THERE was no pub near the Carlow Farmers meet at Corries Cross near Bagnalstown, but that did not mean that there was no hospitality as the Doyle family hosted a lawn meet. Catering was in the capable hands of Angela, Elma, Rachel, and Theresa Doyle, with David (13) serving with Michael Snr, Michael Jnr, and James, all assisting as well. The Doyles are all well-known horsemen and stood the coloured stallion Aughabeg that produced good showjumping and eventing stock. There were over 70 mounted followers and as many young families following by car.
Irish hunting is so fortunate to have so many talented young huntsmen coming through. Ado Moran, the huntsman of the Carlow Farmers, is one such huntsman who gained his initial experience whipping-in to John Stafford and the Killinick Harriers, and then did a spell with the Kildare Foxhounds.
The great horseman Jack Lambert considered Ado as one of the most gifted people at breaking young horses when they were producing a new batch of home-bred three-year-olds for the hunting field each year.
Moran is a superb horseman having ridden in the Huntsman’s Challenge over the Punchestown Cross Country Course as well as finishing close to the top in the Ward Antler Challenge. As a hound man, he has collected his fair share of trophies at the National Hound Show in Stradbally, but more importantly, I like the way he handles his hounds in the hunting field.
He hacked to the meet at Corries Cross letting the pack run ahead of him free with no fuss except to talk to them the odd time. At the meet, hounds mixed with the children, and even shared in Theresa Doyle’s cooked sausages!
When hunting, Moran lets the pack get on with it, helping them only when really necessary. It was a pleasure to watch the pack cast themselves on what was a poor scenting day, never losing concentration.
The Carlows have two of the best whippers-in: Jodie Skelton, who is a farrier and produces made hunters for sale, and Tom Berney, the familiar face of Berney Brothers of Kilcullen, a one-stop-shop for all sections of the equestrian community. Berneys sponsor The Kildare Huntsman’s Challenge and the Kildare Hunt Club Performance Hunter Show, and are sponsors at the Dublin Horse Show. The other members of the very effective team are the chairman, masters, and Ger and George Barrett.
There was a great turnout of young riders hunting which included Michael Doyle’s children – Rosin (7) riding Dusty, and Tadgh, Sean, James Doyle, Derry Skelton (11), Sinead Phelan (3) on her pony Armadillo who was looked after by her mother Liz. Also Alex Redmond, Lorna, Kate and Gillian Byrne, Ellen Kelly, Jamie, Aine and Lauren Kavanagh, Caoimhe Foley and Sean Byrnes.
Hunt chairman Gill Browne was hunting as was hunt treasurer Gerry Tobin, and former Wicklow Foxhounds master Henry Fleming. The Carlows have two new joint-masters since I was last with them, Bertram Salter and Justin Scale.
The huntsman’s brother former, Killinick and Kildare whipper-in and current Island whipper-in Mike Moran who is another well-known horse producer was on horseback, as was David Treacy.
Dundalk-based Mehran Mirahmadi, originally from Iran, has hunted and played polo in Ireland for the last 25 years. Karen Noble, who has hunted with many packs on the east coast, manages the New York-style Luna Restaurant in Drury Street in Dublin.
Also mounted were Dr Ronan Gallagher, who keeps all the Carlow followers sound, James O’Brien and his wife Sylvia, former international event rider Brian Mullins, Jim Bolger, polo player Ann Hannify, a former whipper-in to the Laois Foxhounds, Rosemary Driver from the Waterford Foxhounds, Sarah O’Donnell, show jumping producer Paddy Quinlan, and Matthew Murphy.
Pippa and John Ryan were on two smashing home-bred Irish Draughts by Crannagh Hero, named Sika and Blade, as well as Hazel Valentine from Kildare who must hunt seven days a week side saddle and astride as I meet her everywhere. Mounted also were Brian Holly and Sarah Murphy, Ciaran, Jane and Mick Murphy, Sylvia Cole and Edward Ryan.
Former army officer Martin Nolan, who was in the Equitation School in McKee Barracks and later looked after the recuperation of horses in the Curragh, was at the meet with his mother Kathleen, a lively 87 years, who was the connection to the original County Carlow Foxhounds founded by the Watson family. She hunted with masters Mrs Olive Hall and Cornie Grogan and remembered her favourite hunter Tawney.
The Carlow Farmers still keep contact with the Melbourne Hunt in Australia, which Carlowman George Watson founded in 1853 with hounds that he brought from home.
Jennifer Skelton was there recently, and her brother Jodie has planned a trip shortly when he will meet up with his girlfriend and veterinary surgeon Emma Hosey.
I visited and reported for The Irish Field on the Melbourne Hunt 18 years ago, and met up with former joint-master John Masterton at the Dublin Horse Show last year.
IMPRESSIVE
Local farmer Martin Fenlon, whose Curracruit Cross Country Course is popular with events and schooling, had his nephew Jimmy hunting. Following also was eventing, show jumping and show horse producer Jane Handcock of Corries Stables, Liam Kavanagh, Jim Doran, Albert and Al Tomkins and Martin Redmond. Photographer Elizabeth Byrne keeps the hunt Facebook site up to date, while many will know her mother Eiline Brennan, a familiar figure in promoting the Irish Draught Horse Breeders Association.
The snow-capped Mount Leinster was in view all day as the huntsman, on a smashing quality chesnut by the Irish Draught Sport Horse Laughton’s Flight out of a thoroughbred mare sourced from his brother Mike, took the pack of 13½ Modern and Old English hounds to the first draw at the 13th century Ballylacken Castle in Hilda Rothwell’s.
They hit a fox straight away in the Ash Wood and ran in a loop for Ger Farrell’s, and away over the Knock and English’s Hill through Henry Kelly’s but the fox was unfortunately headed at the end of the wood by car followers.
Noticeable was Warning, a white bitch who was very impressive as she never stopped working in poor scenting conditions outside the wood, and brought the pack on as the fox turned back towards Ger Farrell’s and to ground.
Billy Goggins was up with the action all the way, as was Paddy Cleary who, with Katherine Charlton, does the pre-training and rehabilitation for champion trainer Willie Mullins. Katherine runs her own very successful Class Event Horses, producing many champions as well as the three-year-old loose jumping winner Noble Class at the Dublin Horse Show.
Four crows gave the game away on another fox as they hovered above him, but the huntsman decided that he had spent enough time at the first draw and crossed the road beside Jane Hancock’s Corries Stables that has produced so many champion eventers, showjumpers and in hand. She has wonderful schooling facilities of an indoor, outdoor and a cross country course with quiet roads for hacking.
Hounds found again in David Ashmore’s, and this fox was content to run from wood to wood and eventually to ground.
But by 4pm, temperatures dropped as the pack drew Juliet Holmes’, and on through Tommy Kinsella’s where the pack found and screamed away hard on the brush of a game fox.
Music was in the air with the pack really on song running in a wide circle and all the way back to Holmes, and then switching in the direction of trainer Tom Foley, who trained the great Danoli known as ‘the People’s Champion’, ridden early in his career by jockey Charlie Swan and later by Tommy Treacy, winning races such as the Aintree Hurdle and the Hennessy Gold Cup. Hounds marked this fox in a bank beside the road after a cracking run of over one hour.
Any day’s hunting where hounds are busy all day, that ends after five hours in the saddle, and finishes with a run of over an hour ending in darkness, has to be the perfect day’s hunting!
Factfile
Chairman: Gill Browne
Masters: Joe Skelton, Bertram Salter and Justin Scale
Huntsman: Ado Moran
Whipper-in: Jodie Skelton (Honorary) and Tom Berney (Honorary)
Field-master: Joe Skelton
HISTORY
The Carlow Farmers Hunt succeeded the County Carlow Foxhounds that disbanded in the 1960s, whose founding masters were the Watson family of Ballydartan.