Creedmoor Cup THE
Temporary permits were issued by the Garda Siochanna at a cost of 40 euros and that was all the paperwork required – simples! The actual process of issuing them was delayed by the Royal and US Presidential visits, but nevertheless the permits came through with a few weeks to spare.
Ireland used to be pretty expensive to visit but, as we found out, that no longer holds. Perhaps due to the precarious state of the economy, hotels and restaurants are now fiercely competing for business, thereby driving down prices. Our hotel was substantially cheaper that it was in 2007.
Nevertheless, perceptions of higher costs still prevail and that perception no doubt influenced the decision of many UK F Classers to abstain from attending. Another deciding factor is the increasing popularity of the GBFCA National League; since I established the National League in 2005, I’d no idea of how popular it would turn out to be, so much so, that many F-classers are clearly saving their time and money to attend League matches and forgoing any other competitions, even prestigious matches like these.
Regrettably, just three UK shooters travelled to Tullamore to shoulder the responsibility of representing the UK and by implication, Europe since no Continental European F Classers had entered the matches. With hotels booked, ferries arranged and permits in place, the three of us - John Campbell, Chris Cuthbert and myself – set off for Tullamore.
The ranges at the MNSCI are a sight to behold, stretching back to 1200 yards, the newly christened Creedmoor Range is the centrepiece of a truly impressive complex of shooting facilities. Everyone is catered for: benchresters, smallbore shooters, clay shooters and of course fullbore riflemen.
The ranges are built on land formerly used to extract peat for fuel by the Bord na Mona, a Government body. The land still holds a great deal of moisture which can give rise to mirage. We had encountered the tricky mirage on our previous visits in 2006 & 2007 and had wondered what would await us. Thankfully, the Irish weather saved us from the mirage – Ireland is ideal grass-growing country thanks due to the high precipitation and June seemed more like April as furiously heavy showers lashed Tullamore.
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