Meath Foxhounds

Hunt clubs date back in Meath to 1723. However, in 1817, the Clongill Hunt, who were at the time hunting the country, became the Meath Hunt.

Chair: Graham O’Reilly

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

Huntsman: John Henry (bitch pack) and Kenny Henry (doghound pack)

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

Field masters: Kenny Henry and John Henry alternate days when not hunting hounds

Honorary secretary: Janet Williamson

THE Meath Foxhounds followers rise early, arriving around 10am as hounds move off on the dot of 11am. The meet was at The Hatchet Inn near Summerhill with horses and riders looking immaculate.

They come to hunt, so imbibing is left until after hunting. They are one of the most professional hunts anywhere in the hunting world, with exceptionally high standards, and while they look well on horseback they certainly can also perform across country.

The masters are all steeped in equestrian sports and the joint huntsmen Kenny and John Henry are upholding the family tradition established by their father, the late John Henry who spent over 50 years working for the Meath Hunt latterly as huntsman.

He is still so sadly missed, but he created a legacy for all to see. The family are steeped in the GAA and particularly Meath football. They hunt the modern foxhound developed by Isaac Bell who hunted the Galway Blazers and the Kilkenny Foxhounds at the turn of the last century. His two grandsons, Peter and Hugh Newell, are life-long followers of the Meaths.

They have an amazing back-up team of Gavin Brady and Christopher Collier. Tony Coyle and Jack Henry were called into action also as they were resting their hunters after a great day from Scut Fagan’s Pub. The hunt jeep goes ahead and the quads are loaded with wire and stakes to fix any boundaries, leaving every farm secure and stock-proof.

Distinguished company

Joint master and former jockey Norman Williamson and his wife Janet of Oak Tree Farm specialise in National Hunt stores and breeze-up preparation. Norman had 1,268 winners in his racing career and was hunting a five-year-old.

He has the distinction of winning the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup in Cheltenham in the same year and, riding Melly Moss was second to Ruby Walsh on Papillion in the Grand National.

Norman had a fall on the flat on the day’s hunting when his hunter stood in a hole. I mentioned that he had a few of those in his race riding career, but he said he was paid for those!

Bill Dwan is a director of Castlebridge Bloodstock Consignment, the largest organisation of its type in Europe, preparing and presenting bloodstock on behalf of clients at all the major sales.

He was riding a smashing up-to-weight hunter by Moylough Bouncer who was bred by Liam Lynskey in Mayo and produced by the prolific producer of top-class hunters, Mikie Reardon from Limerick. Fellow master Andrew Boyd’s cousin, John McEnery of Rossenarra Stud in Kilkenny, was visiting. He is master of the Kilkenny Foxhounds and stands Windsor Knot, a dual-purpose sire over fences and the flat.

I would like to thank honorary secretary Janet Williamson and the masters for allowing cameraman Ken O’Mahony of Horsin’Around and I to film the Meaths in action which has had over 42,000 views to date.

Family affair

Joint master Pat Dillon was not hunting on the day, but joint masters Richard Trimble, Jonathon Hillman, and Emily MacMahon were on horseback early. Emily is a daughter of the late Col Ronnie MacMahon, former Officer Commanding of the Army Equitation School and one of Ireland’s top Olympic event riders. Emily was hunting a very special horse, the last her father bred by the Irish Draught stallion Yates. Ronnie’s Olympic eventer was, interestingly, owned by Sir John Galvin, father of former Meath master Sean.

His son Edward was hunting on the day and has all the dash of his father on the hunting field. They had three generations out at Teltown House – Sean, his son Edward and his children Evie, Willow and Grace.

Eventer Jill Revill was on a cob out of a Godolphin foster mare, and if the thoroughbred foal weaned on the mare is as good on the flat as Jill’s cob is over natural country then he will do well.

Evan Henry continues the family tradition in hunting. He has ridden show hunters at the Dublin Horse Show under the watchful eye of Louth master and producer Kieran Ryan.

Following also were James Hogan, Lisa Sheridan, Darren McGurin, trainer Ken Condon, Larry Maxwell and Ethel Galligan, a daughter of former honorary whipper-in Aidan who was one of the ‘Dream Team’ of huntsman with John Henry and whipper-in ‘Speedy’ O’Rourke, now sadly all gone to that great hunting field in the sky.

Also out was Andrew Jones, whose family owned the steeplechaser Klairon Davis, who won 20 races and placed 16 times, winning the Queen Mother and the Arkle in Cheltenham, and the Jameson Gold Cup in Punchestown.

Also hunting were John Flood, Ger Moore and Michael McNally, whose son Dr Turlough McNally and Dr Laura Cuddy have set up Veterinary Specialists Ireland based in Summerhill specialising as a small animal referral hospital with on-site state of the art imaging and diagnostic equipment.

Following by car were Pat Macken, who hunted for many years, Tommy Leddy who hunts with the Wards, and Billy Bligh, whose daughter Sarah was hunting.

Kenny Henry took hounds to the first draw off the main Dunboyne/Summerhill road in Colestown Covert owned by Darren McGurin. Hounds found straight away and the fox ran back through a number of small farms, with some of the best ditch jumping.

Hounds screamed through Paddy Dunne’s and then PJ Murray’s almost in a straight line for Doherty’s. He then crossed the road at Faulkner’s where we got a great view of them jumping off the road with classy performances by the hunt staff and masters Norman Williamson, Richard Trimble and Bill Dwan, as well as Janet Williamson, Sarah Bligh, Edward Galvin, Jill Revill, John Flood, Vinnie Larkin and Ger Moore dropping down into Leonard’s stubble fields, relations of the Traditional Irish Horse Association chairman Hugh Leonard.

Most never took a check, including Thomas Tuite on a smashing grey hunter who attacked every ditch. Hounds ran right-handed and the fox went to ground in Michael Kelly’s.

Crossing the Red Road into Dermot Daly’s, Eddie Cawley’s hounds drew all the ditches but there was nobody at home. They found a customer in the ditches at Leo Murphy’s of Rowenstown, and what followed was some really challenging hunting. No sooner were they hunting one fox when another popped up – they were everywhere. Eventually they marked one to ground.

O’Connor’s new farm

The next draw was in the new farm of international and Olympic show jumping rider Cian O’Connor. I remember Cian hunting as a teenager with both the Louth Foxhounds and the Fingal Harriers.

I recalled my good friend Aidan ‘Suntan’ O’Connell telling me about Cian’s father Tadgh visiting Limerick to hunt when he spotted Aidan hunting a very good horse for John McNamara and bought the horse for Cian. Tadgh was never a man to leave a good party early and he was enjoying himself so much hunting in Limerick, he stayed on for an extended holiday!

The name of the horse he bought was Rademan and he won numerous hunter trials. Good horses often make good riders and ‘Suntan’ maintains that this horse made a champion point-to-point jockey of the late JT McNamara, and an Olympic medal winner of O’Connor.

Meanwhile hounds were hunting on through O’Connor’s farm then Martin O’Toole’s, McCann’s, and over Bruton’s extensive farm where they marked in a ditch. They found again in Dr Cunningham’s near Godolphin’s Woodpark Stud, running him to ground too.

But the huntsman was far from finished, drawing the Warrenstown Covert where they had a brace on the move, marked one to ground and then picked up the line of the second fox and gave him a serious day’s exercise before scent petered out in Bernard and Thomas Barry’s farm.

Refreshments had been pre-ordered by the masters at The Hatchet Inn, renowned for its seafood chowder and Annascaul black pudding, which further shows the attention to detail of the Meath Foxhounds outstanding team.