History

Mr Nicholson of Balrath founded a pack in 1723, followed by Mr Pollock of Mountainstown and Mr Gerrard of Gibbstown formed the Clongill Hunt, which in 1817 became the Meath Hunt.

Factfile

The Meath Hunt

Chairman – Edward Galvin

Masters – Norman Williamson, Pat Dillon, Bill Dwan and Andrew Boyd

Huntsmen – John Henry and Kenny Henry

Whipper-in – Barry Finnegan

Field-Master – The huntsmen on alternate days

Hon. Secretary – Sally Moorehead

Honorary Treasurer – Elaine Collier

IT was a bright dry morning for the Meath Foxhounds’ meet at Charlie Noell’s Ardbraccan House, a Palladian-style country house near Navan, Co Meath.

Noell purchased the estate in 2013 and it’s been a work in progress since with renovations and lines of new fencing overseen by groundsman Paul Tobin which has the property nearly back to its glory days when the Church of Ireland Bishops of Meath occupied the house from 1770 to 1885.

The bishops obviously did not like to get wet, so their carriages could set down at the side door and they could access the main house without the elements affecting them. No wax jackets around then!

And there is stabling for 10 horses down the steps on the same side that have been completely restored and occupied by Noell’s string of hunters. They are looked after by Sarah Meehan who many will know as both a keen hunt follower and also a talented side saddle rider. The horses are always beautifully turned out as Sarah has particularly high standards.

Noell, in partnership with John Jay Moore, has built up his number of broodmares, both at Merriebelle Stables at Ardbraccan and Chanteclair Stud in Kentucky, since the purchase of 30 broodmares from Kilfrush Stud in Co Limerick. He is also a sponsor of Cheltenham Festival and has interests in jumps racing in the USA with an ambition to win the Maryland Hunt Cup, run annually over the most challenging timber fence course in the world.

Recently, John Joseph ‘Shark’ Hanlon has been in the news having won the richest jumps race in America, worth $250,000, with his special horse Hewick. Irish jockeys, like Meath’s Ross Geraghty, dominate the jumps scene in the US.

Ardbraccan Traditional Irish Hunters

Great credit goes to Charlie Noell who would normally hunt thoroughbreds with the Elkridge and the Green Spring Valley Hunts in Maryland as his stable in Ireland consists of a string of Traditional Irish Hunters, produced every hunting day under the expert eye of Sarah Meehan. She had them looking in showing condition with gleaming coats, alert, and eyes focused on the hounds.

Charlie was on Basil, a Traditional Irish Draught by Coosheen Ballymurphy, and interior designer Serena Williams Ellis was on a cob, Irish King Billy. Charlie persuaded Mick Flanagan who manages the thoroughbreds on the farm, who has not ridden a horse for seven years, to hunt on another Irish Draught by Mountain Pearl.

Niamh Hoey was on an Ardbraccan Irish Sport Horse by Crosstown Dancer and Sarah Meehan was on yet another Irish Sport Horse by Royal Touch. Amanda and Nick Caledon were at the meet, and Amanda, who used to hunt with the South Tyrones, has moved her hunter by Crannach Hero to Charlie’s stable to hunt with the Meaths.

The Meath Foxhounds masters on the day were Norman Williamson and Pat Dillon. Unfortunately, joint-master Richard Trimble has retired after 19 seasons of sterling service.

Jill Revill of the Meath Hunt on point duty at Ardbraccan House \ Noel Mullins

Hunt staff and followers

The huntsman on the day was John Henry who had 21½ couple of the bitch pack out with his brother Kenny, who hunts the dog-hound pack, acting as field-master. The new chairman is Edward Galvin whose father Sean was a joint-master and one of the most popular and hardworking masters from 1981 – 1993.

Edward was in the news recently having bred a winner, Queens Gamble, at the family Ardmulchan Stud having won the concluding mares’ bumper recently at Cheltenham, trained by Oliver Sherwood for Edward and Alexander Frost. The horse is out of Gambling Girl who won seven races when trained by Jessica Harrington.

Ready for the action were Jill Revill who has whipped-in and hunted hounds herself, Sarah Meehan, Niamh Hoey, Mick Flanagan, Aoife Murray, Sarah Blyth, Elizabeth Oakes, Marita and Roisin Dunne, Oliver and Emer Callaghan, Jodie Kidd, Janet Williamson and her daughter Carla who is doing so well on the eventing circuit. Her son Josh, who has also had a great eventing season, was riding out in Gordon Elliott’s and has got his licence to ride on the track. Also following were Kenneth Regan, Evan Henry, and Willie Smyth who has clocked up at least 66 seasons!

Enjoying the hospitality also were Sabine Dowdall, her sister Tara and daughter Mia, Jan Farrell, Tony Coyle, Kit Henry, Billy Blyth, Paul Dolan, Albert Sherry, Ann Marie Kidd and Rita Dunne.

Tribute

Before moving off, joint-master Pat Dillon, after thanking the host Charlie Noell, asked for a minute’s silence in memory of one of the most colourful Meath followers, Peter Newell, who sadly passed away earlier this year. Distinctive in his top hat, he was in addition to a lifelong hunt follower, a race rider, a polo player and a successful horse breeder. In fact the day before he died he asked that his home-bred filly Surrounding run in Galway. She obliged handsomely winning the Arthur Guinness EBF Corrib Fillies Stakes at 10/1.

Peter was a grandson of the legendary American master and huntsman Isaac Bell who hunted both the Galway Blazers and the Kilkenny Foxhounds. There are many stories about Peter’s experiences in the hunting field as he only took a direct line across country, and he was always so well turned out, recognisable by his silk top hat. He had a bad fall one day and was concussed so had to be assisted to the road. He came too near the road and realised he was missing his top hat. He asked one of them to go back and find it as he stressed he could not go to hospital unless he was properly dressed!

Hunting

The huntsman drew the laurels along the avenue with 21½ couple of the bitch pack but there was nobody at home. Here I have to admit that the stories were so amusing at the crossroads that we missed the next draw at Knockcumber as Tony Coyle and Kit Henry kept Albert Sherry, Ann Marie Kidd, Paul Dolan and myself entertained with hunting stories, many of Kit’s father Johnny who hunted the Meaths for over 50 seasons.

Unfortunately many can’t be seen in print, but one was of a well-known gentleman who had diabetes which his wife closely monitored and recorded his blood readings before she approved of him going hunting. Desperate to get an acceptable blood reading one hunting morning, unknown to his wife, he decided instead to take the blood sample from his son’s finger and his wife was so delighted with it that she immediately wished him a happy day’s hunting!

Huntsman John Henry Jnr assures me that hounds were on song in Knockcumber where they found and ran in a local loop towards Tara Mines where they fortunately checked. The disused Ardbraccan Quarry held as usual and hounds were hunting as a pack around the extensive lake, pressurising their pilot to break cover in a line across country ending up at the home base of the Duffy Circus. The founder, Tom Duffy, sadly passed away this year. He was born in his parents’ caravan in Limavaddy in Northern Ireland and was the affable ringmaster, a fine horseman, acrobat and trapeze artist in his youth. He toured the highways and byways of Ireland for 90 years. He was known as ‘The Greatest Showman’.

The pack found again in Bradys’ Plantation and took a line towards O’Callaghan’s Joinery where they marked him, and proprietor Ollie was out hunting on the day. The last draw was Coffey’s Bog which was blank, but it was a smashing day for the beginning of the season. It has been a busy time for the huntsman, John and his wife Mary, as two of their children, Evan, who was hunting, graduated as an engineer, and daughter Rhiann graduated as a teacher. We wish them both well.