THE village of Laurencetown was heaving with hunt followers and visitors to welcome in the New Year at Darragh and Cathal Pardy’s Bar. The East Galway Hunt must be the best kept secret in hunting, with a young huntsman, Eoghan McCabe, who can really cross country and amateur hunt staff who are all top riders. It is a nursery for young event riders and horses. The catalyst is Ralph Conroy of Milchem Equestrian Centre, whose coaching has been responsible for a remarkable 14 European medals in eventing. Ralph may not be a master in the hunt, but he is certainly the master of eventing in this area - and indeed further afield. Interestingly, a former master and huntsman Michael Higgins (1970-73) represented Ireland in eventing. Ralph was one of the founders of the Western Region of Eventing Ireland, and the hunt holds a joint hunt ball with the association. On the day, former Irish Eventing High Performance Manager and double Olympian Dag Albert joined the hunting field with his wife Liz. He has had major success in 2025 leading the Irish Team to a European team silver medal and three riders to sit in the Top 25 of the FEI eventing world rankings. Graduates of Conroy’s hunting training were Irish international and World team silver and European bronze medallist Cathal Daniels, European silver medallist Godfrey Gibbons, his sister Katie and Jason Doerflinger, who won a young eventer class at the Dublin Horse Show. Doerflinger also campaigned Conroy’s Milchem Giovanni, by Olive Broderick’s stallion Tyson, who was sold recently at the Go for Gold Sale for €80,000. Other top event riders hunting were Becky Scott, Duncan McFadyen and Oisin McDonagh, and the list just goes on. Dag and Liz Albert’s son Thomas was happy to follow on a Gator, as was his daughter Maja, who is waiting for her hand to get better after an accident with a young horse before she gets back to serious riding again.
My guide was Darragh Kenny, who owns a building business in Perth, Australia. The call of the hunting field knows no bounds, however, and he is home for a month and will be hunting somewhere most days. He also plans to get out with a few Australian packs when he returns down under. It was great to meet up with Linda Kenny and her daughter Alex, as we recalled some of the many Kennys that hunted with the East Galways like Jack, a legend in his own lifetime.
https://foto.ifj.ie/fotoweb/archives/5006-Irish-Horse-World/Irish%20Horse%20World/2020/-%20Form_2370_wn.jpg.info#c=%2Ffotoweb%2Farchives%2F5006-Irish-Horse-World%2F%3Fq%3Deast%2520galway
Former Irish High Performance eventing manager Dag Albert, his wife Liz and joint masters Alan Briscoe and Marie Dunne at The East Galway Foxhounds meet at Laurencetown \ Noel Mullins
Masters and hunt staff
The masters are Scott Caskey from Martha’s Vineyard in the USA, and a welcome addition is new master and event horse owner Marie Dunne, who is Godfrey Gibbons’ mother. Joint master Alan Briscoe bought the Old Rectory in Tynagh, which was once owned by another East Galway master, Chantal Deon, who produced Dublin Horse Show winners like Brehon Lass, Gurraun My Way and Gurraun Zidane who was campaigned by the new Irish senior show jumping team manager, Jessica Kurten. Briscoe has now installed a bar named ‘Burt and Louis’ after his favourite dog and hunter, and one hopes its neon lights will not interfere with the overhead flight paths!
The huntsman Eoghan McCabe was riding a former eventer, Milchem Echo. He had a good foundation growing up in the Ballymacad country with the influence of top huntsman Kevin Donohue and riding racehorses for Noel Meade, latterly whipping in to Peter Cahill, huntsman of the Kildare Foxhounds. Their state-of-the-art kennels were designed and supervised by former master Joe Cavanagh.
No other hunt, I think, has two top eventers in European silver medallist Godfrey Gibbons and Jason Doerflinger whipping in, as well as Ann Hanniffy, who was riding her smashing grey mare by Rebel Mountain. Ann is a polo player, and whipped in to the Laois Foxhounds for many seasons. Her brother Dermot, who hunted the Laois Foxhounds, was also hunting, as was World Equestrian Games eventing team silver medallist, Cathal Daniels. His father Gerry was also out, while his sister Regina, who spent some time working in the USA, was busy in their Callatra Stables. Two exceptional people are Johnny and Shane O’Donnell, who do the fencing and are worth their weight in their contribution to public relations, as they always have a welcoming smile and take real responsibility for making sure the fencing is secure. Field masters Neil Larkin and Tomas Fahy complete the team.
Followers
Tom McNamara had a truck load of hirelings for the overseas visitors from the Croom and West Warwickshire, the Jedforest and the Worcestershire Hunts. Following also were Jacinta Colohan, a sister of former whipper-in Jimmy Colohan, Brendan Kenny, Katie Clarke, Nathan Kenny, Dermot Haverty and daughters Grace and Lilly, also Pat Condon and his daughter Ellie and Becky Pearlman. Others following were dairy farmer Pat Hardiman, who is the hunt area manager for Tynagh and Killimor, and Brendan Kenny, the area manager for Kilconnell, as well as Cathal and Jane Burke, Paula Cosgrove and Cyril Larkin.
Hunting
Having been suitably warmed up in Pardy’s, the huntsman got down to business with his smashing pack of 14 ½ couple of mainly home-bred hounds. The scent was patchy for the first few draws in Kylemore Bog and Ballyhoose through Kathleen Kenny’s, where the followers got their eye in over some man-made fences in Kenny’s and on to Helen Kenny’s, where an iron gate was sitting at a welcoming angle. One could see the style of the eventers and show jumpers, but others sat tight as the gate was being rapped and held on to the buckle, a tried and tested survival method. Dag Albert showed the style of a man that has represented his country in two Olympics and also his wife Liz. Others to impress were Becky Scott, Duncan McFadyen, Godfrey Gibbons, and young Jed Dillon and Oisin McDonagh.
The huntsman drew the ditches around David Kenny’s, but there was nobody at home. Now hunting is not a press-button sport and requires patience, and hounds were rewarded in Mrs Glynn’s near the Ringfort. The music started and they got on terms crossing Redmond Hill and over Bleahen’s new farm, who are well-known bloodstock consigners, and turned back through David Kenny’s farm, where the hounds were kennelled at one time, and on over a series of inviting stone walls and from there through Damien Haverty’s, but the huntsman decided to stop them as they were heading towards a flock of sheep. The temperature never went above three degrees, so what a pleasure it was to meet Mary Duffy with a lovely welcoming smile dispensing hot coffee and sausage rolls at the crossroads near Eyrecourt. Meanwhile, we were being entertained by the sound of Eoghan McCabe’s hounds hunting in the background. Mary received an award later that night for her version of hunting Meals on Wheels.
The huntsman took the pack back to Redmont Hill and found again in Bleahen’s, and were away again with remarkable cry, which the road followers really enjoyed. Here we met by Gillian McFadyen handing out shortbread, a real favourite of mine, as hounds took a line towards the Old Kennels and on through Mrs Glynn’s and to Curley’s and back into Helen Kenny’s to David Kenny’s and into Fynagh Wood, where we were treated to the contrasting hound harmonies. With the huntsman at one end of the wood, we watched as the pack cast themselves left and right on patchy scent with total concentration. This was real hound work, having the freedom of working the line out for themselves with Goldust, Drizzle and Dreamy deciding on the geography. With this fox content to stay in the woodland, the pack eventually marked him in Helen Kenny’s wood.
Later, at their Hunt Ball in the Meadow Court Hotel, they had everything from Rock the Boat, Irish Dancing and, of course, a verse or two from the hit song from band Kingfishr, Killeagh La La La, which is about their pride in an East Cork Hurling Club. It was appropriate as East Galway is also a nursery for hurling, as well as hunting and eventing.