December 2, 2016
Foxhunting Issue Erupts Again in Bucks County, PA
Jim and Judy Cox, a Warwick, Pennsylvania couple who live in the vicinity of Dark Hollow Park, are once again campaigning to ban foxhunting in the park. Four years ago the couple sued the Huntingdon Valley Hunt and huntsman Richard Harris, MFH, claiming that hounds knocked Judy Cox down while walking her dog and bit them both. Foxhunting in the park was suspended briefly, then allowed to continue. The Coxes (Jim is a township supervisor) now claim that the hunt has not conformed to the terms of the 2012 agreement. Supervisors Chairwoman Judith Algeo agrees with the Coxes, voicing her “concerns that the continuance of these fox hunts are a safety risk to the residents.” Town Manager Gail Weniger says the township is no longer “quite as rural as it used to be.” The hunt has scheduled ten hunts in the 770-acre park and claims it has followed the rules. Foxhunting permits are issued by the county Parks and Recreation Department. For more details, click for Justine McDaniel’s story in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Posted December 2, 2016
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Any Reasonable Horse
This is the first story (and the shortest) of thirty-two short stories from Foxhunting Adventures: Chasing the Story by Norman Fine, The Derrydale Press.
Master and huntsman Thady Ryan, whipper-in Tommy O'Dwyer, and the Scarteen hounds at Knocktoran Bog (1982) from a print of the oil painting by Peter Curling
When the nights turn crisp and the dinner talk turns to tales of foxhunting, I like to share a bit of philosophy imparted to me by that special animal—part horse, part cat, and all heart—the Irish hunter. That remarkable creature understands something of the flavor of life. He never allows natural caution, reticence, or conservatism to limit his perception of what’s possible.
The Scarteen hounds were hunting a most unusual piece of country in Kilcommon, County Limerick this day. A wild and forbidding landscape, far from the well-traveled roads, high into the hills, it was unknown country even to Master Thady Ryan. To complete the scene, a dense fog obliterated every feature of the landscape.
The Kilkenny Foxhounds at Mount Juliet
Kilkenny huntsman Peter Cahill and foxhounds move off from Mount Juliet, the spiritual home of the Kilkenny. / Noel Mullins photo
The Kilkenny Foxhounds were founded by John Power in 1797, and the founder was succeeded by his son Sir John Power in 1844. Hounds have been kennelled since 1921 at Mount Juliet when Major Dermot McCalmont, MFH built the kennels. His son Major Victor McCalmont (Master from 1949-1993) continued the hunting tradition until he passed away while in office.
Stepping into the kennels one can feel the sense of history. Although I have reported on the Kilkenny Foxhounds many times in the past, it has been more than thirty years since I attended a meet at Mount Juliet—the spiritual home of the Kilkennys. At the time, Major Victor McCalmont who hunted the pack for thirty-four seasons was Master. Peter Thomas was hunting hounds and Paddy McDonald was whipping-in. I recall the second horsemen dressed in charcoal grey livery and grey bowler hats arriving to exchange horses with Major Victor and the huntsman in the early afternoon.
The Kilkenny, by the way, is seeking new Joint-Masters.
