HISTORY

The hunt was established in 1854 under the mastership of Sir Richard Levinge, the first hunt to introduce a farmer’s subscription in 1887. There have been many notable masters like Harry Worcester Smith, master of the Grafton Hunt in the USA in 1912, and more recently John Smith, who was master and huntsman and a great judge of a horse.

HUNT

Chairperson: Helen Moorehead

Masters: Ann Derwin, Caroline Cowdy, Jim Derwin and Stephen Gettins

Huntsman: Mark Ollard

Whippers-in: Gary Reilly and Derek O’Hara (honorary)

Field-master: Jill Mangan

Honorary secretary: Yvonne Gunning

THE Westmeath Foxhounds meet at Castletown-Geoghegan reminded me of when I hunted the Russellstown Beagles for Peter Downes in the 1980s. Hounds hunted across the avenue of Middleton Park Estate beside the village when a gentleman with a moustache in a pinstriped suit, white shirt and no tie, with gleaming black shoes, a fawn Crombie coat and trademark cream Panama hat met me on the avenue. He enquired if we were having a good day? It was none other than the owner at the time, professional gambler and horse trainer Barney Curley who, during the recession in the 1980s, raffled his Middleton Park Estate. He was known for betting coups, especially the Yellow Sam gamble in Bellewstown racecourse that reputedly cost the bookmakers about €2 million in present day money! It was at one time the family home of George Arthur Boyd-Rochford and his brother Sir Cecil who trained horses for the British Royal family.

Huntsman Mark Ollard has made a huge impact since he took on hunting the Westmeaths after a spell hunting the Island and the Scarteen. Very focused, he goes through the pleasantries like greeting visitors, then a chat with his whips and the area managers and gets away punctually with no timewasting in the pub. If a covert is blank, he moves on to the next draw. He and his area managers are well organised, he sees all the farmers, and walks the country beforehand.

The team is further strengthened by enthusiastic masters, field-master Jill Mangan and whippers-in Gary O’Reilly and Derek O’Hara, area managers Kieran Flynn and Andre Bouabbse. It’s real hunting country, with every conceivable obstacle, hedges, stone walls, ditches, drains, banks, wire and gates, and well foxed. They are fortunate to have a huntsman who is a real professional, a smashing pack of hounds, a good team and followers both adults and children that know and appreciate old -style foxhunting.

HEN PARTY

It was a case of the hens following the foxes at this meet, as a large hen party from the Belvoir and the Exmoor Hounds in the UK, celebrated the impending marriage of Ursula Moore to Jonathan Bryars. The party consisted of Alice Verity, Hanna Westropp, Annika Fisher, Sally Oldham, Ursula Moore, Sabrina McClump, Harriet Rimmer, Alex Thompson, Shauna Wright, and were chaperoned by Michael Dungworth. Two of international horse dealer Jim Derwin’s lorries, packed with the finest looking hunters, arrived for members of the hen party.

It was the best advertisement for Irish horses I have seen recently, all freshly clipped, plaited and hooves shining. Credit for turnout of the hunters and looking after the party so well all day must go to William Glynn and Mark Doolin. Jim Derwin is the new Westmeath joint-master with his mother Ann, Caroline Cowdy and Stephen Gittins who was away on business. There were three generations of Derwins hunting: Ann, Jim and the grandchildren and the latest crop of talented Derwin showjumping riders, James and Frano.

Honorary secretary Yvonne Gunning was busy collecting the cap while former master, event rider and horse trainer Dot Love, Susan Huscha, Ciaran Rossiter from Cyril O’Hara’s Ennel Bloodstock, riding show cob Johnstown Boy, Dr David Mortell and his wife Marion and daughter Alison, Aine and Yvonne Shorthall, Mark and Gary O’Reilly, Kieran, David and Cabrini Flynn, were getting mounted. Visiting from the Kildares were former huntsman Chris Francis, Colin Barrett, Linda Gillespie and Sarah Maxwell from the Meaths. Artist, eventer, hunt follower and talented writer Rosie Wentges definitely has the hunting gene as her grandfather was Captain John Wentges, former master of the Fingal Harriers and the Little Grange Harriers. Her grandmother Rosemary’s family founded the Fingal Harriers, and her aunt Fiona is a former Irish Olympic eventer. Rosie writes some very entertaining articles of the Slippery Saddle Table of Fallers during the season.

International event rider, renowned young horse producer and coach Clare Lambert, the huntsman’s wife, and their daughter Scarlet, were following with Pamela (Derwin) Shorthall and Jen McGuire. Just in case you are planning to follow the Westmeaths by car, a word of advice, don’t follow Pamela especially when she is taking a lead from David McCormack! It reminded me of the Mel Brooks’ film Blazing Saddles, when he said, ‘When you come to the fork in the road, take it’! But in fairness to Pamela, there is no better person to know the quickest route over the most difficult Grand Prix show jumping track! Aileen Sealy was travelling with Andrew Kiernan who I remembered owning the 10-time winning point-to-pointer Clonfad, ridden by the late Frankie Kiernan. I hunted with Frankie, a fine horseman, when he was huntsman of the South Westmeath Harriers. Kieran Guinness has a horse in so he may make it out one of these days!

Martin Smith and his son John Smith were following with the new joint-master Caroline Cowdy who has been on hunting walkabout before settling in Westmeath. Former whipper-in Adam Bouabbse and former point-to-point jockey Sean McManus who rode Mini Mischief to win at the local Castletown Geoghegan meeting were car-following. Another point-to-point jockey who works for Dot Love’s Charlestown Racing Stables, hunt committee member Darragh Lambe, who I remember winning a maiden race on Bourbon Alley, was looking on in frustration as he is out of action while his leg repairs after a skiing accident. Others following were Jack Ryan from the Wards, Emily Quinlan (7) and Larry Lyons.

HOUND WORK

It was a day of clever hound work and hunting professionalism as huntsman Ollard and about 50 followers together with 14 ½ couple of hounds left on the stroke of 11am down by Mount Druid and into Mickey Cuskelys. By 11.30am, hounds were making sweet music having found at least a brace in Sean McCormack’s kale. Settling on one, they ran back before running left-handed and over Ger Dunne’s and across John Paul Farrell’s. There was a great view of the followers jumping a wall in Kieran Flynn’s with a super lead by field-master Jill Mangan. John Smith Jr got a terrific photo on his phone of the huntsman Mark Ollard flying over a strong wall, but he had to as the young Derwins were close on his coat-tails!

Hounds ran back again into Mickey Cuskely’s and straightened out across Fintin Farrell’s, and they marked him in Garthy’s Bog after a nice crisp run of over 40 minutes. Meantime, the members of the hen party had beaming smiles as all Derwin’s hunters had carried them safely across country, so far!

Crossing over the Bog Road, hounds quickly found again in Danny McCormack’s and raced through Declan Fallon’s towards the Streamstown Road where the fox ran parallel to the road with the pack screaming not far behind. It looked at first to road followers as if the fox crossed the road as hounds checked and feathered across it but the lead hounds quickly took it up and soon put the pack right hunting back over Kit McKeon’s and away again towards the Hill of Dromore into Mike Ledwidge’s over Tommy McCormack’s again into Donal Lynham’s where they gave best.

But Ollard was not finished yet as Tom Lynham’s and Jimmy and Joe Glennon’s farms at the Hill of Dromore were blank. But they had better luck in Jones’ Furze and hounds pressed our pilot on over Finian O’Brien’s, Pat Carey’s, Brendan Reynolds’, Patsy Keegan, over real old turf country with trappy stone walls and old fashioned drain country heading towards Glengorm Covert. But this customer decided to run through it swinging left-handed and they marked him to ground in a rock pile near the Ballinagore road.

It was the end of another smashing day’s hunting, as the followers including the hen party retired to Dolores Glennon’s Pub, whose brothers Jim and Joe are extensive farmers in the area.