AN opening meet of the Scarteen Black and Tans is always a special occasion. With the best of country available and plenty of it and an opportunity to hunt through Scarteen itself, it represents an opportunity to see hunting at its best.

Hounds and hunt staff were blessed in kennels by the local PP and a short hack ensued to the nearby village of Knocklong. This gave an opportunity for hounds to settle and indeed nerves for the small group who had un-boxed at the kennels.

Despite it only being early November, there was a festive air at the meet with both foot followers and riders being refreshed with a stirrup cup dispensed by D.P. Bowler whose family run the very sporting pub. There were almost as many foot followers as riders

This opening meet was breaking new ground. It would be the first in living memory that Chris Ryan did not carry the horn with Mark Ollard deputising for him. Both on very smart greys, Chris on the legendary Sprite by Furistos Diamond who, despite being 10, comes with a health warning and certainly is not a ride for a novice. Mark was on a smashing grey that had originated with joint master Kate Jarvey who was also out on her good bay. The team was completed by first whip Joe Taylor on a nice bay. Hunt horses as usual were beautifully turned out thanks to Chris’s wife Sue.

New Scarteen joint master Daniel Crane was having his first day out with his wife Allie. Daniel is Britian’s leading equestrian artist and a keen hunting man having been previously master of the Southwold in his native Lincolnshire. Both were riding very capable horses from the Roger O’Donnell stable.

Chris, in keeping with tradition, welcomed all and thanked landowners, without whom, of course, hunting would not be possible.

First draw was to hand on the hill of Knocklong owned by the Molony family whose links with the hunt are as old as the hunt itself. John is the long serving and very popular manager of Galway racecourse with the farm being currently run by his son Eamonn and family. Eamonn is the nominations manager at Kildangan Stud .

The field were treated to a bird’s eye view from the top of the hill and the opportunity was all too brief remake acquaintances after the summer lay-off. Suddenly hounds spoke and our pilot emerged from a thicket with third season hound Random who is more black than tan hot on his brush and the rest of the pack not too far behind. Running first towards Mitchelstowndown, he swung back before setting his mask for Scarteen. First jump of the season was a good wide trench into Hanly’s. Horses were very much on their toes and Joe Kearns from Galbally was promptly bucked off his new grey on landing.

With hounds pressing on, we met a good stiff bank which was still very blind. I tucked in behind Grand National jockey and now senior course inspector Val O’Connell, again on a new grey. However this particular course mustn’t have been too well inspected as Val came a cropper and was laid low for quite a while and was assisted back into the plate by his nephew Mark Clery who manages one of J.P. McManus’s many stud farms. Val must have passed the racecourse doctor because he was back in action by the time hounds got to Scarteen.

Scarteen has everything but is not for the faint hearted. All grass, the jumping is monumental and getting more so as a team of mechanical diggers are making the already wide trenches into mini-canals. With hounds briefly at fault near the yard, young Jay Riordan, son of field master James and Laura who was also out, was called up to act as assistant whip, surely a career in hunt services beckons!

Flying as usual on her good chesnut was Maraid English. Summer sees her on the go with the medical charity Orbis where she works as an ophthalmic nurse usually in the third world. For the rest of the year, it is hunting as well as being a theatre nurse in Limerick’s Regional Hospital.

Giving a great display over the big bank on the farm roadway was our new master Daniel with wife Allie not too far behind in the style stakes. Our pilot was marked to ground on the county boundary in a previously unknown shore and given best.

Pressing on we jumped the smashing bank into Sonia Purcell’s. Before crossing the road, our huntsman changed to second horse (a Scarteen bay) and then going on to draw Castle Jane graveyard which was blank. We went on to jump into the late Tommie O’Dwyer’s farm. Tommie was for almost 50 seasons first whip and KH in Scarteen and is fondly remembered by all those who hunted with him. Byrne’s farm nearby at Balyskiddane was the next draw.

HEDGING BETS

Drawing on, we travelled down the disused raised boreen towards Knockcarron which our field master had created a series of brush fences culminating with a good stiff ESB pole which took a bit of jumping. Here hounds spoke and we swung left-handed over a good wide trench with a high upbank to the rear. This was one where a good lead was almost essential so I tucked in behind Jim Mulcahy on Millie and Oliver Ryan-Purcell on his good batty on the 50-50 rule that at least one of them might jump it well.

As it happened, they both performed well and my horse followed suit. Having given an exhibition round all day, a big double claimed North Tipperary visitor Frisk Jones on a good ongoing grey but his fellow visitor from the Ormond, Tadgh Carey, came away with a clear round. At this stage the field were well spread out with stragglers still three fields behind

We had barely touched down over the big double when hounds spoke again and our pilot was viewed away by the ever vigilant Joe Taylor. Meeting some good jumping we pressed on through O’Meara’s, John Burke’s and finally Joe-Joe Taylor’s before jumping into Frank Allen’s. Hounds then swung out to the road near Ballywire cross. Here scent petered out and he was given best.

Hounds pressed on to the final draw with a much diminished field into the bottoms near Lackelly with Emly village and its cathedral spire in clear view. Drawing parallel to the railway line over some challenging country with high narrow banks guarded fore and aft by trenches. Hounds opened and a short sharp dash ensued into the back of Scarteen. With shadows lengthening and horses with more than enough done our huntsman blew for home.

It was more than a good day for hounds and their new huntsman and hopefully a portent of things to come.

FACTFILE

Chairman: Charlie Moore

Master: Christopher Ryan

Joint-Masters: Roger Dungworth, Kate Jarvey, Daniel Crane

Field Master: James Riordan

Secretary: Triona Fitzpatrick

Point-to-point secretary: Hazel Russell

Huntsman: Mark Ollard

Whipper-In: Joe Taylor

HISTORY

The earliest records of the Scarteen Black and Tan hounds and the Ryan family goes back to 1640 shortly after the flight of the Earls. Around 1820 Daniel O’Connell (The Liberator) disbanded his pack of Kerry Beagles and his hounds were sent to Scarteen to augment the Scarteen Pack. The Ryan’s of Scarteen were closely related to the O’Connell’s of Caherdaniel. Present master Chris Ryan, now in his 27th season, is the eight generation of his family to carry the horn.