THE best recommendation came from jockey Ger Fox, who rode Rogue Angel to win the 2015 Irish Grand National, when he said, it was the best day’s hunting he has had in years!

The meet was at joint-master Pat White’s agricultural store Whites Agri, between Lusk and Balbriggan. White is one of the largest cereal growers and grain brokers in North County Dublin and hunting, horseracing, shooting and golf keep his work-life in balance.

White has been a joint-master of the Fingal Harriers for 15 seasons. He plans a hunt like a military operation, with detailed maps of the area. He walks the land with the huntsman the day before the meet, and picks out the most awkward, blind and deepest ditches he can find. The only time the followers are on the road is moving off from the meet, and if he can go cross-country coming home he will.

The Fingals’ huntsman Chris Smith is providing great sport this season. His hounds have won three Hound Championships in four years at the National Hound Show in Stradbally, which he did on numerous occasions when he was huntsman of the Kilkenny Foxhounds.

Two of White’s fellow joint-masters were out, Willie Harvey, a son of trainer Dave who was with his two sons, Alex and Ben, better known for their exploits pony racing particularly at the recent Meath & Tara Point to Point in Dowth Hall where Alex won the pony club race. Fellow joint-master Helena Dawson, who owns Kilronan Equestrian Centre near Dublin Airport, was hunting, but Michael McGrath was away as was Brian Beggan.

White’s land adjoins John Maxwell’s whose father Henry was master and huntsman of the Corduff Beagles. This area is surrounded by sporting legends, as Arkle, triple Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, was bred by the Baker family within sight of the meet, and the late Richard ‘Dickie’ Ball from the Naul produced Derby winner Ballymoss, and bred Barbur, the winner of two Lincolns, as well as Star Kingdom, champion three-year-old in the southern hemisphere, and Reynoldstown who won the Grand National at Aintree on two occasions.

The Maxwells stood his sire My Prince at their Man O War Stud.

HUNTING

All the regulars were hunting including Anita Clinton and Anto Dunne who stable their hunters with former jockey Willie McCabe, who worked for trainer Tom Dreaper when Arkle was at the height of his career. When Arkle was injured in 1966 at Kempton Park from striking the guard rail of a fence, Willie was left in charge of Arkle. At the time he and Peter McLoughlin were the only single men in the Dreaper yard. He never left Arkle’s side, sleeping in the stable for over a week with no shopping to do as he shared a diet of fruit and chocolate sent every day to the famous horse by his countless fans! Willie rode a winner on his first ride for Dreapers on Duff Carrig in Tramore, also Prince Tino and White Abyss, winner of the Slaney Hurdle in Naas.

Honorary secretary Mary Beggan, honorary treasurer Roisin Hughes and the hunt chairman Pat O’Hagan were hunting as were Orla Gannon, Sive O’Brien, Swifty O’Hara, Dave Bennett, Graham Quinn and daughter Dervalla, who has qualified as a veterinary surgeon working for Peadar O’Scanaill, a familiar face on the veterinary panel at the Dublin Horse Show. Also out was Anthony Donnelly, who spent some time training in RACE on the Curragh. Collie Hand was hunting Jayne Kidd’s new hunter as she is recovering from surgery. The best part of her convalescing she says is that she has not had to cook for four months while she was recovering! Her family owns the Royal Valentia Hotel on Valentia Island in Kerry, a favourite place for weddings and an escape from everyday life. Susan Kennedy, who owns Micklenstown Cross-Country Course with her husband Michael, was on horseback, as were local farmer Joe McNally and his daughter Sarah. A large group of young lads were having great fun out on bicycles following the hunt.

Local farmer Philip Jenkinson and his wife Deirdre who used to hunt were following as was Frank Moore, Catherine Mullarkey, and former hunt chairman John Lyons who is writing the history of the Fingal Harriers Hunt. He has reprinted a cookery book with 340 recipes that was published originally in the 1960s by hunt members Robert Craigie and Phyllis McDowell, whose husband Herbert trained the 1947 Grand National winner Caughoo.

Examples of the recipes are Anne Duchess of Westminster’s Ginger Hunting Nuts, Mrs Tom Dreaper’s Plum and Ginger Jam, Phyllis McDowell’s Esmay’s Pudding, Viscountess Powerscourt’s Hot Cheese Savory, Mrs J. Hume Dudgeon’s Vanilla Cream with Hot Chocolate Sauce, and Mrs Thady Ryan’s Raisin or Sultana Wafers.

It was always going to be a challenging day with poor scent and so many cattle still out on the land, but huntsman Chris Smith rose to the occasion.

Finding immediately, the first run took the followers from Ballough to the Nevitt, and over a number of farms, John White’s, Jim Monks, Alan Harford’s, Reillys, Sean Moore’s and Martin Moore’s. The number of followers reduced considerably as White took them across some challenging ditches.

At Johnstown, the huntsman drew Walshestown Plantation beside Derek Keelings and the late former master of the Fingals, Larry McGuinness’ farm. Many remember hunting his well-known hunter Motor Car that Larry bought from former Ward Union master Johnny Mangan. I remember some years ago when horse trials commentator Peter Quirke was competing on the circuit and his good eventer Darling Harbour was injured, he did not want to miss the event in Bill Buller’s in Scarva so he borrowed McGuinness’ hunter Motor Car who never saw a dressage rectangle or even a coloured pole in his life, but across country, he was unbeatable as hunting was his game. I was commissioned at great expense as groom.

In the dressage test, the horse kept looking around wondering what exactly was this all about, with Quirke’s legs trying without any success to get a response of half passes and flying changes. In the showjumping, he scattered every coloured pole to the four corners of the arena and even tipped the event secretaries scoring caravan on its side which was unfortunately right beside the combination fence! Quirke asked me to check his score with the secretary who had been upended in her caravan, but I said he must be joking and that we were lucky that we were not arrested for attempted grievous bodily harm!

Larry McGuinness also broke Greasepaint who was runner-up twice in the Grand National, ridden by amateur Colin Magnier. McGuinness’ son-in-law Dublin solicitor Chris Horrigan keeps up the family tradition hunting with the Ward Union Staghounds.

CRACKING RUN

Meanwhile in Parnelstown, there was plenty of jumping but no game. But when it got a little cooler, hounds found a fox in the eucalyptus at Annsbrook and had a cracking run over the very best of Fingal hunt country, crossing Barry White’s, Denis Harford’s, Christopher Kerrigan’s, John Thorne’s, Liam Cooney’s and Brian Weldon’s, and they marked this fox at the bottom of Fitzacary’s Lane.

Master Pat White, although he fell at the river at Annsbrook, was delighted as only 10 of the original 50 mounted followers survived. His verdict was that young followers Ruth Barrett and Caoimhe O’Brien were exceptional, and whipper-in Joey Moran, who was on a green four-year-old, was as brave as a lion. Alex Harvey maintains he did not fall but hopped off when his horse missed the take-off, although some are not too sure, but for the master, it was ‘mission accomplished’!

Now refreshments were waiting at fellow hunt follower Martin McNulty’s thatched Man O War Pub and Restaurant, which dates back to 1595, where there is a section of the bar dedicated to Master White, known as White’s Corner.

Martin trained as a chef in the exclusive Savoy Hotel in London which carries on the traditions of Auguste Escoffier, one time resident Savoy chef who pioneered French cooking in the 19th century. Consequently McNulty’s food is in a class of its own. And if you like seafood chowder, then Martin serves the Savoy Hotel version but at a fraction of the London price!

HISTORY

It had been the belief that the Fingal Harriers were founded in 1881 as Mr Woods Hounds. Recent research suggests however that the Fingals were originally a foxhound pack dating back to 1792 from a record of a joint meet at the Man O War Pub with Mr Baker’s Hounds attending.

FACTFILE

Chairman: Pat O’Hagan

Masters: Pat White, Willie Harvey, Michael McGrath, Brian Beggan and Helena Dawson

Huntsman: Chris Smith

Whipper-in: Stephen Comerford, PJ Casey and Joey Moran