Ballymacad huntsman Kevin Donohoe with hounds at Archerstown. Following (l-r) are whippers-in Bobby Kellett, Maurice Quinn, and Irish MFHA trainee Keith Broderick. / Noel Mullins photo
There is a rich history of hunting in County Meath, Ireland. The Sherbourne family kept a pack at Loughcrew, and the Ballymacad Foxhounds were founded there in 1797.
The Ice Age of 30,000 years ago made a massive contribution to foxhunting in the Ballymacad hunt country. The countryside is made up of drumlins, small tear drop-shaped hills such as found in the Carolinas in the U.S. Many are covered in gorse, and despite the weather if one looks underneath the cover there is always a snug dry base, which makes them natural homes for foxes. Add to that the small bogs and hazel woods and you have variety. Foxes don’t have far to travel, and prying eyes are easily avoided.
To hunt foxes successfully in this country, hounds need to be true to the line to reduce their opportunities of going to ground too quickly. The country is challenging; one needs a horse that can jump walls, wire, drains, double and single banks, and a rider that can stay on!
Huntsman Kevin Donohoe produces hunters that carry him well and also carry hunt staff in other parts of the hunting world, particularly in England with packs such as the Duke of Beaufort Hounds and the Cotswold Vale Farmers Hounds. Kevin’s father—former huntsman Barry Donohoe—is still active in finding the right type of horse.
Through a selective hound breeding program and excellent relations with the farming community Kevin has maintained the reputation of the Ballymacads as one of the premier packs in Ireland. Donohoe hunts a bitch pack on Saturdays and a mixed pack during the week. Some favorite stallion hounds that he has been using are Ballymacad Damage and Cotwold Vale Farmers Banjo. If you want to hear first-class hound music come to the Ballymacads!
Seasoned whippers-in Maurice Quinn and Bobby Kellett are two of the best practitioners, flanking hounds, bringing on backmarkers, and positive riders across country. Bobby’s four-year-old son Evan is showing talent as a horseman, and has acquired a new pony.
The meet at Seamus Reilly’s Hurler’s Rest Pub in Archerstown near Clonmellon is close to Brownstown Hurling Club, a club that has won three intermediate championships in the last five years. One of its stars, Westmeath County hurler Philip Gilsenan, was mounted on a fine seventeen-hand bay that carried him in style throughout the day.
Joint-Master Tosh Kellett, who owns Respa Beds, was at the meet, but his 160-person staff in Oldcastle had their feett to the boards fulfilling a rush order for 250 mattresses with more on the books for hotel clients in the UK. His fellow Joint-Master Jim Stevenson and his wife Brona were joined by their son Adam. Frankie Tully, who shares Field Master duties with Ken Farrelly, led the field this day.
Shortly after hounds entered Sheepstown Covert a fox was away in the shelter of the wood. We were treated to a choral performance despite scent being patchy. But the white hound Dainty was glued to the line leading the chase with the fox ducking in and out of covert. A second fox allowed the whole pack to pass within yards of him while he sat tight and hounds never changed. There was non-stop music from the pack as they pushed the hunted fox in a right-handed circle over Joe Daly’s, Camillus Daly’s, and Eamonn Tormey’s. He appeared to be coming back to the find but instead crossed the lane where the huntsman dismounted and took to his feet when they checked. He cast them right-handed near the pond, and then left down by the hedge in Martin Kelly’s for a nice twenty-minute spin. The efficiency after each draw was impressive as whip Maurice Quinn was immediately on the phone to fencer Willie McGrath to direct him on his quad as to exactly what had to be fenced.
Shortly after hounds went through the new hunt gate into Brownstown they produced another fox that ran through Peter Gaynor’s, Maurice Gavigan’s, and Peter Fagan’s. Field Master Frankie Tully gave the followers a good lead over wire and good wide wet drains, and onto Brownstown Bog where they marked the fox to ground after another fast thirty-minute burst. Edel Tuite who got immersed in a bog at this meet last season was more careful this year, and looked pristine at the end of the day!
At Kilgar, hounds were spoilt for choice with foxes heading in different directions. They marked two to ground. At Glenidon, a huge farm belonging to Mattie Nolan with its sequences of hills, hounds found a fox in one of the many small woods. It was spectacular to see the pack hunt their fox from hill to hill, keeping close to him despite poor scent—clearly an honest pack that works hard. When the fox decided enough was enough, he went to ground with hounds marking him in fine voice.
With failing light, the huntsman blew for home. The Ballymacad will host a Side Saddle Hunt at Ballinlough Castle combined with a Hunt Ball at the Headford Arms in Kells on February 21, 2015.
Posted January 14, 2015
Author and photojournalist Noel Mullins is a lifelong foxhunter and a regular contributor to Foxhunting Life.