Dickie Power

GENEROUS hospitality is part and parcel of hunting with the Laois Foxhounds and their meet at Cannon’s Wood was a fine example of same.

Cannon’s Wood boasts neither shop nor pub, being merely a crossroads in the most rural of Co Laois. However on arrival we were greeted by a steaming samovar manned by Laois supporter Barry Fingelton from Ratheneska who was dispensing hot drinks. It was a hospitable scene with riders and foot followers clutching steaming drinks of undeclared content, using them for both internal and external warmth.

The meet was held at the farm of Jim Costigan, who has produced many world class showjumpers including Cullahill Castle, ridden by Francis Connors to world class success. A group of English girls from the Quorn were out for the day to learn all there is to know about Irish hunting. Four in number and beautifully turned-out, as one might expect being Meltonians, they had their “non-riding captain” in the form of Emily Smith, who was nursing a broken shoulder from a fall on the road with the South Notts.

Huntsman David Thompson, who has now been in office for three seasons, was out on a nice bay which he has been hunting for the last couple of seasons and has never missed a day. He had twelve and half couple of Old English hounds, with a strong dash of Waterford and Limerick blood. His life is divided between hunting and polo. He hunts for the winter and come spring he swings into polo mode, making and breaking potential polo ponies, many of whom will end up in high goal polo teams. He previously hunted the neighboring North Kilkenny pack before taking up office in Laois.

His three whippers-in, all amateur, were there, Dermot Hanniffy and Ray Shore both resplendent in scarlet and young Harry Lalor more informally attired. Harry is hunt secretary Joe’s son. The Lalor brothers, David and Joe, are steeped in the hunt, having taken over from their father Harry who was master and uncle Dessie who hunted hounds for many seasons. David was on his favorite home-bred chesnut by Ricardo Z. He says that his second horse, also home-bred, by Errigal Flight is almost his twin.

Both the Lalor brothers farm extensively in the area, David having hosted the National Ploughing Championship twice at his farm in Ballacolla. Young Harry, an agricultural graduate, has recently returned from a farming trip to the US and has entered a farming partnership with his dad, Joe.

Whipper-in Dermot Hanniffy, a former bank manager, took early retirement to be able to concentrate on the main love of his life, hunting. No less dedicated is Ray Shore, who at one time had his own foot pack. He works as national sales manager for a wholesale carpet dealership.

It made a splendid sight as hounds with a field numbering in the mid-50s hacked to the first draw by Boston Bridge. As hounds drew, it was nice to make acquaintance with many whom I met on my visit to the Spink last season.

Veteran of the day was Richard Mooney, who farms near Roscrea in the Ormond country but has strong Laois links. Seventy-seven on his next birthday, he has been hunting 70 years, having started with Captain Preston who hunted the Ormond from 1952 to 1960. It is believed that the oldest hunting man in Ireland is Jack Lambert in Killinick, now in his mid-80s, closely followed by Hugh Leonard in the Wards. Both cross country with the dash and verve of riders 50 years their junior.

In the field, I spotted a particularly smart coloured horse ridden by Cait Murphy, who was out with her dad Tomás, who farms near Durrow. His brother Seosamh runs the very sporting Castle Arms in Durrow where so many hunt-related meetings are held and which is a compulsory stop for sporting travelers between Cork and Dublin.

It wasn’t very long before hounds spoke and it became evident that there were at least a brace afoot but, with loads of cover, neither were in any hurry to venture forth. Eventually the more adventurous of the pair was viewed away by young Jock Thompson, son of our huntsman and a student in Kilkenny College, who was riding a polo pony. If he is as diligent in his studies as he is the hunting field, a glittering academic future awaits him!

Our pilot ran for Paddy Collins’ farm nearby. Collins is a serious producer of high class gun dogs and a keen shooting man. Running to the banks of the Erkina River, our pilot was marked to ground.

The next draw was near at hand on the old Carrig mill race, which is most unusual as water was conveyed by aqueduct to the mill wheel perhaps 20 feet above ground level. While hounds were drawing, I got the opportunity to chat to Andrea Purcell of the cattle clan, a daughter of Joe. Her cousin Marguerite Sheeran, daughter of Michael who founded the Golden Vale Hunt, was missing as her duties in Comfy Bed, the horse bedding supplier, kept her in the office.

With no fox in residence at the Old Mill, the next draw was only around the corner in a reed bed at Carrig House, home of hunt supporter Robert Landen.

Hounds didn’t have to work too hard before the third season bitch Comet, a draft from Graham Bustin when in Limerick, had a fine dog fox afoot who took a left-handed circle over some fine country. The field was briefly unsighted when opening wire and hounds got away. It took some time to get back with them and by then the pack had marked their fox to ground.

The huntsman took his hounds to draw Francis Scott’s farm. Scott is a nephew of Hereford breeder and hunt stalwart Lilly Campion, so a warm welcome was assured. At this point, hunting veterinary surgeon and David Lalor’s partner, Grainne Kavanagh, was called away on an urgent call. She handed her smashing grey over to young Owen Ellis, son of our huntsman’s partner Joanne Forbes, who was out on foot. One had only to look at young Jock Thompson and Ellis together to see the hunting seat at its best, that indefinable quality which cannot be learned but only inherited.

Hounds had barely touched down when they spoke and with scent improving (it was by now close to four o’clock fox), hounds flew over a grand bit of old natural country. A particular challenge was a good trench with barely a bounce on landing before the horses and riders were required to take off over a wire paling. Happily only the hunt staff jumped it before a good Samaritan dismounted and managed to disentangle the wire.

At this stage our fox was running on and had taken hounds to another Lalor farm which featured some smashing but demanding single banks, guarded fore and aft by deep trenches. While many jumped it well, the honour for best jumping must go to hunt treasurer Mary Booth from The Heath, who took off from the very top and landed halfway to the next fence.

With light fading fast, it was a welcome sound when our huntsman sounded that the fox had gone to ground. Little was left but to show the Qourn girls some further Laois hospitality in one of Ireland’s most sporting and iconic pubs, Morrissey’s in Abbeyleix.