THERE was an interesting connection with the past as hounds of the Tara Harriers were unboxed beside The Old Rectory in Kentstown, Co Meath, as it was the former home of Colonel Amadeo Guillet (1909-2010), a follower of the Tara Harriers and the Meath Foxhounds.

Guillet had an interesting past as he was selected for the Italian Olympic Equestrian Team for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. An Italian diplomat and commanding officer of a cavalry unit known as ‘The Devil Commander’ or ‘The Man on the White Horse’, and sometimes referred to as ‘The Italian Lawrence of Arabia’.

He commanded the Gruppo Bande Amhara a Cavellio, an army of 800 horsemen, 400 Yemini infantrymen and 200 Camel Corp in the Second Italo Ethiopian War and was an Italian war hero and considered the last commander of a full-scale cavalry charge at the Battle of Selaclaca in Ethiopia.

Even the most exhilarating hunt with the Taras and the Meaths must have seemed like a Sunday afternoon hack after that! He retired back to Italy where he was honoured by the Italian government and Tom Cullivan composed a special piece in his honour titled, ‘Cavalcade of Kentstown’. He passed away at 101 years of age.

Community

Hunting, racing and the GAA create communities that are so important particularly as nowadays, in some areas of the ‘modern’ Ireland, people don’t even know their own next-door neighbours. This was not the case in Maguire’s Bar in Kentstown, opened in 1854, where I met Caolic Monaghan and his father Sean, the owner and fifth generation of family owners.

Sean was chatting with Jarlath O’Reilly, a keen racing man and the father of Tara Harriers chairman and joint master Eugene O’Reilly. Sean is also the breeder of Fort McHenry who ran in Michael Tabor’s colours winning in Epsom; Kalanisi Og who won in Galway and another winner, Spring Charm, who won in Punchestown.

He is also the grandfather of jockeys Caragh and Aoibhe, who are twins, and Sadhbh who are also well-known Meath ladies’ football players. They ride out for Gavin Cromwell, Gordon Elliot and Ian Donoghue and have appeared in The Irish Field leading up Cheltenham winners for J.P. McManus. Caragh rode a winner - St Denis’s Well - at Navan and recently won a lady riders’ chase on Vaureal for Ian Donoghue in Fairyhouse.

Strong team

There is a strong team of masters in place with Lorraine McDowell, Henry Smith and John Moran, who also hunt hounds, Bryan Maher, Larry Cunningham and Eugene O’Reilly.

Masters John Moran and Bryan Maher have launched a new app called The Hunt Gate, a bespoke piece of software especially designed for hunting and other equestrian events that manages all the workflow, waivers, insurance etc, which is so important nowadays and can be easily downloaded onto a mobile phone or tablet. It can also track subscriptions, cap and reduce duplication of data. It is anticipated that, in time, having the statistics at one’s fingertips could also reduce the cost of hunt insurance.

John Moran manages Bective Stud Tea Rooms and Apartments for his uncle and aunt Noel and Valerie Moran and their horse Zanahiyr, trained by Gordon Elliott, won the prestigious $250,000 American Grand National in Far Hills, New Jersey, while their neighbours Jim and Eoin Reilly won the mares’ race on the same card with Emily’s Love. A few years ago, Galwayman Ivan Dowling trained the winner of the New Jersey Cup at the same meeting with Where’s The Beef.

Kennel huntsman Sabine Dowdall took over from her father Barry who hunted the hounds in George Briscoe’s mastership. Sabine is an accomplished hound breeder and, at The National Hound Show in Stradbally, she won both the Brood Bitch Class and the Bitch Championship with Model. She produces a quality pack two days a week and is also the professional whipper-in.

Hallie Crowe has just taken up the role of honorary whipper-in. A strong rider, she is a show jumper who produces young horses and can be seen campaigning them in Cavan, Mullingar or Tattersalls, but she can also turn her hand to judging lambs at the local mart.

Jarleth O'Reilly and Sean Monaghan, racehorse owner and breeder and the owner of Maguire's Bar, at the meet of the Tara Harriers in Kentstown \ Noel Mullins

Followers

Following were Lisa Dowdall and Stephen Dillon, who was getting ready for the North Tipperary Hunt Challenge, which the Taras team have won for the last two years and just won it again, making it a hat-trick. Stephen has ridden in The Hunt Button and Antler Challenge.

Barry Brown, who specialises in producing Irish Draught horses, was riding a young Irish Draught by Gortfree Hero, who is for sale. Also hunting was Barry O’Brien-Lynch who is getting in some training for the Ski Jor in Canada in the new year, Larry Cunningham, David Patton, Caroline Cowdy, Danny Walpole, farrier Ben McAteer, Martin Horan and his wife Emer, Robert Guihen, and Kevin Tully, who joined after the first draw.

Stubble fields

The huntsman moved off with 11½ couple down the lane beside Kentstown School towards the Knockharley landfill, finding a fox near Malachy Kinsella’s close by the pheasant pens, who gave them a spin before he headed across the landfill where the hunt staff stopped the hounds.

While the huntsman drew the large wood, field master Bryan Maher gave the followers a canter around the stubble fields to keep them warm. Hounds found again at Cowley’s Wood crossing the Senchelstown to Kentstown Road who ran on to Lawlor’s in a circle and back near the find.

The rest of Lawlor’s and Vincent Macken’s were blank but they found again in Brownstown Farm, headed for the Hill of Realtog and back down and across the road at Joe Hanley’s before circling back towards Brownstown again as they went on to check in Mal Hickey’s when the huntsman blew for home. I was surprised, as I caught up, to see Knockharley Cricket Club - founded in 1982 near Brownstown - as the only Meath Cricket Club playing in the Leinster League.

Scent

At Castlerickard a couple of days later, scent was much sharper and hounds found quickly in Maurice Dillon’s on very wet ground and he headed for Buttermer’s Quarry, circled through Quinns and into Guys and back to Dillons. Sabine Dowdall noted that this was the first good hunt for her new entry Delphi and Daphne, who are by Quorn Bison. She also had her Stradbally Bitch Champion Model out, as well as Peggy and Petel, who are always to the fore.

They got a second cracking run finding in Bagnall’s, as they flew up the banks of the River Boyne and back to Birds. This was a good blow out for the new entry and the followers had plenty of good ditch jumping as well.

A date for the diary is the Ladies’ Meet at Sally Ann Cooney’s Old Rectory in Kilmessan on January 17th, which promises to be a cracking day out yet again; some 90 ladies were hunting on the last occasion.