their fair share of publicity, which is what we all should expect from any publication connected with our sport. And the journal is a breath of fresh air in that endeavour. It is just in its infancy, but some individual/s have decided, for some reason which no doubt will become clear at some stage, are attempting to kill it off at birth by trying to blacken those very people who have worked hard to design and publish it, along with our IKC.   We have all come to realise, sadly, that this dog game of ours is a ‘dirty old game’ and becoming more so every day throughout the world, with nasty people in every part of it, and those who are prepared to put a knife in an opponent or judge’s back, through all the disciplines, but particularly the show ring, spreading rumours about scurrilous behaviour and fixing behind the scenes, deriding winning dogs etc; but please do not let it now come into our very media. The fact that there are such accusations against Visions, and the IKC, published on what is now recognised as the death of dog shows, Facebook, shows that some people are just sick and whoever went to the trouble, and had the time, especially now with our new magazine out, to search what they call the dark web (where in earth is it?) to try and dig out some old photos taken by Ervin of his wife, Franca, which are in no way ‘deviant’, rather they are art pics with clever lighting and poses which in no way offend, and in fact we have seen recently some beautiful ‘art shots’ or are they called glamour shots, of one of our very successful exhibitors, which have been admired by all.
We are not stupid in Ireland, and we know that someone is trying to sabotage the IKC Journal by blackening the name of the Visions photographers and designers, who are a talented, polite, pleasant group of people who take good photographs at the shows, and play by the book, even ensuring that they carry consent forms for parents to sign prior to taking photos of winning Juniors and publishing them, a practise which I feel is more than welcome especially to protect our juniors.
Irish Canine Press started way back in 1982, and through those years we have worked as the only publication, and with others, and we always got on well, everyone helping each other at the photo booths etc;  (until recently). Then exhibitors could choose which magazine/paper to read & advertise in, and no grudges were held, no one was refused permission to take photos at shows, everyone was glad of the publicity, especially the sponsors – it would be good to have it back the way it was !!!
So, if you want a ‘free press’ with fair comment on all aspects of our game, back the Visions people and the Irish Kennel Club in producing YOUR journal, and if you ever find out who is behind this horrible nonsense, please do let us know!!!   We all at ICP certainly back them…..
Joyce Manton.

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