I was spoiled for choice on St Stephen’s Day, but the option of hacking to a local meet at The Hunting Lodge with the Limerick Harriers with a strong possibility of finishing at home proved irresistible.

Hunting 12½ couple of homebred hounds, Aongus McNamara is now in his 13th season in office. Hounds are kennelled on his family farm in Croom and his father John, who no longer rides, is senior joint-master.

John is also the father of injured jockey J.T., who continues his rehabilitation in the spinal unit of a hospital in Liverpool. He keeps up to date with hunting and racing news from home and is said to be in excellent spirits. The Limerick hunts rallied around with huge fund-raising efforts, including a point-to-point for him, and a worthwhile fund has been established to support his medical needs.

The McNamara family has produced generations of horsemen including J.T., who held a record with over 600 point-to-point wins, and cousins Andrew and Robbie.

With over 50 mounted it was a festive scene as we moved off to the first draw at the Hannons’ farm. The family are great hunt supporters and there to greet us were the Hannon brothers Paul and John, along with John’s wife Audrey and family. Audrey and her father John O’Gorman hunted for many years with both the Co Limerick Foxhounds and the Limerick Harriers.

Joint-master Pat Bermingham was on foot having been kicked out hunting last week. However, he was represented by his son Conor on his good cob. Also on foot was fellow joint-master Michael Mullane, who is recovering from a hip operation, but his wife Linda was going well on her good bay.

UNDER PRESSURE

Drawing on, our field-master Sean O’Donovan, who works in the feed industry and whose family has long associations with the hunt, was under pressure to keep the field in order. Our first decent fence was a yawner into another joint-master’s land, the unrelated John McNamara. As might be expected, John gave a good lead on his bay mare by Coolcorron Cool Diamond. Not too far behind were daughters Kiera and Danielle, both beautifully mounted on a chesnut and a third season grey.

Missing was amateur whip and son Christopher, who unfortunately was tied up in work that day. Also missing was John’s daughter Leah, who is currently on honeymoon in distant Thailand and will be living and hunting with the Scarteen once she and her husband return.

It wasn’t all plain sailing for hospice nurse Brid Wall. She was on a nice chesnut who decided to take his own route, resulting in her ending up with what could only be described as a crown of thorns, but she managed to stay in the plate. The plantation was blank and we jumped out onto the road and crossed into Flavin’s Wood.

We didn’t have too long to wait before hounds spoke and a fine fox was viewed away by new whip Paudge Beehan, who works as a teacher in Shannon. Our pilot knew where he was going and he swam the Camog River with hounds not too far behind.

Here we met a really decent bank with a good reach and I took a lead from Olive Murphy on her grey. Steeped in hunting, her grandfather Verdun Blenner-Hassett hunted the Limerick Harriers back in the 1960s. Olive and her husband run the Cuchulainn Bar in Patrickswell which hosts many hunt-related functions.

The field had to divert through Tom Doherty’s and as we swung sharp left towards the yard, Pat Kennedy from Meanus on his veteran chesnut lost his footing and was slapped down on the ground. The horse was up like a flash and was pursued by Pat’s 16-year-old son Jack on his good cob. Just as the loose horse was about to reach the main road, he was corralled by Deirdre Doherty and she held him until a somewhat shaken Pat was able to retrieve him.

Hounds crossed the main Bruff road through the farm of John Dooley, who was field-master for the Limerick Hunt for many seasons. Crossing the High Road, they ran on to the hill of Grange. Here some cattle had to be rounded up and none better than Karen O’Brien on her dun cob. She runs a boarding kennel, but wouldn’t be found wanting as a cowboy in Montana. With the cattle sorted out, we pressed on almost to Lough Gur before swinging left-handed and our pilot was marked to ground in the nearby covert.

The next draw was to hand at Lower Grange in Foleys Stud Farm which always holds. Susanne and her husband John acquired this farm in the last couple of years and it is run in association with their Islanmore Stud, Croom where Elusive Pimpernel and Palavicini stand.

We hadn’t too long to wait before hounds opened on a fine dog fox who after a short sojourn in the neighbouring plantation set his mask for our home farm at Friarstown. Opening hunt gaps at speed is a young person’s job and none better than Conor Fitzgerald, who could peel off his cob like greased lightning.

Fitzgeralds’ must be a busy house on hunting mornings with mum Annette and five juniors all getting their mounts ready. The line-up sounds like a mixed seven-a-side team with Annette, children Brian, Conor, Des (Og), eight-year-old twins Mark and Sarah and nine-year-old cousin Alan making up the side. Annette’s husband Des, now retired from the saddle, acts as travelling head lad. Juniors were further represented by treasurer Tom Griffin’s 10-year-old daughter Nicole on a smashing pony.

Although scent was never better than average, hounds ran hard towards our farm at Friarstown. Hunting gap open and sadly no one, including myself, taking a bit of notice of the field-master’s instructions regarding headlands, hounds swung left-handed and we had a mad dash for the Hospital Road.

Hunt staff jumped out beside the road gate onto the road, followed by much of the field. Joe Hartigan, who manages Croom House Stud, gave a great display on his good bay. Happily, a foot follower had the gate open for the second division including myself.

Hounds swung right-handed back towards the Camog and just short of the river, ran back towards Grange. Running parallel to the river and crossing some decent trenches that were well-filled with recent rain, our pilot returned where he had come from and was marked to ground. It was a happy group that washed their horses at Longford Bridge before the short hack back to The Hunting Lodge.