Pictured in the header are the Ballyellen trio: 

FTCh Ballyellen Cara (winner of 2016 Champion Stake of GB), Int.F.T.Ch Ballyellen Cody and FTCh Ballyellen Colleen

Welcome to all fellow bird-dog enthusiasts.  My name is Gerald Devine I have set up this site to share some information about my dogs and what I most enjoy about this area of working gundogs and Field Trialling.

I’ve been involved with working dogs all my life, but deeply committed to setters, particularly English Setters for over 30 years.  This blog will serve as a record of dogs I’ve trained in the past and give some information about those I’m currently working with.

The site has undergone a major update now in Summer 2020, so hopefully you will find a lot of new information on the more recent happenings within the Gortinreagh Ballyellen line of English Setters (and some mention of a few Gortinreagh Reds too!)

FOR SALE: Young dogs, pups and dogs fully trained to Field Trial standard are sometimes available.

AT STUD:  

FTCh Ir FTCh  Ballyellen Cody

Cody has produced pups who have performed exceptionally in Trials – known for their speed, excellent noses and trainability.  He has also produced pups who are used exclusively and very successfully as shooting dogs.  His own record of success in trials is outstanding – both in UK and Ireland becoming a champion of both by the age of 4.

FTCh Ir FTCh  Ballyellen Tango

Tango has achieved a high level of success beginning with winning the Kennel Club’s Derby Stake in 2016. He has been named Tower Bird Trophy winner (for the best Pointer or Setter of 4 years or under in the UK) on 2 occasions – 2017-18 and 2018-19 season. He has achieved his titles under Kennel Club and Irish Kennel Club rules. He has an outstanding pedigree, being a son of the 2016 UK Champion Stake winner FTCh Ballyellen Cara. His stature, power and style are very reminiscent of FTCh IrFTCh Gardenfield Warrior – who features strongly in his father’s line.

Tango has continued his winning ways – even at 8 years of age, his style, flawless ground work and speed are still evident – it is rare that he makes an error on game and has just had a very successful Spring season in 2023. Despite in minor injury, which saw him running on fewer cylinders than usual, he won the Ulster Gundog League’s Spring Trial on Murley Mt. and a few weeks later added the Northern Counties Pointer and Setter Society’s Open Stake at Lochan Estate, Perthshire to his list of awards.

HIs son Gortinreagh Quiz (out of FTCh Gortinreagh Eppie) also had a very notable Spring circuit in Scotland – qualifying for Open Stakes at Lochan Estate, Perthshire. I very much look forward to campaigning Quiz in the Summer.

FTCh Gortinreagh Excel

Excel is a strong athletic dog who won his first Open Stake at the age of 23 months near the end of the Trial season and became a FTCh just a few weeks into the new season. His style is effortless and his manner around game is incredibly cool and confident. He is a brother of the prolific FTCh Gortinreagh Eppie who also matured very early, gaining her first FT awards at the age of 8 months!

FTCh Gortinreagh Jack Duggan

Jack Duggan is a dog I really rate. His pedigree is classic Scandinavian – with direct imports featuring, but also containing those dogs developed in Ireland from Johnny Geoghegan’s original Storeskars G’Snorre and Storeskars II Odin imports. His siblings have also enjoyed success in their so-far short careers. Despite only a few starts in IKC trials, Jack has accumulated a pleasing number of green stars and was named top English Setter at the 2020 Irish Championships for Pointers and Setters. Jack’s career (as with so many of our other young dogs) has been delayed by the shutdown of trials in 2020 due to COVID-19, but I really look forward to continuing competing with him whenever we are able to resume our events.

On resumption of trials, Jack Duggan began to make up for lost time, becoming one of my most consistent dogs. He won the Ulster Gundog League Centenary Open Stake at Glenwherry in October, 2022 under judges Daryl Edwards (Stanedge) and Joe O’Sullivan (Gardenfield) on a day when weather conditions were horrendous, but his calm reliability around game saw him triumph on a day when less focussed dogs blew their chances. He completed his title in March, 2023 when he won the Gordon Setter Association’s Open Stake at Kyllachy Estate in Scotland, under judges A Wilson Young (Burncastle) and Mrs B Smith. Again, he displayed fantastic game sense and immaculate quartering and groundwork.

For more information or any enquiries please place a comment on this site.