IT could not quite be described as a joint meet but it ran close.

A little bit of hunting history was created when the Kilmoganny hounds were invited to hunt the Kilkenny country from a meet at Glenmore. It was a new experience for regular Kilkenny followers to see the green livery of Kilmoganny hunt their country. The Kilkenny hounds are temporarily out of action due to kennel cough so their neighbouring packs are filling in. It was the turn of the Waterford to hunt the country at the following meet and so it will continue until hounds are given the all clear.

Glenmore is a small village located just off the Waterford-New Ross road about 10 miles from Waterford city.

The joint-masters James Phelan and George Frisby of Kilmoganny jumped at the opportunity. After all, that’s what good neighbours are for!

Kilmoganny were busy preparing for their P2P the following day in Mainstown, Carrick on Suir. Both huntsman and hounds were smiling at the opportunity to hunt their hounds instead of wielding sledge hammers and erecting tents on final preparation for the point-to-point. The P2P had record entries for December and apparently the racing was fantastic.

Frisby and Phelan were joined by huntsman Finbar Murray and hounds to Glenmore, assisted by whipper-in Eamon Kent, Shane Gilmartin, kennel huntsman, and Caroline Gould to join the Kilkenny field at Glenmore. Eamonn, who started his hunting career with the Woodstown, is very much part of the Kilmoganny scene and hunted hounds several days last season when Finbarr was knocked up.

There have been many changes in Kilmoganny since we hunted with them last season from their opening meet. Two joint-masters have stepped down. Hunt stalwart John Walsh, who farms near Carrick, has retired as has Patricia Brennan. The retirement of Patricia takes a big chunk of Kilmoganny history with her. She is the daughter of the late Charlie Blaque who was master and huntsman for several decades from the 1950s on. Originally Turkish with French as his first language, he was a colourful figure throughout his mastership from his home in the magnificent Castletown Cox near Carrick-on-Suir where the hounds are still kennelled.

HIGH FLYING

The current masters, both local and young men, George Frisby and James Phelan, are very much from and of the area. George practises as a civil engineer but his family are heavily involved in the bloodstock industry with considerable success. James commutes from London where he is involved in the high flying world of finance. George, who is lucky enough to ride at something approaching jockey weights, acts as amateur whip to huntsman Finbar Murray, now in his fourth season with Kilmoganny having previously hunted the United in Cork for many seasons.

Faith Morris with a leg in both hunts since her lead rein days, facilitated introductions on the morning. Her grandfather was Master of the Kilmoganny in the 1960s and 1970s and her late father Michael was master of the Kilmoganny in the 1980s. A gentleman both on and off a horse, Michael Morris is sadly missed in the hunting world and far beyond.

Another man with a leg in both camps, Declan Power, president of the Kilmoganny Hunt, was on his feet joined by Caroline Corballis, former Kilkenny Hunt secretary and Eliza Lambert to witness this little bit of hunting history. Speaking of hunting history, Caroline Corballis is the author of that marvellous hunting and social history Hunting in Co Kilkenny which traces the history of the many packs who have hunted the county. The hunting heavens must have been smiling down with Charlie Blacque and Victor McCalmont watching this historic day.

OUTSMARTED

Jim Kenny, closely associated with the local Mullinavat Harriers, put in a huge amount of work in opening country for his local meet and he and his family welcomed the visitors to Glenmore. His horse was particularly eye-catching and his turnout set a standard for others to follow. Mullinavat huntsman Kevin Aylward was out but sadly only on foot. He had previously hunted the Kilmoganny for a couple of seasons. We were privileged to meet a great hunting family, Larry Byrne and his sister Alice whose nephew is the aforementioned Jim Kenny. The Byrnes are one of the founding families of the Mullinavat and Larry remembers travelling to Kerry in an era of petrol rationing for a draft of Kerry Beagles. Also from Mullinavat was Robert Kent with his son Jack, already a veteran of the hunting field aged nine! The Mullinavat had a cracking day from the same meet just a fortnight previously.

Kilkenny joint-masters Dermot Dwan and Paul Holden were both mounted and looking resplendent in their pink coats. Dermot, a son of that great hunting man the late Jack Dwan, is now in his first season as master. Paul Holden, senior Kilkenny joint-master, has extensive land and business interests in the Mullinavat area, and was out with his two daughters Vicki and Hannah. His other daughter Ellmarie is now a very successful trainer with €130,000 won so far this season.

Outside the village was the first draw in the Glen after which the village is named, hounds worked hard but the covert drew blank. The assembled field quickly moved on and hounds found just underneath the road. The field cleared a few drains in great style however Charlie outsmarted the hounds and found refuge in a large pipe and was given best.

Hounds went on to draw a large glen, near Ballyfancey School, hounds found and the field got a nice afternoon spin over a few tricky drains and one Kilkenny member disappeared into what can only be described as the black hole of Calcutta. Fortunately he and horse were reunited and the field travelled over some nice country, jumping a few electric fences and ditches to keep up with the hounds. This spin lasted about 30 minutes and hounds were gathered up to draw an area of forestry, hounds found again and the field met a drain that could best be described as a coffin, requiring careful navigation to the bottom and then a scamper up the other side. One or two casualties from both clubs, thankfully all riders and horses were safely reunited, this obstacle required to be jumped the other way, this time riders and horses were on guard and the number of casualties reduced.

The visitors were thanked by the Kilkenny joint-masters for facilitating the meet at such short notice, overall a very good day for hounds and bringing neighbouring packs together in the interest of hunting can only encouraged.

The Waterford Foxhounds were invited by the Kilkenny the following Tuesday to hunt at Kilmacow Station. Rumour has it that the hounds hunted very well and, for the lucky 12 who kept up to hounds on Tory Hill, they witnessed the Waterford Hounds provide great sport for both hounds, horses and the lucky dirty dozen!

Kennels: Castletown, Carrick-On-Suir, Co.Tipperary

Chairman: George Frisby

Joint-masters: James Phelan, George Frisby

Secretary: Brenda Cahill. Telephone: 085-1073746

Point-to-point secretary: Aileen Persse. Tel: 086-3733156. Email: kellslodge@eircom.net

Huntsman: Finbarr Murray

Whipper-in: Shane Gilmartin (kennels)

Country hunted: South Kilkenny and part of south Tipperary; mixed hilly, wooded and open country

HISTORY

Founded in 1924, the Kilmogannys meets Sundays and Wednesdays, 11.30am.

Visitors: By arrangement

Affiliated to: IMFHA.