Major Public Impact from Game Fair Media Briefings & Lifetime Awards for Dan Curley and John Toal

Game Fair Press Briefings

The Irish Game Fair and Fine food Festival has always had a good relationship with the media recognising the important role it plays in being for most of the media and general public, the public face of Irish country sports.

As one would expect when looking at the CVs of the team it is a marketing led event with Albert Titterington, Paul Pringle and Emma Cowan all having extensive media experience and connection and their expertise is professionally supported by Rosemary Hamilton from Future Image PR. And each year this team generates extensive positive publicity for the fair, the host area and of course for the promotion and defence of all Irish country sports.

This year it was decided to promote two major themes each with an Antrim connection. The first was a Living History theme based on the Vikings

Vanessa Elder, Operations Manager with Castlewood Holiday Park accompanied by Site Manager Andrew Wright, pictured with Albert Titterington (right) Director of the Great Game Fairs of Ireland sailing up the Bann and giving rise to the legend of the Red Hand of Ulster and the O’Neills. The second was to celebrate the angling heritage of the area with Lough Neagh, the Maine and the Six Mile Water by bringing Stevie Munn’s fly fishing fair as a unique angling attraction to enhance the normal angling attractions at the fair. This delivered the largest public angling event ever staged in NI.

Press Sponsorship Launch

These two themes formed the basis of our launch to announce CastleWood Holiday Park as a new sponsor. The launch was staged with a Viking and Angling theme quite appropriately at the new CastleWood site which is based beside the River Maine and features Scandinavian type pods which can be hired by families and anglers, and touring and static caravan sites. There are also static caravans to rent.

This launch was supported by press releases, newspapers advertising and radio interviews. Several excellent radio interviews were carried out with local and ROI radio stations including with Northern Sound & Shannonside Radio and with Frank Mitchell of U105.

A Viking family ‘invades’ CastleWood Extensive advertising and PR campaigns were carried out with media groups in the ROI, virtually all of the newspapers in NI, and several UK publications. We were delighted to welcome Fieldsports Channel TV and Charlie Jacoby who set up a recording studio at the fair.

Press Breakfast

A Press Breakfast is normally staged on the Thursday morning of the fair to allow the media to preview the fair by seeing the finishing touches being put to the various fair attractions and, through press coverage, create an opportunity to send a strong country sports message to the public.

It is also a great opportunity to honour those who the team recognise have made a major contribution to the promotion and defence of Irish country sports and the rural way of life in front of an invited audience of their peers.

Speakers at the event included Councillor Leah Smyth, the Deputy Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Vanessa Elder representing sponsors Castlewood, Gary McCartney from CAI, Ronan Gorman from CI and Albert Titterington. Country Life ‘Lifetime commitment awards’ went south to Dan Curely, past Chairman and current Vice Chairman of the NARGC, John Toal past PRO of the NARGC and Owen Mulcahy, Secretary of the Irish Working Terrier Federation.

Presenting Dan with his award, Albert said: “Dan is a lifelong shooting enthusiast. From as long as he can remember he was helping out the local Gun Club at Fox drives. At 16 he got his first Gun, and he has always been involved in all aspects of shooting and gun club activity since.

“He is Secretary of his Club, AnnaghMa-Kerrig Gun Club in Co Monaghan. He is Secretary of Co Monaghan RGC, and he is currently Vice Chairman of both the NARGC and FACE Ireland and he completed his three terms as NARGC Chairman in March 2022.

“When he started shooting over 40 years ago, he did not appreciate fully what he and we all had then. If we could get it back now - to walk across the local fields and raise a few wild birds on most outings.

“His shooting activity is all centred around the local club, be it game, vermin or target shooting, depending on the time of year. It is about his fellow members and the local countryside, and been an integral part of the countryside community.

Albert added: “Dan really enjoyed his time as NARGC chairman, working for and with the 25,000 members of the NARGC. It was a great privilege to head up the organisation he has been involved in all his life. He is still involved as vice chairman, and his hope is that the NARGC can become central to creating an active and vibrant countryside force, in cooperation with the wider countryside community.

“To that end he believes FACE Ireland which represents 14 Field sport organisations including the NARGC, will be one of the key organisations uniting all our sports going forward. We all want the same things for the countryside, but we need to unite our sectorial interests coherently so that that we leave a vibrant active countryside going forward. Our opponents and challenges were never greater, but together we can preserve the traditions and sports we love and cherish. It is up to us to do it.”

Presenting John Toal with his Award, Paul Pringle said: “John developed his love for country sports in the company of his uncle Peter Murphy of Eadenmore, Mayobridge, Co. Down. Peter, the husband of John’s father’s twin sister, was his mentor and like a second father to him.

“School holidays were spent in the

Stevie Munn and Albert Titterington look forward to the new Fly Fishing Fair and the Viking attractions at the Game Fair countryside each year and John’s earliest memories are of being hoisted up with arms wrapped round Peter’s neck as they traversed Mourne stone ditches with gundog foraging in front.

“The sights, sounds and above all the smell of bog water as the boot sinks slightly in spongy ground stay forever and “Follow carefully and stay behind the gun!” Trips to sheep dog trials, excursions up mountains and the taste of billberries all helped make the hunting man.

“John has been fishing and shooting since his early teens. Game and coarse fishing together with pheasant shooting and crop protection make up the bulk of John’s sport. Wildfowling was a passion in his youth.

“John has been a member of Dundalk & District GPA since 1978 and of Little Ash gun club from 1985, serving on the executives of both clubs in a variety of roles. A keen conservationist, John is always involved in game rearing and habitat improvement. John also represents Louth RGC in ORCCA (Oriel Rivers Catchment and Coastal association) The Rathescar Game Reserve Project is another key interest “Currently Chairman of Louth RGC, John is a long serving member of the Governing body of the NARGC and was elected to the National Executive in 2016. John worked for the membership as National PRO, networking with Regional PROs to present the NARGC’s message far and wide. “John has contributed articles to magazines and periodicals on behalf of the NARGC, as well as representing the organisation in fora such as the CRRU (Campaign for Responsible Rodentiside use) and the FACE communications working group. “Now in retirement, John finds time to pursue his interests in hunting, fishing and conservation. A current focus is in training on invasive species. “In John’s own words: ‘The future of country sports is under threat from misguided Greens who, if they were not coloured by fanatics on the extreme edge of animal rights should be our natural allies. Work is still needed to properly portray our sport as the natural activity that promotes conservation and biodiversity regeneration.’ “Well said John! I have seen at first hand many examples of your PR expertise and your unique take on country sports generally, as can be seen in your aptly named article - The Way I See It - in the current edition of Irish Country Sports & Country Life. I am delighted to make this presentation to you of this coveted Lifetime Achievement Award.” Presenting Owen with his award on the Sunday – Albert paid tribute to Owen’s tireless work on behalf of Irish working terriers including on the recent anti hunting with dogs bill. Bringing a touch of fun to proceedings was Paul Smith dressed as a Leprechaun who even had a donkey there! Paul creates a bit of entertainment in his costume for the children at the ‘Put and Take Fishery’ but has also raised money for charity with his ‘The Leprechaun’ book having written an angling book. John Carmichael Jnr added interest with his golden eagle. At the close of proceedings Albert presented three copies of the ‘Irish Country Sports – A HERITAGE BOOK’ to Councillor Smyth, Vanessa Elder and to Ray McKeeman for his contribution to the success of the Fly Fishing Fair.

Albert and Paul with the NARGC Team, Ken Lindsay (Gundog Director) and Kieran Young (Terrier & Lurcher Director)

Albert with the Deputy Mayor and John Carmichael’s eagle Leprechaun & Donkey

Dan & John Presentations

Owen Mulcahy Presentation Albert Presenting Ray McKeeman with Heritage Book