I ENDED the hunting season in Northern Ireland where my sporting association goes back to when I played rugby for Wanderers (at a more sociable level than today!) in the late 1960s, when Philip Love, who bred the Epsom Derby winner Larkspur, was president of the club. We played against teams like Dungannon, NIFC and Ballymena, and later I hunted with the Newry and Oriel Harriers, and other packs in the area. There is a great tradition of sport in the area, whether equestrian, rugby, hurling, football, soccer, athletics or motor sport.

This sporting theme was very much in evidence at the Iveagh Foxhounds’ meet at Mount Ida near Banbridge. With no pub at the meet, the operations room was hunt treasurer Mark Maguire’s horsebox, fully provisioned, where people just kept coming in to share in the refreshments and the banter. Three of the four ‘calendar girls’ - Liz Mackie, Fiona Wilson and Leisha Rice were present, with the fourth, Caroline Dennison, absent - hunting with the South Tyrones. They are known for their exploits in modelling for the hunt calendar, copies of which they took to the races in Downpatrick racecourse, and it sold out before the race cards! I asked if they were repeating the publication this year, but it is temporarily delayed as they cannot find cupcakes large enough that disguise certain parts of the anatomy as props for the photo shoot!

Horse trainer Sarah Dawson was celebrating her birthday which, she says, according to the Racing Post, is 41 years, and she is happy to settle with that. Her son, Patrick, who used to whip-in is back at university. She has a couple of two-year-olds that she is excited about by Born To Sea and Footstepsinthesand. Professional whipper-in George Barrett, from Kildare, previously hunted with the Kildare and Carlow Foxhounds where his father, George Snr, is a great supporter of the Kildares, and his cousin Colin is honorary whipper-in. George was sporting the hunt mascot, a chimp named Charles, so called as he has two big ears, after a well-known royal member who used to hunt!

Huntsman Mark Casserley whipped into the Meaths and hunted the Killultagh Old Rock & Chichester and has done a remarkable job organising the hunt country and breeding a pack of hounds of which any huntsman would be proud.

The joint-masters are Alexander Mills, owner of Benburb Agriculture Machinery and on a hunter he bought from Louth country, and Bob Wilson, who was on an eventer, Fiddler, that won four times for Clare Abbott. His daughter, Fiona, is honorary secretary of the hunt. Rio Olympic Games rider Clare Abbott, who rode Euro Prince, is getting ready for Badminton and was accompanied by her mother, Cathleen.

Clare also competes John and Maria Melvin’s Glencairn River. Out hunting also were Leisaha and Don Rice, and former master and huntsman John Porter whose son, Ian, played rugby for Ulster and Connacht, also David Rance, Graham Duncan and his daughter Emily, Shannon Mark, Colin Buggs, Charley Dunlop and Beth Patterson. Leo Armstrong, who admits to being 89-years-old, was on his chesnut mare. He has been hunting for 70 seasons. He point-to-pointed and worked with Jeremy Maxwell, and was associated with 1972 Galway Plate winner Persian Lark. One race he particularly remembers is when he was second to Tommy Carberry, with Pat Taaffe third and Bobby Coonan fourth!

The huntsman has a very supportive team on the ground with his girlfriend Sinead Boyd, whose mother, Rose, together with George Creighton, own Hurricane Fly, the 22-time Grade 1 winner. Other tireless helpers are George Barrett, former Killultagh huntsman Noel Fitzpatrick, Robbie Gault, Willie Murphy, Ali Watson, who immediately after the hunt was away fencing, Gary Hylands, Stefan Murphy, who is on work experience, and Steven Smith, accompanied by his daughter Abi. Casserley leads by example as he was back visiting farmers the following day to make sure nothing was overlooked. Also following were Herbie Andrews and his wife Margaret, Darren McClory, David Black, whose son Garrett was hunting, Chris Eadie and daughters Sarah and Allanah.

Chairman Clifford Lilburn, who was master and huntsman of the Iveaghs from 1981-1995, was following. He broke his neck in a fall on the road and had to retire from hunting, but there was lively banter with his former field-master John Harvey. The huntsman had 12½ couple of a mixed pack out with Modern and Old English bloodlines by Louth Seaman and a draft from the North Hereford. The first draw was in Mrs Martin’s valley where hounds found and ran through Andy Brown’s, away over Barrack Hill by Maheralley Church to Gibson’s and through Jackie Moore’s where they marked behind the church. Trainer Gerry Cosgrove, who was following, has handled a number of good horses including Clondaw Frizby, Mayo Bridge, and Cangodmayo. The fox was gone from the elephant grass in Oliver Reid’s, the father of flat jockey John Reid, but hounds worked up the line and marked him.

Jackie Moore, whose son Ian is joint-master of the County Down Staghounds farm, was also blank. They crossed into the Willows and the pack had another fox on the move but slurry spoiled it. Robbie McCracken’s out-farm was blank. He once hunted 18 days in succession and is a keen racing pigeon man. He had all the hedges on his farm especially cut, as he insist that the followers get good jumping. He keeps two hunters fit even though he just rides out. There was better luck on Robbie’s main farm as hounds feathered up a line and marked again.

Former Northern Ireland Prime Minister Brian Faulkner was master and huntsman of the Iveaghs from 1953-77. He and his wife Lucy were brave riders across country. Later, in 1977, he was tragically killed out hunting when his horse slipped on the road.

Hounds went to draw beef farmer Brian Cromie’s farm and it was amazing how hounds even picked up a line in the valley, despite slurry having just been spread. They hunted him left-handed before he circled right and accounted for him on top as he was just short of the old council dump. Cromie was following progress from the road, actually booked his hunt ball tickets with Clifford Lilburn already for next year, and I understand that he has also booked transport!

But they were not finished as the huntsman took hounds to Cromie’s out-farm, finding in the bog. It was fantastic to watch the pack as they cast themselves left-handed and then right-handed and suddenly they were away in fine voice crossing the hill over Donald Smith’s to the back of Moore’s where they marked him under sheets of galvanise, to end a smashing day’s hound-work, in the company of true sporting people.

There was no contributions for the Tumblers Club, which each faller has to put £5 into a kitty, as remarkably every rider stayed in the saddle!

Roll on Autumn hunting and next season.

FACTFILE

Chairman: Clifford Lilburn

Masters: Bob Wilson and Alexander Mills

Huntsman: Mark Casserley

Whippers-in: George Barrett, Ali Watson and Gary Hylands

Honorary secretary: Fiona Wilson

HISTORY

The Iveagh Foxhounds were established in 1825 but disbanded and reformed again in 1902. They hunt an area of 27 miles by 23 miles in Down and Armagh with the best areas each side of the A1 Motorway to Belfast, Banbridge, Loughbrickland, Scarva and Dromore.