TEN thirty on Tuesday and, while a trip to Melbourne for the big race might have sounded an attractive option, the place to be was the Scarteen Kennels and the spiritual home of hunting in these islands. Horses were fresh and jockeys apprehensive, but more importantly, the hounds looked a picture.
It was a scene that has been replicated almost without a break on this very day since the flight of the wild geese around 1640. Then was an era when many of the large land-owning families, seeing no future in Ireland, decamped to France where some became known as the ‘wine-geese’, after entering the wine trade and giving us such families as the Hennessys of Cognac (brandy) fame, who originated from Duhallow country near Mallow.
However, this option was not open to the Ryans of Scarteen - they had a pack of hounds to hunt!
They chose the better part and stayed at home to hunt the family pack. Happily, we are the inheritors of this great tradition and the Scarteen hounds are crossing the country today with the same style and vigour as they did during penal times. Who knows, if they had ended up in France, they might have become one of the wine geese, so instead of enjoying an occasional Hennessy, we might be ordering a Ryans!
Alas, nothing remains the same and this season the hunt has a new huntsman in Jamie Cross, who has been hunting the Stonehall Harriers for the last seven seasons. He brings much venery with him having hunted a foot pack (The Ballybrown Harriers) as a teenager. In addition, he has a particular affinity with native harriers (as opposed to modern foxhounds), so he appears an ideal candidate for this demanding role. The Scarteen pack are genetically Kerry Beagles, which are recognised as one of our few native breeds of hounds.
Saoirse Hannifin kicks off from the top of a typical Scarteen bank at the Scarteen opening meet \ Catherine Power
Supporting him on the day was his partner Selina - soon to be Dr - Braddish. The Braddishes are a west Limerick family and, as a proper huntier, Selina acted as his whipper-in in Stonehall. Cross has big boots to fill following Hughie Ryan who, as an amateur, showed such brilliant sport for the last three seasons. Happily, Hughie has remained very much part of the team and was out and whipping-in too.
Terrific form
It was great to see senior master Chris Ryan in the kennels to wish Jamie a cracking season. Happily, Chris has bounced back from a serious health scare and was in terrific form.
Jamie and his 16 and a half couple just looked a picture and team Scarteen were all back on board. Whipper-in Frisk Jones, as always beautifully mounted from Ballyhimikin Stud in Nenagh, was on hand as was his wife Helen and children Lily, Tommy and Mia. Making up the team were former huntsman Hughie Ryan and his brother, eventing Olympian Michael Ryan, who represented his country at the London 2012 Games. A strong team in any man’s language.
Field master on the day was former stipendiary steward and Grand National jockey Val O’Connell on his new grey, who is just foot-perfect. Gate-closers on the day were Eoin O’Halloran and Emma Kennedy, whose diligence and attention to detail was later complemented by no less than Chris Ryan.
All bookings were handled by new hunt secretary Martin McGrath who, while out, sadly was not mounted as he is still nursing a knee injury. We had but one joint master mounted in Mary Curtis, who only joined the mastership last season and was looking the real deal in her new master’s hunt coat and on her hunter, which is kept locally for her by Camilla O’Halloran. She was accompanied by daughter Mary Therese and grandchildren Sean and Ettie. Also on hand, but on foot, were joint masters Jake Murphy with former hunt secretary Triona, as always beautifully turned out on her good bay, and her brother Rodney O’Donnell, who runs Hillcrest Equestrian Centre.
Joint masters on the day were made up by Bill Hanly who, through his firm Hanly Donnellan, is one of the major players in the Limerick property market. Sadly missing was Mairead English MFH from Emly, who is nursing an ankle injury from a morning’s autumn hunting.
Gratitude
It was a short hack to Knocklong village, where the field had assembled with over 50 out and as many or more on foot. A short address came from chairman John Hourigan thanking farmers and landowners for making the hunt so welcome season after season.
Jamie then took his hounds to their first draw at the creamery farm, where hounds had scarcely touched down when the Scarteen orchestra opened up and some marvellous woodland hunting ensued, which gave a chance for the field to settle.
However, it was not to be and all too soon our pilot found a welcoming board of works shore and was left. Huntsman then took hounds across the Welcome Inn road to draw Roy Walker’s at Mitchestowndown which, unusually for Scarteen, is in stubble. With really decent jumping, hounds found on one of the monumental doubles and he ran towards Scarteen. Just before he crossed the Garryspillane road again, he found another public shore.
However, the best was just a few fields away in Scarteen itself. With an acre a day and a covert for every day of the week it’s a huntsman’s dream. With senior master Chris Ryan, who carried the horn with distinction, on hand to welcome all and with some of the most challenging banks imaginable dividing the estate, it was the place to be. Enjoying himself immensely on his stalwart grey was Oliver Ryan-Purcell, a former master and huntsman of the Ormond in North Tipperary.
But it was two young sportsmen - Harry Clohessy and the even younger Jamie Crowe - who spotted Reynard slipping away. Reynard then took hounds and field on a guided tour of the farm and horses and jockeys were really tested by the banks and the amount of galloping. Not found wanting was the new joint master Mary Curtis from the Co Meath on her new horse, who has really found his feet in Scarteen. Among the juniors was young Ruari Purcell who is only 10 but going like a veteran and giving a lead to his mum Mel.
Oliver Ryan-Purcell hacking home after a great day with Scarteen \ Catherine Power
Hunted out
But even Scarteen gets eventually hunted out and, having crossed the county boundary out and with a somewhat reduced field, Jamie took hounds across the road to draw Ballyskiddane. Hounds took interest in a particularly forbidding break of briars and brambles, but it was Pepper, a Black and Tan bitch that the huntsman had brought with him from Stonehall, who was first to brave the brambles and was rewarded with a fine dog fox who shot out and hounds hunted towards Garryspillane with some super jumping. He then crossed into some country already hunted and was given best.
Despite lengthening shadows, the day was not over as Jamie took hounds across country by Knockcarron to draw at Jake and Triona’s farm past Knockcarron. As one might expect, they had a fine dog fox lined up and hounds opened on him, but after running a mile or two light had petered out, even the enthusiasm of our new huntsman couldn’t do anything. Almost dark, the sweetest note of the day was blown as Jamie sounded the going home.
It was a great start to the season and it was a tired group that made the short hack back to the meet and some badly needed sustenance at the ever-welcoming Hill Bar.
History
The earliest records of the Scarteen Black and Tan hounds and the Ryan family go back to 1640, shortly after the flight of the Earls. Around 1820, Daniel O’Connell (The Liberator) disbanded his pack of Kerry Beagles and his hounds were sent to Scarteen to augment the Scarteen Pack. The Ryans of Scarteen were closely related to the O’Connell’s of Caherdaniel. Present master Chris Ryan, who first carried the horn back in 1986, is the eighth generation of his family to have done so.
The team
Kennels: Scarteen, Knocklong, Co Limerick.
Chairman: John Hourigan
Senior joint master: Christopher Ryan
Joint masters: Shane Breen, Roger Dungworth, Mairead English, Jake Murphy, Bill Hanly, Mary Curtis
Field master: Val O’Connell
Honorary secretary and point-to-point secretary: Martin McGrath
Treasurer: Richard Stapleton
Huntsman: Jamie Cross
Whippers-in: Frisk Jones, Michael Ryan, Hughie Ryan