Huntsman David Masterson with Masters Tom McNamara, Michael Lennon, and Jackie Lee with whipper-in Gabriel Slattery at Shrule Castle directly across from TJ Gibbons Pub. Shrule Castle, a Norman keep, was built by the de Burgh family in 1238. / Noel Mullins photo
The hunting country of the North Galway Foxhounds was originally hunted by the Bermingham & North Galway Foxhounds, founded in 1946 by Sir Dermott and Lady Molly Cusack-Smith. Lady Molly had hunted the Galway Blazers during World War II. When the Bermingham and North Galway was disbanded in 1985, the North Galway Foxhounds was formed.
The meet was at TJ Gibbons Pub in Shrule, County Mayo, which has been in the family since 1925 and is now managed by Ronan Gibbons. The Quiet Man, starring John Wayne as Sean Thornton and Maureen O’Hara as Mary Kate, was filmed in nearby Cong and The Neale.
Jackie Lee, MFH and Field Master, leads a hard riding field over a 5-foot double stone wall. / Noel Mullins photo
I have often wondered why there are so many talented showjumping riders in the North Galway. From this recent visit to their meet, now I know. The answer is Jackie Lee. He has been the Field Master of the North Galways for thirty-eight seasons. This day he was riding a smashing grey Traditional Irish Hunter named Simpson who was owned previously by former Master Declan Brooks.
When you are hunting with Jackie Lee you are jumping the most challenging line all day. He is just a pleasure to follow. To be on the safe side they have two medical practitioners hunting with them, Dr Alan Costello and Dr Brona Mooney, so everybody is in safe hands! Jackie Lee is a quiet unassuming man, a superb breeder of showjumping horses like his mare Kashino that won the Connaught Grand Prix with Raphael Lee on board. The horse is being campaigned on the Sunshine Tour in Spain ridden by Jessica Burke another top class rider. She hunted alongside Jackie for many seasons. Jackie has also won the three-year-old loose jumping competition at the Dublin Horse Show for the last three years, and later in the day we saw fourteen of his two- and three- year-olds on his mother-in-law Nora Carroll’s farm.
David Masterson is in his first season hunting the pack having whipped-in to the Ormond Foxhounds in South Offaly and North Tipperary and the United Foxhounds in Cork. His hounds are in peak condition, beautiful coats, well-muscled loins, and look really happy. He was riding a seven-year-old Cob bought from Wesley Ryan, and has another from Brian Moran that hunted the Stonehall Harriers in Limerick. He needs them as there are some strong riders following these hounds. David and his partner Paula Cosgrave are based at Skehana Stables in Eyrecourt where they provide livery, schooling, and exercise facilities for all ages.
There is a break with the normal foxhunting dress tradition in so far as there are no scarlet coats worn by the Masters or hunt staff of the North Galway Foxhounds. Instead they wear the Galway County Gaelic Football colours of maroon and white—maroon jackets and white collars. This is a passionate Gaelic Football area with many great memories of football stars like John Donnellan, Enda Colleran, Sean Purcell, and Frankie Stockwell. The neighbouring Corofin Gaelic Football Club won the All Ireland Club Championship in Croke Park on the day of my visit.
Joint-Master Tom McNamara of Horses in Ireland runs a hireling and show hunter business in Galway. He had a large party of German visitors led by Henric Schumacher who was sporting an Irish Field jacket. They all hunt with the Rheinlandmeute hunt in the Cologne area which is the centre of equestrian activity in Germany. A German visitor paid the ultimate compliment to the Irish hunting horse saying, “they are really great animals, intelligent, we let them go; we don’t bother them, we just sit there; we are passengers really.”
Charlie McPoland from County Down was also sporting an Irish Field jacket. He was with his wife Kate and Anthony McEvoy of the Iveagh Foxhounds. The Galway Blazers were represented by farrier Eric Connelly. Maria McNamara who was hunting side saddle is a very experienced show judge and show rider. She was hunting a six-year-old that was wearing a side saddle for the first time that morning! Another Master is Michael Lennon, general manager of the Westport Woods Hotel. William Donnellan originally from Craughwell, the home of the Galway Blazers, is the newest of the North Galway Masters. He lives most of the time in Vancouver, Canada, where he has business interests.
Showjumper Gabriel Slattery is honorary whipper-in and a joy to watch crossing country. He stands stallions like the Irish Draughts Echo King and Rebel Flagmount, as well as the Traditional Irish Sport Horse, Captain Junior, and the Irish Sport Horse, Captain Cruise. He was hunting a real gem of a lightweight grey modern Irish Draught that crossed the country with ease. The grey is by the Irish Draught stallion Welcome Emperor.
Pat Dillon, like his father before him, provides top class hirelings. His wife Geraldine reminded me that the last time I photographed their son Oisin was in 2006 with herself and her father Andy Gallagher. Oisin was on a lead rein riding a Shetland pony and now he is one of a number of talented showjumping riders in the area. He is sponsored by Tara Harriers Master Lar Sheeran’s company, MIPS. Sarah Kate Conway, who was hunting for her first time, was riding one of Pat’s quiet Cobs and she never put a foot wrong all day. Honorary treasurer Noel Keane and his son Ben were hunting, as were showjumpers Shane Goggins, Ray Lee, and his son Raphael Lee and daughter Jessica. Mike Fahy is a young horseman very skilled in breaking and making young horses. He is a son of Johnny Fahy who I remember hiring hunters from myself. Hunting also was Jemima Stewart who hunts with the North Cotswold (UK). She has fallen for the stone walls of County Galway and spends most of the season in Ireland.
Huntsman Masterson had twelve couple of hounds out which included one couple of drafts, Harmony and Hasty from the Meath Foxhounds by the courtesy of Meath huntsman John Henry. Harmony and Hasty were the lead hounds all day.
The first couple of draws in briars and spinneys were blank, but the followers got plenty of jumping on and off the road. The land is owned by Nora Carroll, Field Master Jackie Lee’s mother-in-law, so they were on friendly ground!
Hounds suddenly found a fox in a hedge row that broke right-handed through PJ Langan’s over some really big double stone walls, many with briars on top that increased the height by another two feet. They crossed a few drains and wire as they reached the back of John Hoad’s before twisting right-handed by Mary Morgan’s and back in a circle to Carroll’s, where hounds were at a loss. The huntsman remarked that the fox had never run that way before—obviously a travelling fox.
They drew John Carroll’s and John Hoad’s and a farm that Jackie Lee rents where he is grazing fourteen young unbroken horses some of which we will probably see at the Dublin Horse Show in due course. Hounds found in thick brambles in an ancient ring fort in Mary Morgan’s. This fox headed straight for Kinlough Castle to Tony O’Connor’s Rocks where they marked him. They tried Tony O’Connor’s again, found in the Rocks, and hunted on straight and then left-handed along the tops of the Banks reclaimed from the Black River, where they lost.
Maria McNamara and her father Tom, MFH, from Horses in Ireland with their hunting visitors from Germany and North Ireland on the McNamara hirelings / Noel Mullins photo
After a smashing day’s hunting Gibbons Pub was heaving with followers after the meet, where Ronan Gibbons laid on refreshments for followers and visitors alike. I have to thank Maura Morrin, Tanya Bourke (who retrieved my boot out of the muck when I got stuck), and Brian Murphy of the North Galway Foxhounds who got cameraman Ken O’Mahoney (of Horsin’ Around) and I to all the right spots for our hunting film that so far it has been viewed over 61,000 times on Facebook. [Click for the video in which Noel Mullins interviews staff members and visitors and provides color during the action scenes. Not to be missed! -Ed.]
Click above link for video.
Maura is a keen photographer keeping North Galway’s Facebook page up to date and producing a colourful hunt calendar. Her son Michael unfortunately missed the day, and her husband Scottie was on duty collecting caps. Maura is a daughter of the late Jimmy Judge who hunted with the North Mayo Harriers. I remember hunting with Jimmy in the 1970s. In fact I took a friend of mine that day from London whose only experience of riding was in a riding school for his first hunt over the double stone walls. He fell at the first six walls but was ecstatic with the sheer beauty of the countryside!
Posted March 6, 2020
Noel Mullins is a photojournalist and author of The Dublin Horse Show, The Irish Hunter, In Search of the Kerry Beagle, and other books on Irish horse sport.