WEDNESDAY’S meet saw the North Kilkenny acting as hosts to the members and hounds of the Waterford Foxhounds. It was to be a special invitation meet at the home and farm of the Murphy family of Ballyconra near Ballyragget, where they have been farming, hunting and inventing machinery since Harry Ferguson produced the first grey tractor. Back in the day, when the Hunt looked like folding, three local sporting farmers were persuaded by the local curate, one Fr Kearns, to take over the hunt and, basically, it remains under the control of those local families more than 90 years later. While the generations have rolled on, the passion for the chase has remained undimmed.

Young Brian Murphy is the latest addition to the mastership, having stepped into the shoes of his Dad, Liam (the inventor). Liam’s trademark Liam Murphy Unique Inventions Company is to be found on machinery in farmyards all round Ireland and beyond.