THE quiet rural village of Dunderry woke to the sound of horseboxes and trailers as the Meath Foxhounds rolled into town. Commerce benefited as the local food store saw a stream of young followers arrive to purchase sustenance for the day. Hot breakfast rolls, crisps, soft drinks and bars of chocolate that come in so handy around the early afternoon when the stomach starts to rumble. Jumping juice (alcohol) for those of a nervous disposition was being dispatched at the local hostelries like the quaint old world Geraghty’s Pub. In all, a nice injection of unexpected cash for the local village, not counting all the other economic contributions that the sport of hunting provides to sustain rural communities around Ireland.
The Meath followers certainly get around. Recently joint-masters Richard Trimble and Pat Dillon, together with James Cogan, Dermot Ryan and Carol Sheridan were hunting in Montreal in Canada as guests of the huntsman Andrew Marrin and his wife Millie of the Montreal Hounds whose hunt country is the state of Quebec.
Sadly just recently, whipper-in Michael ‘Speedy’ O’Rourke, who spent over 35 seasons with the Meaths, passed away. As a mark of respect to ‘Speedy’ who had a special place in the hearts of Meath followers, huntsman Kenny Henry and whipper-in Barry Finnegan dressed in hunt livery escorted the cortege past the kennels and blew ‘Gone Away’ when he was being laid to rest. His son Paul hunted the Fingal Harriers for a time, and Barney still hunts with the Meaths. Speedy whipped-in to former huntsman Johnny Henry Snr with the late Aidan Galligan. They were often referred to as the ‘Dream Team’. They communicated by telepathy, thinking and moving in unison so that they were a seamless combination. I hunted with them many years ago at the Hill of Tara. Due to difficulty parking I was late as they were gone on the stroke of 11am. Fortunately as I cantered down over the historic Hill of Tara on my hunter Walter, the best horse I ever had the privilege of owning, I fortunately caught a glimpse of a red coat, as seconds later, I would have missed the start of a cracking hunt.
The Meath is fortunate to have successors brought on in the same mould, as Johnny’s sons Kenny hunts the doghound pack and John Jnr hunts the bitches. Both alternate as field-master on the days that they are not hunting hounds. Barry Finnegan is the professional whipper-in, and farrier Brian Black and dairy farmer Johnny Clarke are honorary whippers-in and do a fantastic job bringing hounds on and making sure running repairs are done in the course of the day. Black is a perfectionist for turnout, and was busy giving a lesson on stock tying to Seamie O’Sullivan!
Emma Peckham from Newmarket, who spots for trainer Anthony Stroud, was on her way to Goffs after the hunt. She was joined by Bill Dwan of Castlebridge Consignments, who topped a Goffs sale recently with Inca Princess selling for €1.9 million.
There were a number of young riders out – 11-year-old Amanda Beggan on Rose, 12-year-old twins Conor and Fergal Bowman, 10-year-old Emily Rooney on her pony Pat, and 11-year-old Emily O’Regan who was on her pony Bayo, the only pony to win both the Irish and British Pony Club Tetratalon, with both Sive Brassel and Emer O’Neill.
Young Kyle Cassidy was trying out the hunt quad, and seven-year-old Mazie O’Regan decided that this meet was a bit too much for her 27-year-old pony Pebbles, but she has Pablo, a four-year-old, nearly fit. Eamonn Connell from Mullingar had five Swedish visitors hunting: Wilhelm and Carl Leissner, Ellen Hedman, Anna Hildebrandt and Togge Henriksson. Connell’s Swedish-born wife Janni sells a lot of ponies to Sweden and has lost all trace of her native accent. Eamonn’s son Christopher has had great success showjumping on his horse BVS Echo Island. When not producing hunters, he provides horses to the film Into the Badlands. Distinctive in his bowler hat was John Flood, eclipsed slightly by brothers Hugh and Peter Newell in their top hats. Sarah Meehan and Niamh Hoey were hunting, as was former jockey Cossie McGivern who worked with Noel Meade and David Meehan. Nicky Potterton, otherwise known as international event rider Sarah Ennis’ husband, seems to hunt every day of the week. Others out were Emily Moorehead, Pat Brogan, David Rooney, John Moran, Oliver O’Callaghan and Tony Coyle. Kenneth Regan was on his sturdy Irish Draught, event rider and producer Jill Revill was on a four-year-old, and Niamh Martin was riding Mohill Triple X, placed at the Dublin Horse Show.
Farmer Johnny Rattigan was following as were former master Ben Dillon with Billy Blyth, Joe Connell, Michelle Smith, Evelyn O’Shea, Lucy Rennix, Grace Sisk, Fiona Wentges – whose father John was a master of the Fingal and the Little Grange Harriers – Myles Clare and Michael Flanagan. Following also were Mark O’Regan of Cranmore Guest House near Trim which specialise in fishing holidays, Tommy Finnegan, whipper-in Barry’s father, Vince Rattigan, Rita Dunne, Miriam Henry and her children Lucy and Aine as well as Justin McGovern, who was sporting a Panda Waste jacket, whose owner, Eamonn Waters, hunts with the Ward Union.
It was Kenny Henry’s turn to hunt his doghounds and he had 22 ½ couple out including the successful stallion hound Bicester Halifax, whose progeny Kenny is excited about. He was riding Boots, a hunter sourced from Athlone horse dealer Jim Derwin.
Shane McGillick, who spent time in Westmeath and Kilkenny, was on the quad. Field-master for the day was John Henry Jnr, with joint-masters Pat Dillon and Norman Williamson and his wife Janet who is honorary secretary and their son Josh, a terrific rider for such a young age, definitely a ‘chip off the old block’ who was at the front all day.
CRACKING HUNT
What was to follow was a cracking hunt over the ‘strongest’ of Meath country where total concentration was required otherwise a watery end lay in wait!
Pat Brogan, who was a casualty at the big double in veterinary surgeon Joe Clarke’s place, described it as some of the dirtiest country he has ever experienced in contrast to the huntsman’s description as ‘proper Meath hunting country’! Churchtown was blank so they crossed hunter producer Willie Smith’s farm and on into Willie Darcy’s where hounds found a brace. Drains, double banks and rivers came up thick and fast as the pack raced over Mrs Mulligan’s, Des Loughran’s, Stephen Gillick’s, and James Reilly’s where the fox tried to cross the road but was headed. The pack quickly marked him to ground but not before master Pat Dillon found the bottom of a good old fashioned Meath ditch in D’Arcy’s! The huntsman found another fox at Philperstown which took the followers over Darcy’s, Ger Cook’s dairy farm, and over the Dunderry river where many followers went for a bath. While riders were scrambling out of the river, hounds had already marked this fox to ground in Kit Meehan’s. However, the day was not over yet as the huntsman went on to draw behind Geraghty’s Pub in Kevin Kenny’s where hounds found as followers jumped over the big double bank in Joe Clarke’s farm where more casualties were clocked up – amongst them Kenneth Regan, Eamonn Meade and Hughie Farrell who is probably still drying out! Hounds crossed Daithi Stephen’s where they marked yet again and they could be heard miles away. They really had enough done and the field had thinned out considerably as the pack had another customer away in Maureen Mulligan’s farm. After this fox crossed four fields, Kenny decided to blow for home. Five foxes hunted, not a bad tally, and not counting the tally of riders still scrambling out of the river!