FACTFILE
Chairman: John Kavanagh
Masters: Henry Fleming and Frank Redmond
Huntsman: Philip Lazenby
Whipper-in: Brendan Kavanagh
Field-master: Tom Kelly
HISTORY
Founded in 1901 as the Wicklow Harriers and for a time disbanded before being reformed in 1936 as a farmers pack hunting fox. The name of the hunt was changed in 1957. Former masters were well known producers of horses like the Parkhills, Merrigans and Florrie Webb, who despite having only one arm, hunted the pack from 1971-1977. They hunt south Wicklow and north Wexford.
Noel Mullins
IF ever there was a hunt club that was ‘the complete package’, then the Wicklow Foxhounds are among those at the top of the list - community-based, raising funds for good local causes, with over 90% of them farmers and landowners’ children. They hunt challenging country, in a great atmosphere, with a dedicated team of masters and hunt personnel, a smashing pack of hounds, and a large number of car followers.
The masters are Henry Fleming and Frank Redmond who previously hunted the pack, and together with their huntsman Philip Lazenby make everybody welcome.
Fleming is a farmer and horse producer with an up and coming Irish Sport Horse Ballycapple Diamond Cruise by Coevers Diamond Boy out of a Cruising mare competing on the show jumping circuit with Darryl Walker. He is destined to stand as a stallion.
Lazenby is also a horse producer having had success with a filly winning the Limerick Lady only to lose it three days later to his surprise.
He also specialises in made hunters, breeding some and buying in young horses which are schooled by his daughters Deana who works for the Kerry Group in Britain who returns home to hunt every weekend, and her sister Shauna, together with Patrick McGlynn.
On the day, Shauna was on Granger by Grange Bouncer who was an international eventer and Grade A show jumper out of a mare by the international show jumper Sea Crest. Her sister Deana was on the bay Diego, and both are for sale. A recent consignment of his made hunters went to the Beaufort Hunt brokered through Aubrey Chapman. Marie O’Donoghue was on another of Lazenby’s armchair rides named Sid, also on the market.
Lazenby, now in his sixth season hunting hounds, has built a kennels that would be the envy of even the largest hunts in the country, but then he is a perfectionist in everything he does.
He had a novel class at his annual puppy show, where he asked the spectators to pit their judging wits against the judges in a special class. His wife Ella is a talented photographer.
Veterinary surgeon Austin Fanning, who owns a smashing hunter Fletcher with Lazenby that they bought in the Killinick country, gave me somewhat confusing directions to the meet, so I was curious as to how he managed to find his clients? The answer I should have known was Sat Nav!
Mounted at the meet was Simon Kelly visiting from the Cloyne Harriers, Liam Kavanagh, field-master Tom Kelly while Frances McCarty is certainly faster on foot across country than some of the mounted followers. She would be an ideal candidate for the Rio Olympics!
Seamus Killoran, who hosts the hunter trials, was following by car as was Patrick Murphy riding his horse. Also following was local farmer David Grandy, his father Billy and his mother Elizabeth. His brother Richard works in Australia but was home to hunt over Christmas.
His other brother James whipped in to the Island Foxhounds but is now based in Britain and hunts with the Middleton Hounds in Yorkshire. Siun and Cait Stafford, Kevin Coade and Mick and Patrick Goland organised the meet. Roscommon Harriers joint-master Mick Dawney, who owns Toss Byrne’s Bar in Inch, was hunting. Originally a Ward Union Staghounds and Fingal Harrier follower, he also ran an equestrian operation in France.
The first draw was down Salline Lane where Liam, Michael and Aoife Mulligan caught up with the hunt.
The huntsman drew the ditches and rushes in Richard Cosgraves, and one could hear the waves and jet skis on Salline Beach. But when one sees birds rising, it is a real giveaway that a fox is on the move, and hounds were on to him despite dreadful scenting conditions. They hunted him in two wide circles before he headed for the safety of home.
The condition of a big double into Hugh Greegan’s farm got progressively worse.
One person said that the field was wet even on a dry day! A tree growing sideways was the main culprit for falls as Cliona Mordaunt had a spectacular somersault, as did Jessica Byrne, Michael Mulligan, and Garda Alan Collins who went out the side door when he hit his shoulder off the tree. However Nicole Kelly, and 10-year-old Kerry McDonald gave a display of how to jump a double, as did 16-year-old Catie Cushe.
successful Strategy
A stirrup cup and mince pies awaited the survivors at Elizabeth Mulligan’s shop at the White Tree, where they had a nice spin around the hunter trials fences on Liam Mulligan’s farm before crossing Joe Keys and Dec Carty’s land. Hounds quickly found again in Lorcan D’Arcys where a brace and a half of foxes quickly decided their strategy, which was to go in different directions, and it worked as hounds split. One fox went back right-handed over Dec Carty’s and the second fox crossed the road and to ground on the lane.
Some nice work by the huntsman got the pack together on the line of the first fox towards Green Berry Strawberry Farm where they marked him beside the motorway.
Meanwhile Mick Goland and his horse were paddling at the bottom of a dark and deep ditch.
A tractor was summoned by his son Craig, which followers were not sure was powerful enough for Mick or his horse together! But further up the double bank solicitor Doran O’Toole on his Irish Draught stallion Pucca Fairy burst through a blind spot, but Brendan Kavanagh and Trevor Kelly were not so lucky, and joined Mick Goland in the cavern as well.
The next draw at Molloy’s and Brendan Noctor’s were blank, but the huntsman continued to draw the ditches on foot and had another fox away over Suin and Cait Staffords who were both hunting.
The music was fantastic especially as they ran through the woodland, but as they went to cross the road in the direction of Tara Hill, as it was now dusk, the huntsman stopped the pack and headed for home. But it was not really over as an American cross-bred hound Stamper, out of Midland Hunt (USA) Daffodil, by Ballymacad Saturday ’06 that came through West Waterford, and Lazenby’s National Hound Show Champion Unentered and Reserve Champion Bitch Paisley spotted a fox on the way home beside a garden and could not resist another run, but the pack was eventually stopped.
Jim and Mary French’s Tara Vale Bar was the essence of good hospitality, with a range of refreshments fit to delay any hunt follower from rushing home while back at the kennels, Ella Lazenby was serving up her speciality lasagne and homemade apple crumble to the chosen few!