Target Shooting Ireland

At the recent ESC European Airgun Championships a new experimental competition format was trialled. Called 'Top Gun', the format was run in the form of a President's prize featuring twenty of the top Air Pistol shooters in Europe; both Men and Women. A high level of spectator involvement was encouraged including supplying the assembled crowd with all kinds of noise making devices and loud music playing on the PA system during shooting. In addition, the shooters were all fitted with heart rate monitors which added a further dimension to the the competition.

Travel issues and other unforeseen events conspired to reduce the field attending this years National Airgun championships. Despite all these obstacles and the introduction of a new booking system, attendance was better than expected with ten people taking part in the air pistol event and twenty-six in the Air rifle.

As some of you may know, a new EU Directive (185/2010) comes into force on 29th April 2010. Of obvious concern to our members was article 5.4.1 and the accompanying attachment 5-B:

Passengers are not permitted to carry the following articles in their hold baggage:
explosives and incendiary substances and devices — explosives and incendiary substances and devices capable of being used to cause serious injury or to pose a threat to the safety of aircraft, including:
— ammunition,

Obviously this would have serious implications for a sport as internationally focussed as ours, and indeed our sister organisation the ICPSA, so following from this and the availability of an exemption stated in Article 5.4.2, contact was made with the Department of Transport by Cian Merne of the ICPSA (who was in consultation with ourselves on the subject) which resulted in the following declaration:

Gary Duff of Comber Rifle Club is the first person to qualify for the World Championships in Munich later this year. Gary scored the required 590 ex 600 at East Coast Shooting Club on Sunday. Conditions were quite testing, especially in the later details with bright sun and some difficult mirage problems as well as variable wind conditions being encountered.

In second place was Conor McDermottroe of Dublin University Rifle Club with 582 followed by Sean Baldwin of the Defence Forces Shooting Team with 580. There will be at least one further qualifying competition prior to the last date for entries and an announcement will be issued as soon as details are finalised.

The NTSA Committee would like to take this opportunity in thanking East Coast Shooting Club for allowing the use of their range and the inevitable disruption to their normal club activities. We are also very grateful to Rathdrum Rifle and Pistol Club for the loan of their electronic targets and logistical support on the day.

For full results, click here