Dickie Power

THE Galtee Harriers lay claim to hunting in three counties; Cork, Limerick and Tipperary, and on the day I visited, they certainly hunted at least two of those as they met in Co Cork and made frequent forays into nearby Limerick.

The meet was at the home of founder member and whipper-in, Jim Casey, where he runs a progressive dairy farm supplying nearby Dairygold. Refreshments were the order of the day and, as both he and his wife Irene were both riding, Irene’s sister Gloria was on hand to help with hospitality. The kitchen was brimming with food no doubt in preparation for the return of hungry hunters.

Jeremy Kelleher is in his first season as huntsman, having previously whipped-in to Ken Grandon for three seasons with the Muskerry. He kennels the hounds at his home at Mushroom Hill near Macroom where he farms and makes the trip to Mitchelstown every Sunday and an occasional bye day.

A life-long hunting enthusiast, Kelleher has had a pack of harriers since he was 15. He was hunting 13 and a half couple of a mixed pack containing Old English, Modern English and a couple of Welsh rough-haired hounds. He is lucky to be able to ride a lightweight horse and he had a smashing chesnut no more than 15.2hh who began his career on the track and is really capable of doing the business out hunting.

Assisting him were his two whippers-in, joint-master John Reidy and our host Jim Casey. The two were the stars of the Galtee Harrier hunt chase team who were unbeaten and unbeatable in their day with Matt Slattery filling the heavyweight slot. The lady rider on that team was Johanna Hanrahan, who was missing on the day. Her dad Eamon, who hunts with the Duhallow, was out on foot.

The other joint-master Jim Quinlan was also out, riding a rangy 10-year-old bay he was given as a day-old orphan of a foster mother from Coolmore. Only recently retired, he worked for John Magnier all his life, having started as a young man in Grange Stud, Fermoy, and vividly remembers a young Magnier hunting with the Avondhu Foxhounds, who at that time were a three day per week pack. Quinlan has had a ring-side seat for the last 40 years to watch the real life fairytale that is Coolmore and Ballydoyle grow to what it is today.

He was one of the founder members of the hunt with his brother Tony and the Slattery brothers, Matt and Davy, who cared for the hounds and hunted them alternately between them. The pack was established from drafts, mainly from the Limerick Harriers, which was facilitated at the time by the then master of the Limerick Harriers, the late Davy O’Meara.

The young huntsman was straining at the leash to get going so hospitality had to be cut short and after a short obligatory photo call, hounds went to the first draw on Jim Casey’s farm. Both Casey and his wife were both mounted, he on a five-year-old out of a Connemara mare by a thoroughbred sire and Irene on possibly one of the biggest horses I have seen, being over 18hh by the Irish Draught sire Holycross.

Visiting were twin sisters Kelly and Katie McGrath, Muskerry regulars from Macroom. They were on two very smartly turned-out bay cobs who were so similar they could also have been twins. Kelly travels the world as a beautician on luxury cruise liners and her twin is currently training for a similar role.

The field jumped their way around the farm over some blind and trappy banks, all recording clear rounds. While Casey had provided plenty of jumping to entertain the field, he didn’t have a fox on site and hounds crossed the road to draw Power’s Hill which has a modern conifer plantation on top.

PIT-STOP

On the way, joint-master John Reidy, who is a farrier by trade, had to replace a hind shoe on a horse. The job quickly done, he was back in the plate and away. Reidy is just recovering from a broken leg which he incurred while shoeing a difficult horse. While he was forced to wear an orthopaedic boot for the injury, he continued hunting with the aid of a giant stirrup iron big enough to accommodate the prosthetic boot.

Here hounds immediately showed interest and it wasn’t long before a fox was a foot and both the mounted field and foot followers alike were treated to marvellous hound music as hounds worked the line. Our pilot attempted to cross the main road but was headed by traffic and returned by a circuitous route to Power’s Hill where he was marked to ground.

Hounds then pressed on across the road where our fox had been headed and drew a modern plantation. They didn’t have long to wait before a third season Old English bitch, a draft from the Tetcott Hunt in Cornwall, England, opened. Within minutes a fine dog fox was viewed away by John Reidy. This fox ran towards Mitchelstown over a bit of old-fashioned country unencumbered by wire where the field could jump where they liked.

Going well on a nice bay was hunt secretary Hazel Doherty from Mitchelstown who is a student nurse in University College Hospital Cork. Also going well was Mike Sheehan who hunted the neighbouring Avondhu for many seasons.

At this stage field master Moss Keane, mounted on a nice grey, had to keep the field in hand as scent was patchy and hounds needed room. With the town in sight and the Dairygold plant looming large, our pilot swung right-handed and ran back to almost where he had started and found a welcoming shore. It had been a smashing hunt of about 40 minutes and hounds had worked well all the way.

The huntsman then took hounds across the Kilfinane road and drew some land which also belonged to Jim Casey, which produced a fox within minutes. Among the regular visitors from Scarteen were Billy Halligan, who normally rides up front with Scarteen huntsman, and Roger Geary, who always rides one of the best horses out and can take on any kind of country. Hounds ran back towards Mitchelstown but after a few fields he was marked to ground.

With the evening pressing on, hounds went on to draw a bit of hill country running towards Angelsboro on the Limerick/Tipperary border. This is country that hadn’t been hunted for many years but with loads of jumping. While it was alive with hares, disappointingly it failed to produce a fox. Nonetheless, the mounted field really enjoyed crossing it and eventually our huntsman blew for home near the Ballylanders road.

With a great welcome from all in the Galtees, this was a most enjoyable day and, with the enthusiasm of their huntsman and committee, it can only grow and grow.