NORTH Kilkenny has remained true to its roots as a farmers’ pack, founded by a couple of farming families, most of whom are still very involved in the running of the hunt. For all that, everything is run on very professional lines with the hunt staff beautifully turned out up to Leicestershire standards.

Much of this must be attributed to Tanya Heffernan who turns out the hunt horses immaculately and, thrown in for good measure, she also ensures huntsman Noel Rafter is also spic and span. Tanya started her career as a work rider and sometimes jockey with the great Jim Bolger stable. She told me that she was going to be on her best horse for the day as she didn’t want to feature in an Irish Field report of falls or refusals!

Gathabawn could be looked on as the hunt’s spiritual home being close by their kennels and hunter trial course. Almost uniquely among Irish hunts, not only do they own their kennels and huntsman’s house, but they also have enough land for their hunter trial course at Ballyring where the kennels are located.

Gathabawn nestles in the foothills between Urlingford and Ballyragget and with their kennels nearby could be looked on as their spiritual home. It’s a picturesque little village dominated by the local church and Mackey’s Bar. Well both were busy on the appointed morning. We arrived as the faithful were pouring out of church brimming with piety after Mass and nearby Mackey’s was preparing for Sunday lunch.

While many village pubs are struggling and many closing, this pub is thriving and is very much at the centre of all local activities. Currently run by Richard Mackey and his wife Margaret, who hails from Louisburg, Co Mayo, and in a previous life was a chef. The bar has been in existence and in the same family since 1849. Originally known as Whelan’s, the present owner’s grandfather married in and it became Mackey’s.

Gathabawn is revered in song and story and a little poem written by an emigrant nun in faraway Texas runs:

I heard the chat in Mackey’s Bar down by the shining brook

That oft I heard long, long ago when I with line and hook

Sat by the Foyle Bridge River where salmon loved to spawn

When evening bells tolled softly in dear old Gathabawn

We didn’t have too long to wait until horse boxes and all means of horse transport started to arrive, hounds having hacked from the kennels.

There was a brief pre-hunting get together in the bar where joint-masters Billy Healy and his cousin Liam Murphy had a quick confab with their huntsman Noel Rafter to discuss strategy and land access matters for the day.

This gave a chance to catch up with some old friends and hunting acquaintances such as Tanya Heffernan who told me her eldest boy is a work rider in Ballydoyle with his dad, the famed Seamie Heffernan. Also on hand was veteran North Kilkenny supporter Ann Callinan from Ballyfoyle whose hunting pedigree goes right back to Victor McCalmont and Charlie Blaque, legendary masters and huntsmen of the Kilkenny and Kilmoganny respectively. Ann was out with her son James, a final year law student in Limerick, whose aim is to join the Bar – no, not Mackey’s kind of bar – but rather King’s Inns. A woman’s age can be a sensitive area so I delicately enquired was she the veteran of North Kilkenny?

She quickly assured me that she was not as her elder brother John Costello was out and as we spoke, he arrived on his second season chesnut. He previously hunted the Kilmoganny and went on to run the Rock Bar near Freshford.

He’s old school and turns out accordingly. His horse was beautifully plaited and his brass buttons and boots were gleaming in the late autumn sunshine. Hot on his heels on a majestic grey was hunt chairman Eddie Fitzpatrick from Ratheilty - again beautifully turned out and sporting a winter rose in his buttonhole. Both senior members were suitably refreshed by Richard, our host, without leaving the comfort of their saddles.

The chair told he me comes from the same townsland as “Big” Phil Hogan, our distinguished EU Commissioner for Agriculture. He assured me that the Commissioner comes from a strong hunting family and is, all in all, a first class guy. In these difficult times with Brexit bearing down on us, we can but wish him well.

Sadly missing since last season was Helena Hennessy from Castlecomer who was very much a feature of hunting in North Kilkenny. On enquiry I was told she has taken a sabbatical to concentrate on dressage.

It was obvious that our huntsman Noel Rafter and his amateur whips, the O’Neill brothers, Thomas and Michael, were more than anxious to be off but they were persuaded for stand for a photo line-up outside historic Mackey’s.

Two of the joint-masters were missing, Brian Coady and Sean Doheny, but the latter was represented by his daughter Jenny, who practises as a pharmacist in Tramore. Likewise Billy Healy’s daughter Jennifer, a student in Bio Veterinary Science in Athlone, was out as was Deirdre Rafter, a sister of huntsman Noel.

Noel is now in his sixth season having previously whipped-in to David Thompson before the latter went on to hunt the neighbouring Laois. Area manager for the day was Malloy who obviously had his work well done as there was plenty land available on the day.

First draw was nearby in the glen below the village in Joe Fitzpatrick’s land and without too much delay, they found in Billy Grogan’s ditch. He was spotted slipping away by another O’Neill brother, James, who when not hunting works as a fabricator. Dad, Tommie, was sadly missing on the day but quite often all four are out, never found wanting.

SMASHING BANKS

Quite a nice dash over some smashing bank country followed with a particularly decent Tipperary-style bank between Phelan’s and Henderson’s. Mal Tynan, a veteran of North Kilkenny, who works as specialised metal worker, gave a particularly fine display soaring over it. Likewise, Tanya Heffernan on her well-schooled bay gave a copybook performance, as one might expect from such a talented combination.

At this stage it just poured rain but having marked their previous fox, they went on to draw the hunt covert at Ballyring.

Reportedly a sure find and so it proved but our pilot was reluctant to leave, resulting in loads of woodland hunting.

Eventually he made for the country and after a nice dash, conveniently set his mask for the hunter trial course just adjacent to kennels which has loads of covert. Here he was lucky to find a shore and with light fading and still rain falling, our huntsman blew for home. It was a wet but happy bunch that hacked back to Mackey’s which will host a hunt breakfast early in January.

Catherine and I would like to wish all our readers a very happy hunting Christmas.

fACTFILE

Kennels: Ballyring, Freshford, Co. Kilkenny

Chair: Eddie Fitzpatrick

Joint-masters: Billy Healy, Brian Coady, Sean Doheny, Liam Murphy

Secretary: Michael P. Maher

Point-to-point secretary: Billy Healy MHF

Huntsman: Noel Rafter

Whippers-in: Michael O’Neill, Thomas O’Neill

HISTORY

THE country was first hunted by the Kilkenny Foxhounds before being given on loan to Richard Wandesforde of Castlecomer. It was then known as the as the Freshford Country. At that time the Wandsforde family ran one of Ireland’s last coal mines which was by far the largest enterprise in North Kilkenny.

Around 1931 the country was taken over by John Alexander of Carlow who hunted it by agreement with the Kilkenny and the McCalmont family. When John Alexander went to hunt the Limerick in 1934, he was succeeded by a Capt. Bramwell.With the onset of war, the hunt’s future looked uncertain until the curate of Freshford, Fr. Kearns, as sporting as he was pious, persuaded three local farming families; the Murphys, Dillons and Phelans, to take over the hunt. The rest, as they say, is history with Liam Murphy, son of the founding master, now senior joint-master, a role he shares with his cousin Billy Healy. The mastership is completed by Sean Doheny of Ballinakill and Brian Coady. It has remained primarily a farmers’ pack to this day.