THE sun shone all day for the National Hound Show at the Cosby family’s Stradbally Hall estate last Sunday. Organised by the Co Laois Foxhounds master David Lalor, Roddy Bailey and their team, the event was a great success with people travelling from all over the country to attend.

Lalor is the chairman of the Irish Masters of Foxhounds Association and leaves no stone unturned to make sure hunt staff and visitors enjoy the day. There were three showing rings, one each for the foxhounds, harriers and beagles, with catering in the marquee by Stradbally Fayre and even background music which proved very soothing for both humans and canines.

Hunt personnel changes were reflected with Mark Casserly, formerly of the Iveagh, showing the Kilkenny hounds and Peter Cahill, who hunted the Kilkennys, now showing the Kildare hounds. James Lowry, who used to hunt the Westmeath Foxhounds, has now taken on the Streamstown Harriers. It was nice to see young handlers like Paul Hart, Ronan Moloney, Sarah Callow and Sarah Darker given the responsibility of showing the West Wicklow pack and as it transpired, successfully too.

FOXHOUNDS

In recent years it has become very competitive at the National Hound Show where traditionally, the larger packs won the major share of the classes. But this is no more with Ado Moran of the Carlow Farmers, Alan Reilly of the Louth Foxhounds, Gavin Shorten of the Tipperary, and Ryan Carvill of the South Tyrone in great form. Robin Vestey, master of the Thurlow, and Charles Clark, master of the Holderness, judged the doghounds, while Richard Tyacke, master of Sir Watkin William-Wynns, and Oliver Dale, master of the Ludlow, judged the bitches.

The Carlow Farmers got away to a quick start taking the Unentered Doghound Restricted with Belfrey, and runner-up with Beasley together with the Unentered Couple of Doghounds class with Belfrey and Beasley to be followed by the Unentered Doghound Championship with Godfrey. But the Meath Foxhounds pushed them all the way, recording a second place with Rancher and Lancer and the Reserve Championship with Lancer.

The Louth Foxhounds had some real quality hounds on display taking the Unentered Doghound Old English Class with Ranger as well as the second spot with Racer. The tide turned with young handler Paul Hart and his assistants Sarah Darker, Sarah Callow and Ronan Moloney of the West Wicklow topping the podium taking the Entered Couple of Doghounds Restricted with Gunshot and Biggles.

The new Kilkenny huntsman Mark Casserley won the hotly contested Best Entered Two Couple of Doghounds with Chairman, Chaplin, Fetlock and Champion, with South Union and the Meaths in second and third spot.

Tipperary won the Stallion Hound class with North Cotswold Downton with the Championship going to South Tyrone Handy and Carlow Farmers Belfrey in reserve.

The Bitch Classes saw Louth Foxhounds dominant with first and second in the Unentered Bitch Restricted with Racket and Ration, bloodlines going back to the great stallion hound Brosna Ton Ton.

They followed that with The Irish Field Perpetual Trophy presented by the paper’s Irish Horse World editor Isabel Hurley to Sarah Angel, owner of the Louth Hounds for their winning Unentered Bitch class with Racket, accompanied by huntsman Alan Reilly and honorary whipper-in John Sullivan. The latter would be a well-known rider and producer on the point-to-point circuit with his wife Linzi also a jockey, both keen followers of the Louths.

Ryan Carvill of the South Tyrone stepped back in to take the Unentered Couple of Bitches Open with Rascal and Ransom, with Tipperary winning the Best Couple of Bitches Restricted with Gretna and Blossom, followed by Tipperary winning yet again in the Best Two Couple Class with Fantasy, Hassle, Gripple and Gallery. Kildare Daley won the Brood Bitch Open class. There was keen competition for the Bitch Championship with the judges taking some time before declaring Ballymacad Mantra the Champion, and South Tyrone Rascal in reserve.

HARRIERS

Probably the most difficult judging task on the day when presented with foxhounds, and traditional and modern harriers was that of the two harrier judges Thomas Harrison, former master of the Derwent in North Yorkshire, and Antoinette de la Bouillerie, master and huntsman with her husband Olivier of the Rallye des Grands Loups, kennelled at the family’s Chateau Lathan in western France.

Great work by Janet Reilly and Paula Finnegan kept the entries moving, and the show was run really well and on time as a result.

It was nice to see the Limerick Harriers and the Mid-Antrim there for the first time and it proved a worthwhile visit with Limerick winning the Unentered Doghound class (Foxhound section) with Pagan, with Grallagh Harriers and Woodstown in second and third. However, Grallagh were back in force taking first and third in the Unentered Bitch class, with Tara Harriers moving into second place.

Tom Haddock’s Mid-Antrim Griffon and Granite were first and second in the Entered Doghounds, the combination also winning the Best Couple as well. Limerick collected another class in the Unentered Bitches with Waffler and there was a great contest in the Championship with Limerick taking the top spot while Mid-Antrim had to content with reserve with Griffon.

In the Harrier section, Cork National came to the fore and they had a wonderful selection of black and tan hounds. But they had keen competition from Mullinavat & District, but Limerick started by winning the Unentered Doghound class with Harper with Mullinavat second with Quaker. Then Tom and Noel Geary’s Killeagh Swiper won the Unentered Bitch class with Mullinavat in second with Quinny. Cork National were back to win the Entered Doghounds with General with Mullinavat second with Noel and third with Nigel.

Mullinavat then took the Entered Bitch class with Rainbow and second with Nancy, while Killeagh was in third place with Twitter. Mullinavat followed with yet another win in the Best Couple with Quatro and Quaker with Killeagh in second with Thunder and Preacher and third with Quarey and Quaker, no relation to the Mullinavat hound!

The Retired Harriers class went to Killeagh Beamish with Cloyne in second place. The Championship was another fine win for Cork National General with Killeagh Swiper in reserve.

BEAGLES

This year the beagles had a smaller entry as some packs had kennel cough but Mr Kerrs, Sunnyland, Goldburn and the Woodrock and Blackwater Valley competed for the ribbons. They also had a junior handler class which is particularly suitable to beagle handlers which proved successful. But, as usual, Stevie McDonald and the Woodrock & Blackwater Valley, based in Castletownroche in Cork, whose two joint-masters John and Jack O’Connor have done so much for beagling, were dominant. As well as taking their fair share of classes, McDonald proved that he can show hounds on the flags, winning both the Supreme Championship with Truegirl and the reserve with Gaylass.