IF you enjoy real rousing hound music then you have to visit The Meath Foxhounds. The meet was at Philip Foster’s Snailbox Bar and Restaurant near Ashbourne, which has a reputation for good food and accommodation.

Kenny Henry’s doghound pack were on song. But then his brother and joint-huntsman, John Jnr, may not agree, as he would be of the opinion that his bitch pack have the edge where voice is concerned!

Many huntsman spend years trying to breed voice into their packs but the Meath hounds have it in abundance, you could just close your eyes and be thoroughly entertained. But that is what makes the Meath Foxhounds one of the premier packs in Ireland, they are so professional. The mastership is strong, committed and knowledgeable. The Henry family is led by Johnny Henry Snr, who hunted and whipped into the pack for 50 seasons before handing over the hunting horn to his two sons. The brothers speak with affection and respect of their father, who knows every farmer, every covert and is always in the right place.

The Snail Box Bar & Restaurant is a venue for meets of the Ward Union Staghounds, the Fingal Harriers, the Meaths and the Goldburn Beagles, and is great hunting country. Whipping-in is professional Barry Finnegan and two popular honorary whippers-in, farrier Brian Black and farmer Johnny Clarke, who has whipped for seven seasons, and has hunted his coloured hunter Bob for five seasons. Joint-masters Andrew Boyd and Norman Williamson were hunting.

Mounted and ready for the chase were farrier James Tuite from Oldcastle who, with his brother Thomas, also does livery for some of the Meath masters and has a couple of nice five-year-olds hunters for sale. Hunting also was former East Down Foxhounds joint- master James Armstrong who has developed quite an attachment to the area. Also out hunting was Michael McNally, former huntsman of the Oriel Harriers, Sarah Blyth, Brian Geraghty, Nikki Potterton, the husband of international event rider Sarah Ennis, Dermot Ryan who had a truck load of hirelings, and Dermot Curtis and his wife Treacy. Out also was Tony Coyle who frequently shares the quad with Kit Henry.

Jill Revill, who helped to organise the meet, also whipped into the Fingals and hunted hounds, does livery and produces eventers and most recently placed in Balmoral on Moon Landing in the young eventers class. She was travelling with equine dentist Niamh Martin who, although based in Rush, travels to treat horses in the USA and Poland. She was third in Dublin in the cob class with Cobs and Robbers. Well known show horse producer PJ Casey, who also whips in to the Fingals, was also mounted. Sir James Langrishe was helping his fiancé Mary Gaskin, while Evan Henry, Elizabeth Oakes, Cossie McGivern, Jane Shakleton and Kiva Cromwell were ready for the off. And there was no mistaking the two top hats of brothers Peter and Hugh Newell.

FOLLOWERS APLENTY

There is no shortage of car and bicycle followers following the Meaths, such as Martin Cromwell, who worked for trainer Tom Dreaper when Arkle and Flying Bolt reigned supreme in National Hunt racing. He later won a race in Punchestown on Pitroddie for Cyril Bryce-Smith. He travelled to the Grand National at Aintree in 1975 with Spittin Image, ridden by Mick Cummins, with the late Larry ‘Gusty’ McGuinness, who did the last piece of schooling with the horse on Rush beach.

Sean Reilly and Andy Cromwell, a cousin of trainer Gavin Cromwell, are also dedicated followers as is Andy Carroll from Ashbourne who cycles miles. Billy Blyth’s jeep knows every field in Meath and is a great advertisement for the resilience of a Land Rover. Travelling with him were Marie Fay, John Rattigan and Lisa Sheridan who is expecting a baby in May and reckons she will be back for next season. Also out were Henry Reeves, Clem Garrigan, Berris Laidlaw and Hugh Leonard, chairman of the Traditional Irish Horse Association.

The huntsman and followers were put on standby with two minutes to moving off by joint-master Norman Williamson. On the stroke of 11am, Kenny Henry sounded the hunting horn and moved off to the first draw across the busy Ashbourne to Slane road, where John Henry Snr and Joe Connell, in their high visibility jackets, held traffic until hounds and followers safely crossed. Passing racehorse trainer Tommy O’Neill’s yard, hounds drew the wet bottoms in the Commons and across the road at the back of Pat Coyle’s which were blank.

But Newtown Covert on the farm of Seamus McGrath and his brother Michael, a joint-master of the Fingal Harriers, never disappoints. Sure enough there was a fox at home but did not run far and to ground in Willie Shanahan’s.

Hounds drew Raymond Mangan’s farm in Snipestown and found again, this time it took hounds a few minutes to settle but they stuck to the job and pushed him across the road by the flock of ewes and over the Windmill field into Bernie Lynch’s farm, wife of the late veterinary surgeon Stan Lynch, and they marked to ground near Garristown school.

Hounds found again in former Ward Union Staghounds master Johnny Mangan’s farm in Moneyhill, an area I know well both mounted and on foot as I whipped-in to the Fingal Harriers, and also hunted the Goldburn Beagles many times over this farm. The cry of the doghounds with scent improving was spectacular. This fox was slow to take to the open country and ran in multiple wide circles and eventually the pack marked him to ground near Raymond and Eileen Sutton’s Fox Inn. The next stop was showjumper Gary Quinn’s farm. His late father Mick was a horse dealer of renown.

Former Meath huntsman, Johnny Henry Snr, gave a holloa with such volume on a fox leaving, that not alone did the huntsman cock his ear, but every hound acknowledged the call knowing that it came from a knowledgeable and trusted source, and without hesitation, they raced onto the line. They crossed the road through Niall Gormley’s, into McDonagh’s, and over Ian and Niall Carberry’s, setting their sights for Garristown Bog where a number of followers met a sticky end! He continued in a wide loop by former Fingal master John Carberry’s, and all the way back to Moneyhill for a fast 30-minute run where they marked him to ground

What a pleasure it is to hear a pack of hounds that can really make music. You do not need to ask where they are, just follow the cry!

THE MEATH FOXHOUNDS

Chairman: Graham O’Reilly

Masters: Norman Williamson, Richard Trimble, Andrew Boyd and Pat Dillon

Joint-huntsmen: Kenny Henry (doghound pack) and John Henry Jnr (bitch pack)

Whipper-in: Barry Finnegan (professional), Johnny Clarke (honorary), and Brian Black (honorary).

Field-master: The huntsmen on alternate days

HISTORY

Mounted hunting in Co Meath can be traced back to the estate packs of Mr. Nicholson’s Hunt in 1723. Two other packs, those of Mr. Pollock of Mountainstown and Mr. Gerrard of Gibbstown, amalgamated in 1817 to form the Clongill Hunt, which is the basis of the present Meath Foxhounds.