PASSING through Gorey in Co Wexford on the way to The Island Foxhounds’ meet, I spotted Tomas Funge’s shop. It reminded me of one of the family, Paul (1944-2011) who I knew well, a larger than life character who was described as a well-known artist, cultural impresario and lecturer. Paul was also a literary figure and the driving force behind The Gorey Arts Festival that hosted many national and international A-listers. He founded a magazine named The Gorey Detail, which I always thought was a clever name for a paper!

The meet was down the road at The One for the Road Bar in Ballycanew, which is run by Alan Flood, but is owned by Ciaran ‘large bottle’ Doyle who was hunting. There was only standing room in the pub such were the numbers hunting and following that you could feel the energy of this close-knit group.