CLONDULANE, a small village just off the Fermoy/Tallow road, became the venue for a meet of their local pack, The Avondhu Foxhounds, last Sunday.

The Avondhu Hunt is as much part of the fabric of Mid Cork as the Blackwater itself. The very name is synonymous with the barony of Avondhu running from the Waterford border west almost to Mallow. The Waterford, Duhallow United and Scarteen all are close neighbours.

It has produced many remarkable horsemen in the century or so since its foundation. Jonjo O’Neill and Norman Williamson would have started their riding career with the Avondhu, while both Vincent O’Brien and John Magnier would have been regulars in their day.

Hunting is ingrained in the DNA of Co Cork. There are no less than 12 registered packs of hounds within the county and that does not include countless pack who hunt on foot. Avondhu is not a big jumping country and has a fair share of plough.

Perhaps their glory days were when they were hunted by the great P.P. Hogan when long runs and even longer days, some of which stretched into the following day, were not unusual.

It is almost an all amateur hunt, the exception being huntsman Tommy O’Dowd, now in his fifth season. They hunt on Sundays and bank holidays with a budget that might only run a county pack for a week, but this is not reflected in their hunting.

The only pub in the village had not yet opened for the day so hounds gathered at the bottom of the village near the back entrance to Careysville. Huntsman Tommy Dowd was on a smashing batty (coloured) who looked as if he could really do the business. The huntsman is fortunate to ride at jockey weights so he can ride a horse built accordingly, his cob being no more than 15.3hh.

When not hunting he works as an excavator driver, digging everything from slatted tanks to hospital extensions. His god-daughter, young Katie Quish, was out with him on a nice black cob.

A representative number of hounds were wearing radio collars which is quite common particularly amongst harrier packs. They don’t hunt a big pack, no more than eight and a half couple with a fair dash of harrier blood.

Full field

The advertised time was 11.30 but a few minutes grace was afforded for un-boxing and other appropriate preparations. The whippers-in (all amateur) were on hand.

Tim McAuliffe was on a thoroughbred mare by Presenting who didn’t make the grade on the track or in the sales ring but is ideally suited to hunting. The fair sex were well represented by Aileen O’Keefe and Niamh Mangan, a cousin of racing presenter and jockey Jane Mangan

Young Andrew Shinnick completed the line-up. He had travelled with his cousin Brian Fox. Both are enthusiastic dairy farmers. Andrew farms with his dad, John, near Glanworth. He is not the first Shinnick to hold office in Avondhu.

Muriel Bowen in her history of Irish Hunting records one John Shinnick hunting hounds in 1905. The name is unique to the area so he must be a forbearer. The first Shinnick in the area was believed to be a Polish émigré.

Brian Fox is establishing a new dairy farm in Glenrue just on the edge of Scarteen country and was accompanied by his girlfriend Emma Walsh on the hunting field.

Andrew’s younger brother John is apprenticed to Ger Lyons and came through the RACE academy. He had his first winner in April on the Donal Kinsella-trained Handsome Maverick in Navan. Ger Lyons is having a brilliant season with almost 70 winners and prize money just shy of €2 million.

A hidden gem

The first draw was almost in the village at the magnificent Careysville Estate on the Blackwater River. This is really one of Ireland’s hidden gems and is a fishing destination for the rich and famous.

Careysville House, a substantial three story over basement, was built in the Georgian style in 1812 on the elevated fortifications of the ruined Ballymacpatrick Castle. With stunning views of the Blackwater, it sits on an escarpment overlooking the fishery. The tree-lined avenue runs for a kilometre ensuring total privacy and peace for both foxes and people.

Careysville has been in the ownership of the Duke of Devonshire’s family since the 1930s. It is part of the Devonshire family estates, which include Lismore Castle about 20km downstream, along with Chatsworth House and Bolton Abbey in the Britain.

Lord Burlington, the Duke’s heir, and his family are regulars in Careysville. The Devonshires breed and race extensively with horses in training with such notables as Luca Cumani and John Gosden.

As a footnote to history during the war, John F Kennedy’s sister Kathleen was married to the then heir to Chatsworth but war intervened and he was killed. It then passed to his younger brother, father of the present Duke.

Careysville is run by Maura Bielski who is originally from Galbally in Co Limerick, while the general manager in Lismore Castle is Helen Courtney, to whom I am indebted for the background information on Careysville.

Majestic

Hounds had barely touched down when they had a fine dog fox afoot in the woods to the west of the long avenue. The music was mighty as they hunted up and down the glen divided by a tributary of the Blackwater.

It is a huntsman’s dream to able to sit and watch his hounds work picking out their individual cry as they hunt. As they crossed the avenue one of the whips peeled off his horse to open a gate neatly tied with some Ducal baler twine.

As they drew on, we had un-paralleled views of the Blackwater at its majestic best. It gave a chance to catch up with hunting companions such as hunt chairman Denis Joyce who is a dairy farmer near Fermoy.

Sportingly, he was bringing on two young horses, he on one and Evelyn Howard from Kildorerry on the other. He owns most of the land at the far side of the river in Ballnalacken which can only be reached by road by crossing the river at Fermoy. Riding a very stylish dun horse was Charles Grumbridge from Fermoy.

Hounds found on the bank of the river and were viewed away by young Donal O’Connor learning his trade as an assistant whipper-in. Our pilot took hounds and the field on a picturesque tour of the Blackwater towards Tallow.

Here they met a couple of decent gates to be jumped and a nasty ESB pole used to make a bounds ditch stockproof. When our pilot felt he gone far enough east, he swung lefthanded and made a return trip to the hospitality of Careysville where he found a welcoming shore.

With a storm looming and shadows lengthening our huntsman blew for home.