ON her only visit, the late Queen never managed to visit Limerick, but the Queen’s County Hunt certainly did last Friday for a visiting meet with the Stonehall Harriers in west Limerick. While the Stonehalls have been hunting for little more than 100 seasons or so, the origin of the Queen’s County, now known as The Laois Foxhounds, is lost in the mists of time.

Like all great sporting events, such as the Limerick hurlers winning the Liam McCarthy Cup on an annual basis, the sporting men (and women) of Laois make the trip south to jump the walls of west Limerick in January every year. The Stonehalls, who normally meet on a Saturday, move their meet to Fridays to facilitate their visitors, who hunt at home on Saturdays.

Hospitality

The catalyst for the event is Dr Pat Meehan, the eminent physicist, who hunts with Laois but farms in both Co Laois and Pallaskenry in Co Limerick, where he lives. So, 15 riders had made the trip south for the day and the drill was a hearty pre-hunting breakfast with the good doctor, his wife Ann and daughters, Grainne and Cliona, at their home near the castle of Dromore.

It was a Rabelaisian scene at the breakfast table as we arrived, with enough yellow waistcoats and high boots and all that goes with it to fill a Munnings print and all partaking of all the good things on offer, with no shortage of liquid sustenance lest the riders might be struck with thirst during the day.

Pride of place, of course, at the top of the table was filled by Laois senior master, the Peter Pan of hunting, David Lalor, who has been associated with the county hunt since he was in short trousers. The front bench was further represented by his joint master Marcus McLoughlin, whose photo made the front page of Irish Horse World on a previous visit. More leading Laois members included chairman Ray Shore, veteran whipper-in, farrier and former jockey Colm Gainey, who crosses the country on his good ‘batty’ (a local term for coloured) like a teenager.

But nothing, no matter how good, can last forever and, as the saddling bell sounded, hunt coats were reluctantly found, stocks put in place and a flurry of jockeys mounted up to make the short hack to Pat Meehan’s farm, which has its own castle, a stronghold of the Fitzgerald clan, whose descendants became the Knights of Glin.

In addition to all that, Pat Meehan is one of the leading pedigree Angus breeders in the country and his bloodlines are to be found in all the leading herds.

On arrival, our huntsman Jamie Cross, now in his sixth season hunting the pack, was waiting with hounds - an all-harrier pack, which he finds suit the rough terrain with which that part of west Limerick abounds. A builder by trade, he parks his building business for the winter and virtually lives with his hounds during season. He has a great back up in his girlfriend and whipper-in Selina Braddish, who works as a psychologist in one of Dublin’s leading teaching hospitals. Making up the whips roster on the day was Mark Siney, originally from Laois, but who has really settled into Stonehall, Timmy Hanley Jnr, Tadgh Hanly and Paudie Hanrahan. Holding a watching brief was Stonehall master, John Finucaine, whose family are steeped in all that is Stonehall. He hunted hounds with distinction for many seasons, having taken the horn in 1997.

Another Laois visitor awaited us and, looking particularly smart in a five-button green hunt coat adorned with harrier motifs on both lapels, was Liam Clancy. This coat had been gifted to him by the Old Park Basset hounds in Canada, after one of his American hunting adventures. Liam, as well as being Ireland’s premiere sporting artist, is Ireland hunting correspondent for Horse and Hound and, in something of a first, the day’s hunting will be covered by both leading equestrian publications in these islands.

Dromore castle

But photographs taken and time pushing on, hounds moved on to the first draw at nearby Dromore castle. This impressive gothic-style ruin was built as a private residence as recently as the late 1800s by Lord Limerick, but didn’t prove a huge success and was abandoned relatively soon after. Roofless, it has now found a new role as film location and only recently featured in the soon to be released The Pope’s Exorcist, starring Russell Crowe.

With its extensive woodlands and a commanding view over most of west Limerick, with Shannon Airport clearly visible across the estuary, it made an ideal spot to linger. However, the hounds had a different agenda and almost immediately had a fine dog fox afoot, spotted by the ever-eagle-eyed David Trant, master and huntsman of the North Kerry Harriers and, with a holloa, which could have been heard in Knocknagoshel, hounds were away crossing a nice bit of wall country towards Bleach Lough. After circumnavigating the lake a couple of times, Reynard found a welcoming crag to which he retired and was left.

After gathering up his hounds, our huntsman returned to Meehan’s, which has loads of covert. But before hounds could draw, the field had to take on a series of challenging walls, which would be far from normal for our mid-land visitors. Not found wanting were Vincent Neville from the Pike of Rushall and David Thompson, with his travelling companion Rachel Henry not too far behind. Neither were the fair sex off the pace, with visitors Louise Thomson and Sally Ryan, originally from Limerick, showing how it’s done. As one might expect, show jumper David Moran, out with his three daughters - Denise, an agricultural science student in Tralee; Ashling, studying animal science and Libby, still at school - gave a copy book display. Not quite so exemplary was visitor, Billie White, but after a short adjournment, he was soon back in the plate and away.

However, for effort, the Gold must go to mother and child team, Ann Cregan and her young daughter Jessica. Ann, who is hunt secretary, is also (on non-hunting days) one the country’s leading agricultural advisors. Her son Dylan was also out, but more of him anon.

Jamie Crosse, Stonehall Harriers’ huntsman and Selina Braddish, whipper-in meet at Shanpallas Castle, Pallaskenry, Co Limerick \ Catherine Power

Woodland

Once hounds found, the covert exploded with music, which would have put the Berlin Philharmonic to shame. In my many years hunting, I can’t recall better woodland hunting and soon Reynard was away and ran for Cartown, the home of Jane and Paul Kennedy. Here, we were on terra familiaris, as we have hunted many times here, both with the Co Limerick and the Stonehall. Paul, who is a former master of the Co Limerick, was there with Jane to welcome hounds. Their son Paul is one of the leading show jumping riders in the UK, while their other son John is racing and bloodstock manager with Coolmore, Australia.

With Reynard having disappeared into the extensive Cartown woodland and loads of jumping available, the young Turks had a field day of schooling, led by Kian Dore (16), team gold medallist at the 2023 FEI (Fédération Équestre Internationale) European Championships for Ponies. He was closely tracked by young brother Jack and even younger Dylan Cregan, who at nine has the highest points for any rider of his age in Ireland. More young enthusiastic jockeys included Conor Kennedy, Ross Philips and Paidi Sheehy. All the while, we were kept in touch with the action by PJ Dore (Kian’s grandfather) and former Co Limerick master Sean Sheehy, whose son Conor Sheehy VS was hunting.

However, as our pilot was marked to ground in a shore, Jamie blew for home.

The Laois visitors and some others made the short hack back to Meehan’s, where the cooks had been busy and all kinds of good things there were aplenty and, with a short impromptu horn-blowing contest thrown in, a great day and evening was had by all.

Stonehall Harriers

Chairman – Mr Timothy Hanly

Joint-Master – John Finucaine

Secretary – Ann Cregan

Point-to-point secretary – Mr John O’Shaughnessy

Huntsman – Mr Jamie Cross

Field master – David Moran

Treasurer – Ray O’Neill

Whippers-in – Selina Braddish, Mr Timothy Hanley Jnr, Tadgh Hanly, Mark Siney, Paudie Hanrahan