THERE was a large turnout for the lawn meet of the Fingal Harriers at Mary Beggan’s farm. Mary has hunted with the Fingals for more than 35 seasons and 20 of those as hunt honorary secretary, and is a sister of Brian Beggan who served as joint master for 30 seasons retiring recently as honorary master.

So, between them, they have served as officers of the hunt for 50 seasons. Although Mary has hosted numerous lawn meets over the years, she realised that she has never had a photograph taken with the Fingal hounds in front of her house. It was time to solve that as she is retiring as a mounted follower after this season as her trusted hunter Cody is now in his 20s.

But Cody has plenty of company as Mary has three donkeys, Tulip, Daffodil and Rosey, as well as a smashing Irish Sport Horse foal Toby, out of her brother Brian’s Irish Draught mare. The followers tucked into delicious savouries and, of course, liquid sustenance, which they were able to do outdoors as the weather was glorious.

But they kept one eye on the clock as huntsman Ollie Finnegan likes to move off on time and followers know that he does not wait for stragglers. Marie Byrne was busy doing all the paperwork required now; checking insurance and waivers, which took time with the large number hunting. Marie and her daughters, Natasha and Louisa, on their horses Harvey, Smokie and Kaiser, hunt and compete in young event horse classes and are frequent competitors at the Dublin Horse Show, Balmoral and Tattersalls.

Exceptional horseman

Huntsman Ollie Finnegan has brought an extra dimension to the hunting field with a ‘Red Letter Day’ on the day, and a flier at a later meet when finding 2 ½ brace at the Kennels Meet with scent sharp and foxes that were game to run. He hunts 21 couple of hounds which means that he can draw wide when he has to and, when they get on, their voices are magnificent.

He is an exceptional horseman and is always well mounted and turned out. Ollie runs a pre-sale, breaking and schooling yard in the family stables, where his father Oliver trained horses for many years. His wife Rachel is another talented rider, winning the Intermediate event at the Meath Foxhounds Hunt Derby. Their sons, Paddy and Thady, are equally good jockeys, walking hounds, whipping-in, and riding on the pony racing circuit in the summer.

Whipping-in to Ollie are Darren Jordan and Conor McGrath with Alex Lyons, who is equally at home on the show jumping circuit, assisting. It’s refreshing to observe the whippers-in who are all amateurs but act very professionally, not riding up behind the huntsman but forward and riding wide for a view and bringing on hounds that may have split or backmarkers.

The joint masters are Orla Gannon, Michael McGrath, Seamus McGrath, Stephen Comerford and a new member of the team is Pat Crean, who has been whipping-in for the last number of seasons. Joint master Michael McGrath keeps a stable of Irish Draught hunters which are popular with visitors as most meets are a short distance from Dublin Airport.

Twins and amateur jockeys Caragh and Aoibhe Monaghan out with the Fingal Harriers from Mary Beggan’s farm \ Noel Mullins

He had eight seasoned Irish Draughts out with visitors Seb Mead, a point-to-point rider who spent a summer in Gordon Elliot’s racing stable, Katie Featherstone who has ridden in the side saddle race in Croan in France, Abbie Norman and Joseph Lower, who is a farrier from the Mid Surrey Farmers and the Old Surrey and Burstow Hunts in the UK.

Racing turnout

There was a great racing turnout, with former champion jockey Paul Carberry, jockeys Adam Caffrey and Josh Harford. Twins Caragh and Aoibhe Monaghan, who ride out for Gordon Elliot, Ian Donoghue and Gavin Cromwell, and who are also star players for the Meath ladies’ football team. Racing stars of the future were also out - Thady and Paddy Finnegan and trainer Gavin Cromwell’s sons, Cameron and Jake.

Hunt chairperson Helena Dawson of Kilronan Equestrian Centre had her granddaughter Pippa out recently on her second hunt. Also hunting were James Monks, Sean Carberry, Saoirche Monks, Darcy Monks, Thomas Flynn and his daughter Kate, Rachel Finnegan, Jayden and Tyler Murphy, Martin and Marian Lynch, Shane Rogers and children Ava (13) and Ella (7) on her white pony who crossed every ditch, as well as Anna Mae Keogh and Georgia Wade.

Hunting as well were Dave Bennett and his daughter Joy, Megan Ruddy, Una and Catherine Mullarkey, Ben Cauldwell who is studying equine dentistry, Patrick McGrath, Sarah Bannon, Lucy Hannah, Kiva Cromwell and Aoife Delaney. A man who records all the hunt meets of the Fingals is Ray Watt, who is a noted photographer but is also is a highly-skilled silversmith, who hand crafts wonderful creations of brooches and necklaces of wild and domestic animals as well as Celtic images.

Hunting

The hunt crossed the ditch into Jim Dreaper’s gallops recalling memories of famous Dreaper horses like Arkle, Flying Bolt, Prince Regent, Brown Lad, Ten Up, Carvills Hill, Merry Gale and Notre Pere, many that won Gold Cups and Grand Nationals learned their craft. And Jim narrowly missed winning the Grand National in 1971 on Black Secret by less than half a length to Specify. Now Jim’s son Tom has taken over training the horses, and their grass gallop is very popular with other trainers for schooling.

Hounds found along the Broadmeadow River for a nice run towards Laurence Ward’s farm. Drawing back over Dreaper’s gallops into Stan Gibney’s and Rooney’s, crossing the Robertstown Lane through Davey Dwyer’s who hunted for many years with the Ward Union Hunt. The followers had plenty of ditch jumping.

From bright sunshine in the morning, the temperature dropped and the air was getting sharper when, at about 3.45pm, drawing through Rooney’s, hounds found a brace at the back of Ashbourne Rugby Club. Following a split, 3½ couple went one direction, which whippers-in Conor McGrath and Darren Jordan brought back on to the huntsman, who was hunting hard on the other fox with 17½ couple of hounds. In the lead was Gorgeous, who has one of the sharpest scenting noses that makes her stand out.

The followers settled down for a cracking run that took them right in the direction of Ballymadun into John Roger’s and then heading back towards Baldwinstown Cross, heading for Carberry’s Bottoms towards horse producer Garry Quinn’s covert to the fork in the road near Garristown. Crossing the paddocks left-handed for Ballymadun and the Nutstown Road out by Timmy Fitzgerald’s Cross at Paddy Moran’s cattle crush, into Paddy Byrne’s farm and across Simon Mangan’s and Raymond Sutton, owner of The Fox Inn, to the back of the veterinary surgery of Peadar O’Scanaill’s.

They circled left for Johnny Mangan’s in Tubbergragan, who was a former master of the Ward Union. As he was turning for Garristown, again in the dark with riders struggling to keep up, the huntsman stopped them after a flier of a run, with just one check on a really strong fox who will be there for another day.

One of the visitors kept a tally and was delighted to say he lost count after jumping over 50 ditches on the day! Honorary whipper-in Alex Lyons commented that it was one of the best days he has ever had with the Fingal Harriers.

Back in the dark to Mary Beggan’s, followers were still returning to collect their horse trailers well after 6pm, delighted with their great day following the Fingals over the very best of hunting country. And Mary Beggan got her photo of the huntsman and hounds in front of her house, at last!