BREAKFAST at Barbara McCormack’s Beech Tree Bar in Streamstown at 10am and hunting at 11am, that’s the way to prepare for hunting Westmeath Foxhounds style, sponsored by hunt follower Kevin Manning of Sheelin Butchers in Mullingar. Too good an offer to miss, so the pub was packed with brothers Andre and Adam Douabbse manning the two barbeques, with back-up from fellow budding chefs John Smith Jnr, Issey Cross and Ken Carroll. The clouds of smoke and the unmistaken aroma of bacon and sausages grilling wafting from the pub attracted hunters for miles around. Westmeath is open for business, and hirelings are available.

Westmeath has a reputation for providing inspiration, as Jonathon Swift, creator of Gulliver’s Travels, found, and JP Dunleavy, author of The Ginger Man, and also Michael Harding who recently published On Tuesdays I’m a Buddhist. Singer Michael Jackson spent the summer of 2006 with his children Prince Michael Junior, Paris and Blanket in Paddy and Claire Dunning’s Grouse Lodge recording studios nearby where taxi driver Ray O’Hara was his chauffeur. Paddy jammed the famous Thriller piece with Jackson, and as owner of The Wax Museum, he put an old wax figure of Elvis Presley in his garden. When Jackson returned from a morning walk he told Paddy that he surprisingly met his father-in-law in the garden! REM, Shirley Bassey and Snow Patrol all recorded at Paddy’s studio.

I always like to see flocks of sheep near a meet, as you know that where there are sheep, there are foxes. I am familiar with Westmeath hunt country as I hunted the Russellstown Beagles for a number of seasons when owned by Peter and Ann Downes. I had great fun hunting all over Westmeath with the Downes’ family, Jim Connolly, Paul and Mary Stephenson and many others.

The Westmeath’s new huntsman, Mark Ollard has also been inspired, and what an impression he has made. But hunting is in his DNA, as his parents Martin and Claire were both masters of the South Notts, and he hunted the Stow Beagles as a 15-year-old. He then whipped into the Cattistock, the Limerick Foxhounds, and the Scarteen, before stepping up to hunt the North Tipperary, the Island, followed by the Scarteen. The followers are delighted, as they have had some great hunting since Mark arrived, with cracking days in Rathconrath and Ballymore, and Streamstown was to prove another busy day finding seven foxes in all and marking six to ground after an average of a 30-minute run on each one, just enough to take the odd breather, and pace your hunter until darkness set in.

But all credit to the hunt organisers, local farmer Shane Kelly, David Geoghegan and brothers Andre and Adam Douabbse, who are the real foot soldiers as they had planned 15 draws, but the day was so busy that the huntsman only had time to hunt six.

Joint-master Wendy O’Leary was obviously exhausted collecting trophies for Gigginstown House Stud with her husband Eddie and in-laws Michael and Anita at Punchestown as she was gone off to relax in the sun! Joint-master Dot Love of Charlestown Racing, who breaks the young stock for Gigginstown with assistant trainer Ciaran Murphy, was hunting Cool Hand who point-to-pointed and ran in the La Touche in Punchestown. Dot enjoys following the progress of the Gigginstown young stock, and her works riders Darragh Lambe and Aaron Murphy were also hunting.

The joint-masters have put in an enormous amount of work over the years building hunt jumps and maintaining coverts. Three generations of the Derwin family were hunting: Ann who is joint-master of the Westmeaths, her son Jim, a joint-master with the Roscommons, and grandchildren Aine, James and Frano. Kate was representing Ireland in the World Cup in Belgium and then off on the Sunshine Tour. It was not so much a case of cross dressing but out of necessity that Trevor Badger of Bridge House Stud feeling the chill was sporting an extra layer in the shape of Jenny Purcell’s cardigan which kept a smile on his face all day! Hunting also were Nicola Murray, Susan Carey and her sister Claire, John and Lesley Smith, whose grandfather John is remembered fondly as a former master and huntsman of the Westmeaths, Garry Reilly, Cabrini Finn, Helen Moorehead and Kieran Murray.

Car following were former master Clarissa Croll sporting her camera, Eunan Bannon, former point-to-point jockey Shaun McManus, Aidan McCormack, Jimmy Griffith, Marie Flynn and her daughters Emma and Rebecca, and the invaluable support team of Kevin McGuire, Richard King and Mark Riggs.

FAST AND FURIOUS

The first draw was in meet organiser Shane Kelly’s farm where the followers got their eye in over some of his eventer partner Neva’s schooling fences. She is a sister of jockey JP McNamara who rode for Ferdy Murphy, and produces eventers like Sir Charlie Brown for Michael and Trish Ryan, and showjumpers for Darragh Kenny. Event rider Emily Taylor, who is Ciaran Murphy’s girlfriend, is a smashing rider, perfectly balanced over the uprights on her eventer Sooty. As soon as hounds entered Neva’s wood, they had a fox on the run. Stone walls, hunt gates and wire came up fast as the fox circled left-handed through a flock of sheep as the followers crossed a hunt jump into McCormac’s, and on to McCann’s, Padraic Maxwell’s and back to McCann’s, Oliver Kelly’s and to ground in a rock pile.

Wasting no time, hounds found again in Frank Ryan’s Covert and over Bishopstown River crossing walls and wire palings into Mattie Macs now farmed by Michael Kelly, with tidy jumping by Laura Gibson Brabazon, John Flood, Mark Finneran and Ciaran Sweeney, and over the hunt gates for Cleary’s, into McCann’s and he was given best when heading back over the same country.

Hounds cold marked another fox before drawing Killian’s Quarry which provided a grandstand view for those brave enough to scale to hillocks like Martin Smith son of John, the legendary former Westmeath master and huntsman. He knew exactly where foxes were lying near the quarry, and this fox ran back into the quarry and over the undulating hills. The huntsman did not panic letting them get on with the action once they were on the line. The black marked hound Anchor and the fox almost collided, but just like good athletes, they both jinked in opposite directions at the last minute and avoided a collision as Aidan McCormack’s horse slipped on a corner. Hounds accounted for one in the thick shrubbery, and immediately disturbed another who set his mask away over marsh ground into Brendan McLoughlin’s where the followers jumped wire over a stone wall and onto Pat Slevin’s with Susan and Claire Carey clearing it in style.

Another stone wall into Jimmy Rabbitt’s, and Peter Murray’s and on through Murphy’s Covert in Ballinliver where Susan Huschka was unseated and John Flood’s hunter got a knock. Hounds marked this fox to ground after a cracking run in Joe Murphy’s. His son is the leading Irish international eventer Joseph, who was visiting with his wife Jill and baby Daisy. His mother Netta had a few welcome hot ports available. Horse Sport Ireland could well commission research into Joe and Netta Murphy’s genes, as they have produced not just Joseph, but point-to-point jockey and trainer Ciaran, as well as Aaron another talented jockey, and Noel who whipped-in to the Westmeaths.

Meanwhile, hounds found in The Hazels and hunted in a circle back to the rocks in the Hazels. The huntsman crossed the road and found in Michael Joe Scally’s where young John Smith marked him away heading for Luenstown to Frank Dillon’s into David Clarke’s and to ground near Luenstown House as light faded in the dusk.

What a day’s hunting, drawing six coverts, and finding seven foxes. Days like that don’t come any better.

Definitely put huntsman Mark Ollard and the Westmeaths on your bucket list, you are in for a treat!