North Galway Foxhounds Shrule

The country was originally hunted by the Bermingham & North Galway Foxhounds, founded in 1946 by Sir Dermott and Lady Molly Cusack-Smith. When it was disbanded in 1985, the North Galway Foxhounds was formed.

Chair: Ger O’Brien

Masters: Tom McNamara, Michael Lennon and William Donnellan

Huntsman: David Masterson

Whippers-in: Gabriel Slattery and Pat Mellett

Field-master: Jackie Lee

Honorary secretary: Aoileann Nic An Iomaire

Honorary treasurer: Noel Keane

I HAVE to thank Maura Morrin, Tanya Bourke and Brian Murphy of the North Galway Foxhounds who got cameraman Ken O’Mahony of Horsin’Around and I to all the right spots to make our hunting film that, so far, has been viewed over 56,000 times!

Maura is a keen photographer keeping the hunt’s Facebook page up to date and also producing a great hunt calendar. Her son Michael unfortunately missed the day and her husband Scottie was collecting the cap. Maura is a daughter of the late Jimmy Judge who hunted with the North Mayo Harriers. Meanwhile, Tanya kindly retrieved my boot from the muck when I got stuck on the day!

But I often wondered why there are so many talented showjumping riders in North Galway, and from my recent visit to their meet in Shrule, I now know why. The answer I maintain is simply, Jackie Lee. He has been the field-master of the North Galways for 38 seasons. He was riding a smashing grey traditional Irish hunter named Simpson, owned previously by former master Declan Brooks.

When you are hunting with Jackie Lee, you are jumping the most challenging line all day, just a pleasure to follow. To be on the safe side, they have two medical practitioners hunting with them, Dr Alan Costello and Dr Brona Mooney, so everybody is in safe hands!

Jackie Lee is a quiet unassuming man, a superb breeder of show jumping horses sch as his mare Kashino, winner of the Connaught Grand Prix with Raphael Lee on board. The horse is being campaigned on the Sunshine Tour in Spain by Jessica Burke, another top-class rider. She hunted alongside Jackie for many seasons. Jackie has also won the three-year-old loose jumping class in Dublin Horse Show for the last three years, and later in the day, we saw 14 of his two and three-year-olds on his mother-in-law Nora Carroll’s farm.

The meet was at TJ Gibbons’s Pub in Shrule, Co Mayo, which is in the family since 1925, managed by Ronan Gibbons. John Ford’s iconic film The Quiet Manwas filmed in nearby Cong and The Neale, starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara.

Peak condition

David Masterson is in his first season hunting the pack having whipped into the Ormond Foxhounds and the United Foxhounds. His hounds are in peak condition, beautiful coats, well-muscled backs and looked really happy.

He was riding a seven-year-old cob, bought from Wesley Ryan, and has another from Brian Moran who hunts the Stonehall Harriers, but he needs them as there are some strong riders following these hounds. He and his partner Paula Cosgrave are based at Skehana Stables in Eyrecourt where they provide livery, schooling and exercise facilities for all ages.

There are no red coats or pink coats worn by the masters or hunt staff of the North Galway Foxhounds, but instead the Galway football colours of maroon jacket and white collar. This is a passionate Gaelic football area with many great memories of football stars like John Donnellan, Enda Colleran, Sean Purcell and Frankie Stockwell. The neighbouring Corofin club won the All Ireland Club Championship in Croke Park on the day of my recent visit.

Joint-master Tom McNamara of Horses in Ireland runs a hireling and show hunter business in Galway. He had a large party of German visitors out, led by Henric Schumacher who was sporting an The Irish Field jacket. They all hunt with the Rheinlandmeute Hunt in the Cologne area which is the centre of equestrian activity in Germany.

A German visitor paid the ultimate compliment to the Irish hunting horse saying: ‘They are really great animals, intelligent, we let them go, we don’t bother them, we just sit there, we are passengers really’!

Dedicated followers

Charlie McPoland from Co Down was also sporting an The Irish Field jacket. He was out with his wife Kate and Anthony McEvoy of the Iveagh Foxhounds. The Galway Blazers were represented by farrier Eric Connelly. Maria McNamara, hunting side saddle, is a very experienced show judge and show rider. She was hunting a six-year-old that had a side saddle on him for the first time that morning!

Another master is Michael Lennon, general manager of the Westport Woods Hotel. William Donnellan, originally from Craughwell, is the new master. He lives most of the time in Vancouver, Canada, where he has business interests.

Show jumper Gabriel Slattery is honorary whipper-in and is a joy to watch crossing country. He stands stallions such as the Irish Draughts Echo King and Rebel Flagmount, as well as the traditional Irish Sport Horse Captain Junior and the Irish Sport Horse Captain Cruise. He was hunting a real gem by the Irish Draught stallion Welcome Emperor. The hunter is a lightweight grey modern Irish Draught and just crossed the country with ease.

Pat Dillon, like his father before him, provides top-class hirelings. His wife Geraldine reminded me that the last time I photographed their son Oisin was in 2006 along with herself and her father Andy Gallagher. At the time, Oisin was on lead rein riding a Shetland pony and now he is one of a number of local talented show jumping riders. He is sponsored by Tara Harriers’ master Lar Sheeran’s company MIPS. Sarah Kate Conway, who was hunting for her first time, was riding one of Pat’s quiet cobs and never put a foot wrong all day.

Honorary treasurer Noel Keane and his son Ben were hunting as were showjumpers Shane Goggins, Ray Lee, his son Raphael Lee and daughter Jessica, Dr Alan Costello and Dr Brona Mooney. Mike Fahy is a young horseman, very skilled in breaking and making young horses. He is a son of Johnny Fahy whom I have hired hunters from. Mike breaks horses for Pat Dillon and other clients.

He rode on the track for trainers like Val O’Brien, and was apprenticed to trainers Michael Grassick and Kevin Prendergast. Hunting also was Anthony and Pat Mellett, James Rochford, Tara Brandon, Ollie Gilligan, while Annemarie McLaughlin had a number of horses hunting. Jemima Stewart, who hunts with the North Cotswold, has fallen for the stone walls of Co Galway.

Following were Billy Dalton, farrier Christopher Corcoran, James Joyce from Connemara, brothers Garry and Conor Dooley, Declan Dooley, Kevin Regan was following with his son Mac, who plays under 15s rugby for Claremorris, and Joe McEvoy, a keen hunt follower, was over from Laurenstown. Wall builders Damian Carr and young son Jason were busy as were Tom McDonagh and his son Bob who followed across country. I also met landowner Donal Carroll and his children, Joey and Izzy, great supporters of Connacht Rugby.

Jumping aplenty

The huntsman had 12½ couple of hounds out which included Meath Foxhounds drafts Harmony and Hasty, courtesy of John Henry, the lead hounds all day. The first couple of draws in briars and spinneys were blank but the followers got plenty of jumping on and off the road. Hounds suddenly found a fox in a hedge row that broke through PJ Langan’s over some really big double stone walls. They crossed drains and wire as they reached the back of John Hoad’s before Mary Morgan’s and back in a circle to Carroll’s where they lost him. They drew Kinlough Castle to Tony O’Connor’s where they marked him. After a smashing day’s hunting, Gibbons Pub was heaving where Ronan Gibbons laid on refreshments for hunt followers.