History

The hunt was founded in 1825, originally as a harrier pack, and the country consists of hedges and ditches.

Team

Chairperson: Sarah Dawson

Masters: Alexander Mills and Brian McClory

Huntsman: George Barrett

Whippers In: Jordan Parr, Ronan McClory, Johnnie Mulligan, Gary Porter and Oliver Ferris

Field master: Oliver Ferris

Honorary secretary: Beth Woods Patterson

Honorary treasurer: David Rance

PART of the enjoyment of travelling to a hunt is passing the time going down memory lane on the journey, reminiscing on packs that I hunted with over the years, as I did on my way to report on the Iveagh Foxhounds at Brague, outside Banbridge, Co Down.

As I left North County Dublin, I passed by meets of the Fingal Harriers, who I whipped-in to for 20 seasons. Near Duleek, I recalled hunting with the Ward Union huntsman at the time, Eamonn Dunphy. Then from Drogheda, with the Mourne Mountains coming into view, I remember having some great hunting days with Michael McKeever, that outstanding huntsman of the Louth Foxhounds, and also following master Mick Tuite of the Oriel Harriers.

Nearing Newry, I was reminded of a day with the Newry Harriers with the great horsewoman Ann Ferris, who was the first lady to win the Irish Grand National. She loaned me a young horse that took such a pull that I never sat so tight in the saddle in my life, as we seemed to jump wire fences for most of the day. They were just some great memories.

But, enough of the nostalgia. As I got to the meet of the Iveagh Foxhounds at the junction of Doughery Road and Ballynanny Road, I stopped to talk briefly with meet host and hunting farmer George Cromie, who I had last met at the Dublin Horse Show with his daughter Faith. He was not hunting on the day as he was busy with his cattle. But they are the most extraordinarily generous people and Faith took the food up to the crossroads, where the followers chatted and exchanged stories.

That generosity is reflected in the spirit of the Iveagh Hunt as, in appreciation for the privilege of hunting over the farming communities’ farms, the hunt hosts a special landowners’ dinner in a nearby sports club house as a thank you, with all the expenses covered by the hunt. Former master and current chairperson Sarah Dawson hosted a ‘Hack and Snack’ Children’s Meet recently at her Tanvalley Stud and training stables, which was an outstanding success. Sarah is also offering the popular Horse Track System Delivery, 24-hour outdoor living for horses, all-weather track, lots of shelter, natural exercise with multiple hay and water stations and checked twice a day, which is ideal for horses resting or retired from racing.

Masters and hunt staff

The masters are Alexander Mills and Brian McClory, both of whom put a lot of energy into the success of the hunt. Huntsman George Barrett grew up hunting with the Kildare Hunt and went on to the Crawley and Horsham in the UK, returning as huntsman of the Carlow Farmers Foxhounds. His wife Belinda and daughter Lilly were following, and Lilly was looking forward to getting her pony Bob the Cob ready for the kennels meet the following week. She knows all the hounds by name and was a hit at the National Hound Show with dog hound Gollum in the very popular Junior Handlers Class.

George hunts an even number, 14 couple, and the reason for not including the traditional half couple is that one of the best days he has had was with an even number of hounds. At the National Hound Show in Stradbally, Golfer and Gosford won the Entered Couple of Doghounds and Golfer was Champion Doghound. The Iveaghs also won the Unentered Bitch Class with Ragtime.

Nathan Dunlop monitors hounds from his quad on the road and he is an important member of the team, as is Robbie McCracken in the kennels and the hunt country. George is calm and quiet with his hounds and uses his voice mostly, but he can also get a real tune out of the hunting horn. Whipping in are Ronan McClory, Johnnie Mulligan, Gary Porter, Oliver Ferris and Jordan Parr and they all are top men to cross country. Jordan has a yard at Rathfriland with Shane Crabbe, where they usually have between 10 to 15 horses in work, producing made hunters in the winter and Jordan competes in shows with the show jumpers and eventers in the summer. He has developed quite a reputation as a strong rider making the hunters with the South Tyrone and the Iveagh, and the Iveagh huntsman was riding one of his graduates who he is delighted with. He also does a steady trade in the UK, Holland and the USA.

Tommy McGrane, on his cob Castlerea Sonny, 'hails a taxi' at the Iveagh Foxhounds meet at Brague, County Down / Noel Mullins

Followers

Following were Faith Cromie on Danny, Fiona Wilson, Andrew Phillips from the Tynan and Armagh and son Samuel. Also out was Oliver Ferris and Gary Porter, who I last met with the County Down Staghounds. Gary is known for training sheepdogs, but he has not been able to train the dogs to count the sheep. So, Gary, as an expert on time management, uses a drone to count his sheep while he lies on the couch watching his favourite soccer team, Manchester United! Charlie McPoland was sporting a thumb stick with a carving of a huntsman, and he was off to the Blazers the following day.

Tommy McGrane from Carlingford, who used to hunt with the Oriels and is a member of Ard Lu Riding Club, was riding his sturdy cob about 15.1hh and for a heavy cob he takes a hold a few strides out from a fence and has great scope. Also following were Jason Mackey, Ellie Livingstone whose father Dr Ken Livingstone and her mother Lucy Leigh are masters of the Tynan and Armagh Beagles. Mounted as well were Stewart and Michael McGriffin, John Porter and his son John, Mark and Angela McIlroy, Caroline Caddy and Thomas McCreesh. Following as well were Michael Bishop, Bob Wilson and John Harvey, Dessie McBride, Kate Burns of Burnview Stables and her daughter Lynn, Nathan Dunlop, Ann Dunlop, Alex Biddulph and Jennifer Patterson, a former member who was out jogging on the road and met up with the hunt.

Hunting

The first draw was between George and William Cromie’s where the followers crossed a series of stiff hedges, but the covert was blank. They crossed out through former master John Porter’s farm where he keeps a herd of pedigree Jersey cows. Having negotiated the hunt jump, they crossed the Aghabeg Road into Drew Cowan’s. Hounds found in the first Little Plantation and our pilot slipped away over new grass and on towards the Quarry in a circle back to the Plantation, where they marked to ground.

The huntsman gathered hounds and went on to Willie Bird’s where hounds found again in a clump of furze and the pack made a great sound reverberating in the valleys, as this fellow ran right-handed in a line for The Lane, crossing it and straightened up. He then circled right-handed, where the huntsman and whippers-in stopped them short of The Boulevard near The Game of Thrones Studio Tour.

The area around Grattan’s near the Ring Fort was blank as was the nearby bog. But hounds had better luck on the lower side of George Cromie’s valley and a fox left the bog and we had a great view of him running up the hill, with hounds packed closely in pursuit, as he jinked left-handed and out across the side road through Russell’s Wood, where he completed a wide circle and ran the whole way back again to the find, where the pack marked him to ground. There were a few casualties; one huntsman, a visiting master and a man on a cob jumping over wire with a hedge at the back followed by a big strong hedge with wire running up near the top and a drain about five feet out at the back that claimed its victims. But they all stepped away with a smile on their faces as the ground was so soft. Meanwhile, hounds marked in Robert Black’s.

It was a smashing day that just got better and better with the huntsman and hounds moving on all day over some stiff country. Apparently, this meet will be known from now on as ‘The Big Hedge Meet’.