I DON’T envy hunt club masters and officers nowadays who undertake increasing workloads with the high cost of hunt insurance, arranging a solicitor to be present to witness the signing of waivers, ensuring members have adequate personal public liability insurance, and they do all of this on a voluntary basis while holding a day job together with family commitments. They now spend much of their time making sure that members and landowners are protected in the pursuit of their sport, for this they have to be admired.

A recent example of this was when the Blazers, after numerous soul-searching meetings, chose to cancel their point-to-point which, for all hunts, is a critical contributor to hunt funds but the cost of a solicitor for the day at over €3,000 to witness rider waiver forms would practically eliminate any profit from the meeting. They also felt that their members may not be properly protected by an as yet untested waiver. As one hunt follower remarked, ‘Why don’t the Turf Club at the time of issuing riders with multi-fixture permits have them also sign a multi-fixture waiver at the same time, after all they are issuing a licence to ride at any point-to-point fixture?’ Food for thought!

Hunt chairman Mike McDonagh informed me that hunt followers and visitors in addition to public liability insurance and a hunt waiver, it is also now mandatory to have a personal accident insurance policy as well, otherwise they will not be allowed to hunt.

The Meet at The Earl Inn

At the Blazers’ meet at The Earl Inn in Raford, the lounge bar was a sea of tables with hunt staff, followers and visitors signing waiver forms with a solicitor present to witness each form. The Blazers masters and committee are a strong and knowledgeable team, with unity of purpose. They have worked hard to retain the loyalty of landowners, and have a strong attachment to their club.

Another type of love was in the air as two enthusiastic Blazers members, Irish international endurance rider Martin McNamara recently got engaged to show horse producer, side saddle exponent, actress, singer and amateur boxer Marilyn Bane. We know who will sort out the rows in that house! Nicola Carthy of Birchill Stables in Kilcreest has recently got married to Adrian Egan. Nicola manages the popular Salt Float & Recovery Suites in Galway, which offers natural treatment for skin, respiratory, pain, and wellness in her clinic.

Riding talent

There are many talented riders in the Blazers, particularly Amory McMahon featuring regularly in The Irish Field,recently winning the Ridden Horse Championship at Lambertstown with Woodfieldfarm Baloo. Amory has also taken red rosettes at the Dublin Horse Show, Balmoral with horses such as Inis Faith, Gold Nugget and Katmandu. But her hunter Fred is special as she has hunted him for 14 seasons, qualifying for the Diana’s of the Chase, and competed at the Kildare Hunter Performance Show. In fact four of the most talented side saddle riders follow the Blazers - Amory McMahon, Maeve Carty, Marilyn Bane and Maria McNamara - who looked very elegant hunting side saddle on the day. Amory’s mother Kate is an author of children’s books, namely A Horse of Another Colour, That Touch of Magic and Mr Fox goes to The Dublin Horse Show.

At the opening meet of the Galway Blazers at Raford Village were Dr Rose Dempsey, show horse producer Amory McMahon and Albert Broad \ Noel Mullins

The followers

Master Mike MacDonagh and his son Tim produce Hollypark competition horses and hunters with up to 60 horses in work at any one time. Tim has been National Champion and winner of European gold and bronze showjumping medals with Tina Tick Tock, Hollypark Galloway and many more. Other masters hunting were Joanne Hyland and her son Aaron and Leah Haggerty Clark. Tom McNamara, joint-master of the North Galways, and Niall Earls, joint-master of the East Galway, were hunting as well as Vincent and Ruth Shields and their daughter Molly. Katie Murphy (11) was riding her pony Tayto.

Following also were hunt chairman Mike McDonagh, his wife Stephanie and daughter Clodagh. Sean Coyne, Eamonn and Phoebie Hogan, Aoife O’Boyle, Catriona and Chloe Glynn were also out. Albert Broad, who works with horse trainer Gordon Elliott, is in his 54th season with the Blazers and was riding the former Blazers huntsman Tom Dempsey’s hunter Ben and Tom was also at the meet. Hunting also were Richard and Jenny Jakeman, Margaret Geoghegan, William Leahy, Stuart Hawkins, Tom Moran, Paul Rabbitt, Declan Moran, Eamonn Hogan and his daughter Bibi, Michael John McCabe and his daughter Caoimhe.

Following by car were former Bermingham & North Galway master Oonagh Mary Hyland, former Blazers joint-master Shirley Ringling North, Gerry Nevin, Francie Burke, Pat O’Neill, and Peter Duggan, whose son James is working with trainer Oliver McKiernan. Joe McNamara got great footage of the pack coming over the Raford Bridge on his new camera. Also at the meet were Michael and Maureen Earls and their granddaughter Evanna. Michael is the founder of Easyfix, a major success story in solutions in farming practices including comfort toys for young livestock! Manufactured locally and exported to 60 markets worldwide, the equestrian world knows them best for EasyFix racing fences on racecourses in Ireland and Britain.

Johnny Geoghegan had hireling and livery clients at the meet. He stands five stallions: three Irish Draughts with back breeding to Gurrane Zidane, Ballinrobe Boy and Echo King, and two Connemara Ponies.

Huntsman Anthony Costello’s father James hunted the Sligo and County Clare Hounds, and his uncle John Willie hunted the North Galway. Whipping-in was Oisin Rigney from New Inn, a talented horseman with a good eye for the country who previously whipped-in to the Waterford Foxhounds.

Hunting

The huntsman drew Raford Wood beside Raford House, where various Galway masters have lived over the years, such as Blazers masters Lord and Lady Hemphill, Bernard Brennan, master of the North Galways, and Charlie Bishop, master of the East Galways. Christopher Burke, who looked after the East Galway hounds when kennelled at Raford from 1973-81, was at the meet. Also Lady Hemphill’s Connemara Pony Stud is located close by, now managed by her daughter Angela and granddaughter Serena.

Hounds spoke briefly but the huntsman stopped them from running to Kiltulla Bog.

In Paul Rabbitt’s, the pack were in full harmony with their magnificent voices on a brace making a welcome contrast to the driving rain. But road followers, brothers Damien and Declan Carty and Declan’s son Cian (8) were not put off. Cian is getting his pony Magic ready for the children’s meet. Other car followers were Charlie Rigney, Joe Clarke, a son of former Blazers whipper-in Dan Clarke, and Mickey Shaughnessy held fast too, but some of the mounted followers got soaked. Martin McNamara changed horses to give fiancée Marilyn’s lovely grey hunter a blow-out as hounds ran into Charlie Burke’s and then across Michael Dempsey’s but fortunately checked as Attymon Bog loomed.

John Earls’s wood, by the railway, held a brace that ran in different directions, one towards Attymon but the pack settled on one that ran back into the wood and hounds were on song before they marked this customer to ground.

The last draw was in Paul Cannon’s where they found again as they ran a loop of the farm before heading back into John Earls’. Soaked to the skin, the warm dry comfort of the Earl Inn beckoned and the refreshments were a welcome sight and an opportunity to dry out water-logged hunting jackets!