FTCh Ballyellen Tango is the son of Gortinreagh Granite (Gortinreagh Aztec of Glynlark x Gortinreagh Daisy) and FTCh Ballyellen Cara (winner of the 2016 Champion Stake).
| Pedigree | Parents | Grand Parents | Great Grand Parents |
| DoB: 14.11.14 | FTCh IrFTCh Gardenfield Warrior | ||
| FTCh Gortinreagh Aztec of Glynlark | |||
| Gortinreagh Ballindrait Girl | |||
| Gortinreagh Granite | |||
| FTCh Stanedge Bracken | |||
| Gortinreagh Daisy | |||
| FTCh IrFTCh | Gortinreagh Blossom | ||
| Ballyellen Tango | |||
| Sletthallens Knock Out | |||
| Heegaards V Kody | |||
| Heegaards Q Randi Li | |||
| FTCh Ballyellen Cara | |||
| IrFTCh Storeskar’s II Odin | |||
| Ballyellen Aoife | |||
| IrFTCh Knocksmall Moose |
Bill Connolly of Red Mills had bred 3 lovely pups – Ballyellen Cody, Cara and Colleen. All 3 have lived in Donegal since they were 11 months old, so when the time came to breed Cara, Bill left the decision of sire to me. Gortinreagh Granite was showing some great qualities as a pup himself at this time and he was the product of the best of the English Setters developed in Ireland over the previous 30 years, being a grandson of my IntFTCh Gardenfield Warrior, so I had no doubts about using him on Cara. This Ballyellen litter were born in Donegal in November 2014 and I watched them closely as they grew.
I have liked this pup since I began working with him in the winter when he was just reaching one year old. He was mature for his age and when we ran in the Scottish circuit in the Spring 2016 he had an excellent run at the Northern Counties Pointer and Setter Society’s Puppy Stake and a lovely find from distance. He was awarded 2nd in this stake. As the week went on he gained experience, but also found trials very exciting and enjoyable!
We came back to Scotland with some hopes for the Summer 2016 campaign and we weren’t disappointed. Tan ran well in the Scottish Gundog Association’s Novice Stake securing the win with an excellent find on a cheek wind and some lovely running. Luck didn’t always shine on him – at the Pointer Club’s trial he had a good find on the crest of a hill, the gallery saw a hare run across his nose and flush his birds, but the judges coming up from a dip behind where unfortunately unsighted and saw neither his hare, his birds or his steadiness.
However things changed again when we got to the big Puppy event of the year – the Puppy Derby which was staged by the Scottish Field Trials Association at Tollishill in the Scottish Borders. The day was blustery and there were lots of hares, unsettled grouse and hyper pups. So I was very pleased to survive all the possible problems and record a clean run in round 1 with a find at distance from birds. The birds broke before Tan got there and he remained motionless, before taking me in to the spot of the flush. He also had a good find in round 2 with several good cuts of running. It was enough to win the Derby for him. On the back of this win he gained a run in the Champion Stake and was drawn first brace. I was very pleased with his performance. He ran well and had a great find on the right hand side. On walking out to him we walked up a bird on the way out, with the cheek wind, it was questionable whether he was responsible for this, but I was more than happy with his performance despite the fact we were out.
The icing on the cake for Tango in 2016 was a 2nd in an Open on Slieveanorra – beaten only by another home-bred dog – Gortinreagh Gala – a great first season for this handsome pup.
| Date | Award | Stake | Club | Judges |
| 24.03.16 | 2nd | Puppy | Northern Counties P&S Society Amulree, Perthshire | B Darragh S Chichester |
| 29.07.16 | 1st | Novice | Scottish Gundog Association Glenlivet | C Calvert C McGregor |
| 09.08.16 | 1st | KC Derby | Scottish Field Trials Association Tollishill, Borders | B Darragh C Forde |
| 09.08.16 | CoM | Novice | Scottish Field Trial Association Tollishill, Borders | B Darragh C Forde |
| 01.10.16 | 2nd | Open | N I Pointer Club Slieveanorra | A Law E Marshall |
In 2017 Tango continued where he had left off the season before. He was now growing very confident and could at times take on a bit more ground than was necessary, but with growing experience, he was handling birds incredibly well. His awards gave him the Tower Bird trophy for the first time.
| Date | Award | Stake | Club | Judges |
| 04.03.17 | 3rd | Open | Strabane & District Setter & Pointer Club Glenwherry | C Calvert A Mulhall |
| 27.03.17 | 4th | Open | Pointer Club of Scotland Cawdor | S McCormack B Whitworth |
| 31.03.17 | 2nd | Open | Scottish Field Trials Association Dalmagarry | J Kean L McAlister |
| 17.07.17 | 4th | Breed | English Setter Club Eggleston | J Organ C Adamson |
| 03.08.17 | 4th | Open | Pointer Club of Scotland Dorback | S Lound C Forde |
| 09.09.17 | 3rd | Open | Strabane & District S&P Club Legforddrum | J Coyle M Houston |
| 14.10.17 | 1st | Open | Ulster Gundog League Craig’s Moss, Glarryford | A Law J Murray |
| Oct 17 | 1st | Open | Donegal Field Trials Association Scotstown | B Connolly H Brady |
| 19.11.17 | 3rd | Open | Ulster Irish Red Setter Club Moorlough | C Neeson S Clarke |
in 2018, things were really starting to happen for this dog. By the end of the season he had become a FTCh with his win at Murley Mt in September. He also retained the Tower Bird Trophy for the most points gained over the season in the UK for a second year.
| Date | Award | Stake | Club | Judges |
| 11.03.18 | 2nd | Open | Ulster Irish Red Setter Club Murley Mt. | C Calvert D Linton |
| 02.08.18 | CoM | Open | Pointer Club of Scotland Dorback | B Darragh N Harris |
| 04.08.18 | 2nd | Open | North of Scotland Gundog Association Glengairn | A Law B Whitworth |
| 07.08.18 | 4th | Open | Scottish Gundog Association Glenlivet | D Hall B Smith |
| 09.09.18 | 1st | Open | Ulster Irish Red Setter Club Murley Mt | M Houston K Quinn |
| 22.09.18 | 1st | Open | N I Pointer Club Slieveanorra | C Calvert J O’Sullivan |
| 21.10.18 | 1st | Open | Ulster Gundog League Glenwherry | C Calvert J Murray |
2019 saw Tango really settle into a consistent performer. He scored well in his few visits to Irish Trials and acquired enough green stars to claim his Irish Field Trial Champion title just before his fifth birthday.
| Date | Award | Stake | Club | Judges |
| 23.02.19 | 1st | Open | N I Pointer Club Slieveanorra | D Linton R Monroe |
| 06.08.19 | 3rd | Open | Pointer Club of Scotland Dorback | M Houston C Adamson |
| 07.09.19 | 3rd | Open | Irish Red and White Setter Club Kippure, Dublin Mts | B Grace A Mulhall |
| 08.09.19 | 1st | Open | Irish Pointer Club Glencree, Dublin Mts | M Houston J Benson S Hogan |
| 29.09.19 | 4th | Open | Ulster Gundog Leaggue Glenwherry | M Asbury S Chichester |
| 05.10.19 | 4th | Open | Strabane & District S&P Club Slieveanorra | M Houston J Murray |
| 10.11.19 | 1st | Open | Donegal Field Trials Association Legforddrum | M Houston D Linton |
2020 opened well for Tango with a win at Slieveanorra. However, trials were shut down shortly after for the remainder of the Spring and no further Pointer and Setter Trials took place in the UK for the rest of the year.
| Date | Award | Stake | Club | Judges |
| March 20 | 1st | Open | N I Pointer Club Slieveanorra | A Law S Clarke |
Gortinreagh Setters 