Noel Mullins
THE Kildare Foxhounds meet at their state of the art kennels at Punchestown Racecourse is always a popular meet. The hunt, which is known all over the hunting world, owns the racecourse and lands, a beautiful area to exercise both hounds and hunt horses away from the busy road.
Foxhunting has always gone hand in hand with National Hunt racing and the Kildare’s first master Squire Thomas Connolly of Castletown House was frequently a leading owner, racing horses like Surly, Strongbow, Jolly Bacchus, Banker, Apollo, Richmond, Shoemaker, Lenox, and Thumper.
Eddie Boylan and Durlas Eile, who won Badminton in 1965, also won a European Championship eventing team gold medal in Punchestown with team members Tommy Brennan, Penny Morton and Virginia Freeman-Jackson in 1967. Brennan went on to build cross-country courses all over the world but none more creative than at Punchestown with its Round Tower, Crannogs, Dolmen, Meeting of the Waters, and the Ould Sod complexes. Yvonne Monahan won the three-star event at the venue on Sandtex and today the Punchestown racing festival’s famous cross-country race is a popular event for locals and overseas visitors alike.
The turnout of the hunt horses and hunt staff on the day was superb. Huntsman Chris Francis was on a spotless grey, while whipper-in Michael O’Connor was on an immaculately presented chesnut, the work of stud groom Noel Murphy.
They both are exceptional horsemen and it takes a good horse and rider to stay with them when hounds are running. Colin Barrett assists with whipping-in, while John Dillon multitasks, turning his hand to anything from walking pups to running hunter trails and helping on hunting days.
The masters are Andrew Perrin, Richard Cope, Charlie Moore, Siobhan McDermott and Liz Persse, whose daughter Isobel competed in the European Champinships in eventing at Millstreet in July. They work throughout the summer liaising with landowners, adding new hunt jumps and tidying up coverts. With meets three days a week, it is a busy kennels.
Tom Berney was one of the first to arrive at the meet with his well turned out daughter Tara and son Thomas but alas could not stay as he had to return to work in the family’s saddler business in Kilcullen, Co Kildare.
Chairman Ken Braithwaite was on foot for a change and he was joined by Liz Bruton, Ger Barrett, Tom Cox, Diana Warrington and Fiona Nangle and her six-year-old daughter Anna, who has already hunted her pony Willabee.
Verity O’Mahony, David Mongey of Mongey Communications, Felix Heffernan, Mark Ryan and Phil Conway, whose daughter Louise works in Berneys, were also following.
SIDE SADDLE
Two ladies adding an extra touch of class to the occasion riding side saddle were Hazel Valentine on Colin Barrett’s second hunter and Sarah Conway from international event rider Joseph Murphy’s yard.
Show jumper Avril Perrin was hunting for the day, having completed the voiceovers on videos for Horsin’ Around, a film production company run by Ken O’Mahoney and David Darragh. The series includes snapshots of the Beecher Family in Loughnatoosa, Co Waterford, Cian O’Connor and Mary McCann talking about her famous stallion Cruising.
Trainer Michael Halford of Copper Beech Stables and his brother Robert were on horseback, as was Peter McLoughlin, Maria Keatley, Gavin Nangle, Ray Hume, Stephanie Behan, Joan Mooney, Madeline Hillman, Simon Houlihan and former Army Equitation School commanding officer Lt Col Gerry O’Gorman.
The first draw was at the back of Quinns of Naas and within seconds, hounds found with a strong wind blowing, but they were fine in the shelter of the ditches. This fox ran downwind towards Killashee School with Herbertstown House in the distance and towards Naas but surprisingly he then turned and ran upwind and right-handed before being marked to ground at the old railway line.
Hilary Collins, master and huntsman of the Glasson Farmers Foxhounds, was on an Order of Malta course in Punchestown run by racecourse doctor Dr Carlos McDowell on their new medical unit. On hearing hounds hunting, he skipped his coffee break and was in his element as the Kildare pack was literally screaming past on the first line.
Drawing the old railway line, again a brace and a half were on the move and hounds settled on one that ran in the direction of Quinn’s Yard. He then turned and ran the ditches along the wood and to ground at the back of the late Tony Ryan’s Swordlestown Stud.
There was a deluge of rain as Chris took hounds to draw Valentines and found in De Robeck’s covert. He ran through the farm and into Ray Hume’s land, who was out on a smashing up to weight coloured hunter.
Hounds got close to their fox but he decided to retreat underground and was given best. Irish National Hound Show doghound champion Monty (by Westmeath Monitor) was to the fore all day.
A small garden beside an old house never disappoints and this time there was a resident at home but not for long. He ran the old railway line and to the top of Valentine’s Farm to the edge of Ronan Lalor’s covert and hounds marked along the ditch.
Hounds were taken back to Lalor’s again and hunted around the covert for 30 minutes but Charlie kept dodging them so Chris called them up and moved on, but not before John Dillon, director of Larchfield Park Nursing Home, had a fall in the wood.
Hounds crossed the road and drew the Little Bog and found yet again but a big watery ditch that only the huntsman, whips and David Valentine got over claimed multiple casualties including George Barrett, Colin Barrett, Ashley O’Sullivan and Basil Valentine. This fox went to ground in area manager David Valentine’s farm.
As bad weather closed in, hounds had done enough so the huntsman blew for home. After a challenging but cracking day, everybody returned home soaked to the skin but still smiling.