MY fourth opening meet of the first week of the season found me and my intrepid photographer with the Kilmoganny Hunt in the village of the same name. Kilmoganny is situated roughly halfway between Carrick-on-Suir and Callan.

Co Kilkenny has often been compared to Leicestershire and it hosts three top-class packs, the Kilkenny Foxhounds based at Mount Juliet, the North Kilkenny pack at Ballyragget and of course the Kilmoganny Foxhounds. Reflecting the pack’s harrier origins, the staff wear John Peel green.

Two of the three joint-masters were mounted on the day. George Frisby has joined the mastership this year, having held almost every other role in the hunt.

The Frisbys are a bloodstock family, being among the leading pinhookers in the country. They also maintain a significant string of point-to-point horses prepared by Mick Goff and Colin Bowe. When George isn’t hunting or preparing bloodstock, he practices as an engineer in addition to having a young family and a very understanding wife.

Joint-master James Phelan from nearby Faugheen commutes from London where he works in finance in the City. Despite living in London, he is firmly rooted in his farming background with one foot firmly placed in Tipperary and the other in Kilkenny as their farm at Faugheen straddles the border. A keen hunting enthusiast, he keeps two hunters for the season and his second horse is getting his final schooling with Roger Kiely in Duhallow.

His uncles, the Mahers from Kedrah are a great hunting family and his grandfather Tommy Cooke from Limerick hunted into his 80s so there is plenty of black type in his hunting pedigree. No day would be complete without recently retired master John Walsh, a dairy farmer from Carrick whose family are major players in the Ireland’s oldest show, Iverk Show.

Senior joint-master Patricia Brennan was unavoidably absent but her mother Francoise Blaque was very much in evidence. She and her husband run the Club House Hotel in Kilkenny which regularly hosts sporting events.

Charlie Blaque hunted the Kilmoganny with great distinction and mostly at his own expense from his estate at Castletown. Originally Turkish and closely related to Lord Waterford, he was a colourful character who spoke to his hounds and family exclusively in French!

Further veterans of the field, who in their day were the backbone of the hunt, who made an appearance were Pat Murphy from Grangemockler, Michael Grace from Callan and Phil Murphy from Kells.

Before hounds could move off, tradition demanded an ecumenical blessing in the church car park. Divine intervention for the safety of the hounds followers and landowners was called on. Those who had recently passed away were remembered including former hunt secretary Pat Shee and Margaret Widger from Kilsheelan, whose daughter Joan was hunting on the day.

The Widger family will for ever be associated with the great Grand National winner The Wild Man of Borneo, who was owned, trained and ridden by a member of the family and won the race in 1895.

The blessing was carried out by the recently retired Canon of Piltown, Rev George Cliffe, who was there with his wife Carol, sister of George Chapman, master and former huntsman of the Island Foxhounds in Wexford. The Rev explained (with some humour) that while he is a retired canon he doesn’t fire anymore. The canon, who hails from Adare in Co Limerick, has an interesting background as he started his career in motor trade before taking holy orders.

CONSUMMATE HOUND MAN

Finbarr Murray, who I first met when he hunted the United in east Cork has now carried the Kilmoganny horn for three seasons and is a consummate hound man. He previously hunted the nearby Muskerry for several seasons. He lives near Youghal and travels to Kilmoganny twice a week and on the day he was accompanied by his partner, Caroline Gould, having found suitable baby minders for their twins.

Preliminaries over, our huntsman moved off to the first draw at an area known as the Blue Hills just outside the village. Area manager William Carney had done his work well and there was plenty of land available to hunt but with the constraint of most stock being still out. Scent was never better than passable but hounds worked very hard and were rewarded with a fine dog fox, who was viewed away by kennel huntsman young Shane Gilmartin. He has only recently joined the hunt from the Laois, where I met him last. The field enjoyed some nice jumping in wall country with top of the ground going.

It was very much a family day put and teacher Susan Cleary was extending her skills by escorting her young nieces Amy and Sarah across country. She was riding a smashing Connemara, who gave a great display over a decent wall, and her young charges followed suit.

Another young sportsman going well was young Noah Cahill, out with parents Raymond and Breeda, who are in the electrical business. Another young beginner was Hugo Seagrave, out with his mum Noelle, who is one of the Brett family from Callan, one of Ireland’s largest agricultural suppliers and farm extensively in the area.

Also going well was Marie Fitzgerald from Templeoran, who is the accountant at the all-conquering Joseph O’Brien stable nearby. A further racing connection was Aileen Roche, on a nice grey, who works in personnel at Coolmore. Regulars who were going well included Kate O’Donnell, whose Kilsheelan family have been involved with the Kilmoganny since the era of Charlie Blacque.

Though living in Dublin, Mary O’Colemain on a trusty cob never voluntarily misses a day. She is sister to sometimes fieldmaster and publican (what an ideal combination), Ray Townsend who was out in his car. Point-to-point secretary Aileen Persse was represented by son Cathal (15), mounted on a nice coloured cob. The Persse family run a foaling operation from their yard near Kells.

Huntsman had to take to his feet as hounds as hounds marked their fox to ground near the old disused cemetery at Lamogue and was given best.

Hounds pressed on to their next draw at Kieran Purcell’s farm nearby. Purcell is an all-round sportsman who hurled with Kilkenny to win the 1972 All Ireland against Cork. He went on to become a very successful trainer, having a winner recently in Clonmel with You Can’t Catch Me ridden by Brian (BT) O’Connell.

There was at least a brace at home but hounds quickly settled on a smashing hunt in a big left-handed circle over some nice country.

With failing light and scent our huntsman blew for home and some light refreshments at the ever-welcoming Dunphy’s public house.