All changed, changed utterly: A terrible beauty is born.

THE words of WB Yeats rang in my ears as we saw the Scarteen Hounds move off from their meet to begin this strange season. While many things have changed, the essentials haven’t. There was a smashing pack of hounds (all from our only native breed, the Kerry Beagle) with hunt staff and followers, well mounted, all more than eager to get into the countryside and go hunting.