THE South Tyrone Foxhounds meet was at Daniel Dorman’s 250-year-old bar at Ardboe near Lough Neagh. Dorman played for Tyrone and recalled the 1954 clash with Donegal as the real All Ireland Final!
The day began with a delicious serving of Lough Neagh eel, courtesy of Colm Coney who helped organise the meet. The following action was a mixture of serious hedge jumping, wire, gates and drains that caused elation to many and catastrophe to others. The going was heavy, with some difficult take-offs and landing. No gates were opened, it is not in the South Tyrone followers DNA! There is nowhere to hide hunting with the Tyrones, no easy routes, nobody giving you a lead, it is every man or women for themselves. One could be forgiven for confusing Dorman’s Pub for an A&E Clinic, as practically every follower out at Ardboe had hunting scrapes, black eyes or a limp!
Caroline Dennison was back after breaking her leg in five places last season, and she was hunting with Niall McCarthy, as they jointly own Itlldorightly, a winner at the Route Hunt point-to-point under Noel McParland. Horse trainer and joint-master Andy Oliver was on the injured list, which meant two things, his wife Saffron is free to hunt two days a week and no babysitting expenses!
The Rambling Pitchforks Band that annually tour all the hunt meet pubs during the festive season in the hunt truck have yet to make an appearance. Rumour has it that senior master Stephen Hutchinson may lead a reformed Rambling Pitchforks Revival Band. Having got over the expense of the marriages of his two daughters, it was refreshing to see that he has graduated back from the Café Crème cigars to his customary Havanas. He is just back from Argentine as he is president of the Hurlingham Polo Association.
Recently the hunt organised a series of fundraising activities for hunt member Austin Weir’s son Jonathan, who unfortunately had a serious mountain biking accident in the Swiss Alps. Donations can be made through the website www.justgiving.com.
Paul Kinane, who is honorary whipper-in to the South Tyrone, travels up from Kildare each week with his fiancé Amy Fitzgerald, who lectures in equine science in University of Limerick. Kinane was on his well-known hunter Dexter and Fitzgerald on a smashing coloured hunter Obie. Kinane Bloodstock, known for supplying made hunters, has also created a market in Europe for thoroughbreds, with Le Cirque winning a graded hurdle in Merano in Italy, Tamarand Cove the leading Czech miler, and Timekeeper who won both the Czech and Slovak Derbies, all by Galileo. His most recent consignment was a Power colt that recently won the Czech Derby trial.
Point-to-point jockey Johnny Cresswell was celebrating the birth of his daughter, Sandra, with his partner and flat jockey Christina Simpson who rides for trainer Andy Oliver. Point-to-point producer Wilson Dennison was ready for action, as well as Ian Wilson, Seamus Curran and Tony Weir who is the new hunt honorary secretary. Sisters Olivia Hutchinson was on Two Bob, and Saffron on Scofield bought at Goresbridge Sales. Hunting also were Mark and Seamus Curran from the Tynan and Armagh, veterinary surgeon Jim Slane described by some as the best rider in the hunt, and another vet Ian Moore, Paul Reain, Sue Johnston, Austin Weir, and Mark English who had a few lucky escapes. Visiting were Iveagh joint-master Alexander Mills, as well as Denis Canavan visiting from the Holestone Draghounds, Kerry Harrison from Listowel, who works for the Hutchinsons, and Jem Townsend from the North Cotswold, who went home with some Tyrone turf.
Sean Farrell and Johnny Ferguson see that the country is well fenced and also help in kennels. If there was a best dressed competition, the McEvoy family, Paddy, Yvonne, James, John, Martin and Peter, would easily win. The huntsman’s parents, Mary and Raymond Carvill, were following, as were Jilly Ann Garvey, Eddie English and Siobhan McKay Sharp who owned the eventer High Scope. Ashton Wylie was the one to follow as she was always at the right vantage point.
Huntsman Ryan Carvill was on Nelson that Kinane bought from Kildangan-based farrier Shane Crabbe. There is high expectations of a huntsman in South Tyrone. They have to be good horsemen, brave and be able to cross this challenging country. But Ryan Carvill has consistently challenged the followers, many of whom are former or current jockeys. He had 16 ½ couple bitch pack out at Ardboe, translated (The Hill of the Cow). Joint-master Martin Laverty was field-master and his son Nicholas, a fine young rider, is honorary whipper-in.
CASUALTIES
The huntsman first drew the Lower Back Road and immediately found a fox that ran in a loop and crossed the road running back into a meet for the following week so he stopped the pack, as he did not want to be going over the same ground twice in two weeks.
They found again at The Long Shore and ran him over Paddy Wylies and marked him in Thomas Sheppard’s.
Meanwhile the first casualties were happening, the huntsman Ryan Carvill’s horse caught wire on top of a strong hedge as did Ian Wilson’s horse and both came down heavily to be followed by Wilson Dennison but Wilson miraculously stayed in the plate. If Ian Wilson was a jockey, he would have been stood down for a mandatory six days.
The other covert in Tommy Shepperd’s was blank, but the huntsman wasted no time and found a good running fox in the hedges in Enda Watters that ran along the water line of Lough Neagh straight for Crawford’s into Mickey Duffy’s, in a line for Taggard’s and Rose Waters. Meanwhile, Saffron Hutchinson had a crashing fall, and if she, like Ian Wilson, had been a jockey, she too would be stood down for a mandatory six days. Surprisingly her father Stephen was far from distracted as he was too busy filming the episode and now takes great pride in his unique collection of crashing falls!
Hounds appeared to be marking in Kennedy’s but when hunt staff got there the pack had disappeared in a flash. It took serious galloping to get in contact with them as they crossed potato farmer Robin Waters into Liggett’s heading for the woods in Mount Stewart, but the fox turned as he seemed to like Kennedy’s farm, and they marked him after a cracking run of over an hour crossing line after line of seriously stiff hedges, many with wire running through them. With the sun going down, and early darkness, the huntsman blew for home. There were a lot of tired riders and horses but the broad beaming smile of publican Daniel Dorman was a welcome sight, and he had a roaring fire on, and a table of refreshments made by the members for everybody to indulge in.