THE recent passing of Paul Ronan MFH has left an unfillable void in the sporting life of south Tipperary. Paul was an inveterate and lifelong hunting man, but then he didn’t pick it up off the ground. In bloodstock terms, he could be said to have a very good page, laden with hunting blacktype.

Born in 1955, he was the eldest of Tom and Dorothy Ronan’s family, themselves dedicated foxhunters. Always properly mounted, Tom, Dorothy and family rarely missed a red letter day with the gallant Tipps or adjacent packs, particularly Scarteen, where they were subscribers for many years. Tom had been Joint Master for five seasons there from 1991 to 1996. Hunting was in the blood; his uncle Louis and family were equally enthusiastic and hunted as frequently as their cousins.

As time went on, Paul and his brother and sisters became part of this great adventure and always on good ponies, beautifully turned out. Born in Dublin, he was the eldest of five, followed by Pam, Rosie, Dorothy and Thomas. Hunting always topped the agenda and they worked by the Mark Twain principle “one should never let school interfere with a good education”.

When Paul was nine, the family moved to Rocklow. Their original home at Dudley’s Mills later became the main office for the family business, first under his father, Tom, and subsequently run by Paul and his brother Thomas.

His first taste of education was at Powerstown National School and he then moved to Fethard when the family settled in Rocklow. From there, he went on to Clongowes Wood College. Here he formed lifelong friendships with many of his Clongownian contemporaries.

https://foto.ifj.ie/fotoweb/archives/5006-Irish-Horse-World/Irish%20Horse%20World/2020/Sean%20Brett.jpg.info#c=%2Ffotoweb%2Farchives%2F5006-Irish-Horse-World%2F%3Fq%3Dpaul%2520ronan

Sean Brett, Tipperary Foxhounds chairman, whipper-in James O’Donnell and Paul Ronan in good spirits before the off at the Rock of Cashel \ Catherine Power

Easy manner

Hunting was part of Paul’s upbringing from the earliest days. Raised by two parents who loved the sport, he and his siblings were seldom short of time in the field, often at the expense of missed school days. That good fortune with horses stayed with him. As a father, he ensured that his own children too had exceptional ponies and every opportunity to be there when it mattered.

He entered the family business, the Ronan Group, at a young age. In those years, it operated as a tannery and Paul worked alongside his father and brother. When the tannery later closed, he continued trading in hides, driven by a lifelong passion for the leather industry.

Paul met his future wife, Jane McGrath, as a teenager through her brother Neil, one of Paul’s close friends. They were married for 42 years and together raised four children: Jenny, Paul, Kim and Mark. Horses remained central to family life; Jenny and Kim evented, while Paul and Mark played polo. His two grandchildren were barely born before he had bought a pony for the yard.

Paul was a true blue hunting man. His Tipperary mastership ran to 25 seasons, and he attended 59 opening meets, missing only one due to a mis-scheduled hospital appointment. He began his first mastership in 1997 with his cousin Jack Ronan under the guidance of Timmy Hyde Snr, and completed his last mastership with Tim Hyde Jnr.

Asked to name a favourite hunter, Paul would often be torn between two. In his younger days, it was a 16.3hh grey gelding, Flash, who was talented, spirited and, by his own account, half-mad. Over his last 12 seasons, he formed an unfaltering attachment to the bay, Oscar, riding him at the opening meet in Fethard this season. This turned out to be Paul’s last day in the hunting field.

Paul also kept a hunting diary spanning more than 50 years, marking each day out of 10. A famously harsh critic, he nonetheless left behind an extraordinary record of the sport that gave him some of the happiest days of his life.

Legacy

All four children hunted over the years and, like their father before them, did their best to turn school days into hunting days whenever possible. Friends within the hunt were often relied upon to “pick them up” after falls, as Paul was never known for slowing down. In later years, it was Kim who was most regularly out with him. Paul also enjoyed visiting packs around Ireland, and hunted in England with his sister Dorothy.

Paul gave generously to the wider horse world beyond hunting. A Turf Club member for 35 years, he served as chief steward in Clonmel for nearly a decade and was also a regular steward at his local point-to-point. He was involved in many racing syndicates. In recent times, he was part of the group behind Evies Vladamir, currently in training with Gavin Cromwell.

Polo was another of Paul’s great passions and he played for 35 years. He started under the guidance of Major Hugh Dawney in Whitfield, which later became Curraghmore Polo Club and, in later years, All Ireland Polo Club. Paul played in England, America, Canada, Argentina, Spain, Zambia and, most recently, Malta. The sport brought him the joy of playing alongside his sons, Mark and Paul, and lifelong friendships, including with Eammon Laverty and David Stone.

Paul Ronan’s life was full and varied, but always anchored by family. He is survived by his mother Dorothy, wife Jane, their four children - Jenny, Paul, Kim and Mark - and his grandchildren, as well as his siblings Pam, Rosie, Dorothy and Thomas. Paul will be sorely missed and not only by his family. Men of the calibre of Paul pass this way but once.

– DP