History

Founded in 1890, they were originally designated as harriers before assuming the dual mandate of foxhounds and harriers in the 80s and continuing to hunt in green. Their founding master was Major Hickman of Fenloe House, who was also a great racing man. Fenloe continued its racing connection under the ownership of the late Tom Costello, who produced five Gold Cup winners including Best Mate, surely a record which will never be beaten. Jimmo Quinn later became master and huntsman before passing over to Gerry Burke and Matty Green among others.

Team

Joint-masters: David McCarthy, Joanna Hyland, Derek Murphy

Chairman: Master Tadgh O’Regan

Hon secretary: Cathal McMahon

Treasurer: Alan Morrissey

Huntsman: Paddy Considine

Field Master: John Quin, Darragh Hassett

Whippers-in: David Frost, Paul Kilkenny, Ronan Lynch

Point-to-point secretary: Paul O’Neill

Meets: Thursday at 12 noon, Sunday at 12.30pm

WE have had some of our most memorable and enjoyable hunting days west of the Shannon with the Co Clare Hunt. So, when we spotted an upcoming meet in Quin, it became a red-letter entry into the hunting diary. The last time I hunted from that very meet was a special side saddle day with over 100 out and 30 of those ladies on side saddle.

On the day, which was recorded in the pages of The Irish Field, we had a large group of American side saddle riders from the Middleburg hunt in Virginia, who were very smartly turned out. As I recall, it was a terrific day’s hunting and still mentioned in hunting lore.

Malachy’s was again the venue on Sunday. Run by Eamonn Duggan, who comes from a strong racing tradition and has horses in training nearby with Malachy Hassett, the place is adorned with racing and hunting pics and was the place to be.

Old friends there were aplenty, including Daragh Hassett who regularly field masters. Daragh comes from a family steeped in hunting. His dad was the late Paddy Hassett, a great hunting man and a leading veterinary surgeon from Spancel Hill. Daragh is solicitor, whose practice is in Ennis and regularly features in law reports as he specialises in criminal law. Meet managers for the day were Cyril McMahon and Brian Clune. They had a fine job done as there was loads of country.

In the family

However, we were there to hunt and hounds arrived with huntsman Paddy Considine hunting 18 1/2 couple bred on modern lines. He was on a new horse who, in an earlier life, was destined to be an event horse out of Joseph Murphy’s yard. By Shannondale Sarco, he was a really good type and could comfortably deal with the Clare walls. Paddy, now in his seventh season, learned his trade with Ryan Carville and Paul Kinane in South Tyrone.

Keeping it in the family, his field master for the day was his brother Dermot, while his other brother Tommy was also out. Whippers-in (all amateur) were Ronan Lynch, Paul Kilkenny and young Oisin Considine. Missing was David Frost, who was at home studying for his final electrical exam. However, his dad Kieran was out and keeping his horse schooled. The Frost family have a long association with the hunt and Kieran was chairman and master as far back as the early 90s and again a couple of seasons ago.

The present chairman who was out is Tadgh O’Regan, an engineer, whose father Declan was chairman in ‘97/’98. Since our last visit, the hunt has acquired three new joint masters in Derek Murphy from Scariff, Joanna Hyland from Galway and David McCarthy from Tubber in North Clare.

Karen O’Brien jumping with style with the Co Clare Foxhounds at Quin \ Catherine Power

Both David and Joanna are former masters of the Galway Blazers. Of the three, David was the only one hunting on the day and was out with Leona Walsh from Galway. In the past, I have seen David jump some spectacular walls and he always has a top-class hunter.

Pipe opener

All too soon we had to abandon the hospitality of Malachy’s and, with a short note on the horn, our huntsman moved off to the first draw directly across the road in Hassett’s gallops. The field got an early pipe-opener on the gallop, with loads of jumping on the schooling fences.

They then moved across the road to Brian McCarthy’s farm which had loads of jumping. There to show them through was Brian, a former hunt chairman (1994-’95) with his wife Nollie and daughter Edwina, who was nursing a wrist from a schooling fall. Brian is a cousin of incoming master David and could be described as the father of the hunt, though he might deny paternity. He and Nollie hunted a huge amount with the Co Clare and were always the pair to follow if you felt up to it.

Brian’s farm is run on extensive lines and is ideal for hunting, with loads of walls which were enjoyed by all. It was second season home-bred Mobster who found and, as he spoke, the pack rallied to him and they were away and our pilot was hollered away by the eagle-eyed young whipper-in Oisin.

The Clare orchestra were in full song as they pressed on towards Clunes’, who are great hunt supporters and, as always, give the hunt a great welcome. Scent was never more than fair and hounds struggled to own the line. Going well were the O’Briens, Morgan and Niall, who has just acquired the Village Inn at Quin. Another solicitor out and going well was Vincent Shields whose late dad, also a solicitor, was a master of the Blazers.

Another young jockey who was flying was young Harry Murphy on a good coloured. Also going well and beautifully turned out were the Coffey sisters - Anna, a student of Pharmaceutical Science, and Maeve, a student nurse.

Hounds worked very hard and, with little encouragement from our huntsman, marked their fox to ground in a crag of which that part of Clare abounds.

Hounds then drew on across the road to Ballykilty Manor, which was formerly an hotel and still has the hotel sign on the door. Sadly, its days of former glory are well over and the building has fallen into disrepair. Before its hotel days, it had been the home to the Bindon- Blood family, but had originally been known as Plassey as it was built by Maj Gen Robert Clive (Clive of India) and was named to remember his most famous victory.

He recalled: “The name of the place (now Palashi) where we gained our great victory in India to which I owe all my good fortune.” The victory was the Battle of Plassey in June 1757. In 1762, he was ennobled as The 1st Baron Clive, of Plassey in the County of Clare. Sadly, Ballykilty (or Plassey) is now badly in need of a rescuer.

For all that, it held and hounds crossed the river, which was in serious flood. By the time hunt staff and the field had found a suitable bridge, hounds had marked in some nearby woodland.

At this stage the clouds had opened with torrential rain and, with time moving on, our huntsman gave the sweetest note of the day as he blew for home. Little was left but a wash off in the Rine river, which flows through the village and a quick pit stop at Malachy’s for some revival therapy.