IT had all the signs of autumn with a display of fallen golden leaves along the roads leading to the Kildare Foxhounds opening meet at Punchestown Racecourse. It was like a festive occasion with the lavish range of refreshments and hot ports to nourish the large number of mounted and foot supporters in the new Hunt Stand.

Maintaining standards is very high on the Kildare Hunt agenda with continuous investment in the kennels. Since my last visit, they have installed a new hound showing ring finished off with well-designed steel railings. The masters were all there: Paul Doyle, Gavin Nangle, Richard Sutton, Basil Valentine and Mary Healy who brings a wealth of experience of hunt management having served for so many years also as honorary secretary. The chairman is former master Charles O’Reilly whose father Frank also held that position. A hunt would have to cast a net very wide to find a huntsman as committed as Peter Cahill. He has very high standards of kennel management, welfare of horses and hounds and attention to turnout, sport, and is so popular with the followers. Of course he is very experienced having hunted the Kilkenny Foxhounds and the Carlow Farmers, but like many of the top huntsmen, he spent time hunting on foot with the Coolnakilla and the Bride Valley. He was often autumn-hunting five days a week getting his 13½ new entry well prepared for the season.

His whipper-in Eoghan McCabe is equally committed to high standards. From the Ballymacad Foxhounds, he is responsible for the hunt horses, but the huntsman’s wife Elaine was busy also washing horses and plaiting which she does on weekends as she works during the week. So it is a real team effort. Also in the kennels on the morning was Tom Cox, a sheep farmer from Athgarvin, who is a vital member of the team as he is area manager for three meets. Mark Murtagh, at 16 years of age, helps on the weekends whipping-in, and for somebody so young, he has a natural understanding of hounds. If his performance with his school books is as good, he will be an A-level student! Under Cahill’s tutoring, his positioning at coverts in just perfection, and he can cross-country. His father Mick, who was also hunting, is a former Wicklow County Footballer.

There was a photo shoot of the hunt staff, chairman and the joint-masters on front of the new Hunt Stand. The 70 mounted riders looked on but they were well outnumbered by the number of car followers. The Kildares have a unique membership for members that previously hunted on horseback. Although retired from mounted hunting, they still like to support the hunt, and have entitlements and other privileges as part of their package.

Ready for the off were chairman of the Irish National Stud, Matt Dempsey, and long associated with The Agricultural Trust that incorporates The Irish Field and the Irish Farmers Journal, honorary secretary John Dillon and his son TJ, Richard Wixted, Davis Mongey, chairman of Punchestown, Fionnula Lennon, Paddy Quinlan, Lt Col Gerry O’Gorman, Noel Lyons, Helen and Maria Keatley, Claire Stanley, Oliver Ryan, Tracy McDermott, Peter McLoughlan, Donal Reidy, Pat Murphy, honorary treasurer Simon Holohan and his daughter Evie. Her mother Una was on foot as Simon was hunting her horse. Tom Berney of Berney Brothers Saddlers in Kilcullen was riding a three-year-old first-timer.

Lorraine O’Donovan and her daughter Tara were up from Cork for the meet. Tara is an accomplished athletics sprinter who already has All Ireland medals to her credit. They hunt with the United Foxhounds in Cork. Paul Kerr, huntsman of the South County Dublin Harriers, is convalescing having had a hip replaced. Leanne Hennessy and Niall Cummins, who was kennelman to Peter when he hunted the Carlow and Kilkenny for 15 seasons, were supporting him on the day, as was Graham Dempsey from the Ballymacad. Diana Warrington, a noted breeder of top Irish Sport Horses and long-time follower of the Kildares, is sidelined by a leg injury.

Punchestown is a popular place for walkers on the weekends and at the Blackhills, I met Marita Connors, marketing manager of the RDS Dublin Horse Show, who was out walking with her brother Jimmy from Dungarvan who had run the Dublin City Marathon in an incredible time of three hours and two seconds. John Dillon’s wife Bernie also completed Dublin as did David Mongey’s son Donal who ran it in three hours and 15 minutes. I am afraid it took me a bit longer to complete the course!

The first draw was Sheila’s Cottage, named after the mare that won the 1948 Grand National at Aintree. Cahill’s 12½ couple of hounds found almost immediately at the back of the racecourse and were on song as the fox ran left to the Blackhills.

But the foot followers also had great viewing as probably 2½ brace were doing laps of the covert, occasionally leaving and then turning back. The problem with so many foxes is that hounds usually split, but not the Kildares, managing to push one out of cover eventually in the direction of Ronan Lalor’s for a nice spin for over a mile over the various hunt jumps which Tom Berney took in his stride on the three-year-old. Hounds marked him to ground on top of a hill near where the new flat track is going to be developed after the Racing Festival next April, subject to planning going through. The covert in Lalor’s was blank. Ronan is one of the family that owned the very popular Lalor’s Hotel in Naas.

The next draw was John de Robeck’s, the 8th Baron of Gowran Grange, and his mother Baroness Caroline. They follow the family traditions of the close association with Kildares, as they have been associated with the hunt since the 1860s when the 4th Baron, a passionate hunt follower and talented jockey, was master for many years. He, with Lord Naas, developed 116 coverts in the hunt country. He also studied the nourishment of hunting hounds and designed the feeding regime of the pack. His son Henry was master and John’s father Martin was chairman of Punchestown Racecourse and chief steward of the grand parade at the Dublin Horse Show. He passed away at a young age in 1996. I remember meeting him with Tommy Brennan and he was a real gentleman who had style and was such a welcoming man.

The huntsman drew the coverts around the road and left the others for later in the season.

Then it was on to William Quinn’s Farm Supplies where they found in the wood by Swordlestown Stud, a private stud owned by the late Tony Ryan who founded Ryan Air. I recall him asking me a few years ago for one of my hunting books for a friend. In return, he sent me his book titled Four Farms, which are Castleton Lyons, Kilboy Estate, Swordlestown and Lyons Demesne, that he privately commissioned for friends and is one of my prized possessions. It is beautifully designed with stunning images with the emphases on his bloodstock, but also on the architecture which was a huge interest for him.

Meanwhile, hounds found and were running through Swordlestown and this fox went to ground along the old disused railway line. At Killashee, hounds found in all four draws but scent was poor so after a lot of hard hunting in the coverts, it was decided to call it a day.

The weather was excellent, the hospitality was top class, the countryside was full of autumn colours, hounds were on song, the followers had smiles on their faces and happy that the season started. What more could anyone ask for?