Champion dog hound Tipperary Chieftan ’12 shown by huntsman Derrie Donegan / Noel Mullins photo
Stradbally Hall in County Laois, the Cosby Family seat since the 1500s, provided once again an impressive backdrop for the annual Irish Masters of Foxhounds Show. Held in Mediterranean style sunny weather, it made it all the more difficult for hunt staff who were wearing their heavy Melton wool jackets more suitable to the weather conditions of the hunting season.
Hunt Staff Changes
The show is the culmination of an extraordinary amount of preparatory work by hunt staff from thirty-two foot and mounted packs representing most counties around the country. Many of the packs have used each others stallion hounds, or drafted surplus hounds, but that said it is also a time for an annual catch-up on changes in hunt personnel.
Ado Moran former whipper-in to the Kildares has taken on hunting the Carlow Farmers Foxhounds, and Mikie Moran who whipped-in to the Killinicks has replaced him.
Graham Buston has left the County Limericks for sunnier climes in the USA, hunting Hal Barry’s Bear Creek Hounds in Georgia. Buston is succeeded by James Bradley of the North Herefordshire.
Martin Lavery has retired as huntsman of the South Tyrone Foxhounds but stays on as Joint-Master. He is replaced by Ryan Carvill who, with amateur whipper-in and former jockey Paul Kinane, was showing a keen interest in the hounds being shown.
James Norton, former PRO of the IMFHA has retired from the Mastership of the Westmeath Foot Hounds, a pack he founded some years ago.
Craig Caven has stepped down from the Mastership of the East Down Foxhounds after thirty-five seasons, while Susan Oakes and Kevin Hough have joined the Mastership of the Grallagh Harriers. An interesting initiative by the IMFHA is a Bursary Scheme to assist young people who want to go into hunt service. Participating is Ian Donohue from Dunshaughlin who is currently learning the craft from East Down huntsman Declan Feeney.
Before the show IMFHA Chairman Rupert Macauley called for a minute of silence in memory of Michael Morris, Master of the Waterford Foxhounds, who passed away earlier in the week.
Judges
This year the two judges of foxhounds were James Andrews, MFH, South & West Wilts in Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset, and Countess Goess-Saurau, former Joint-Master, Vale of the White Horse in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire who with her husband Konrad used to host the Marlborough Cup, the only timber race run in Britain from 1996-2002. The judge’s stated that their main emphasis would be on the presentation of hounds, quality, balance, and movement. Of course judging in a show ring is not the complete test of a top class hound. What really matters is how they hunt in a pack, demonstrate good drive and scenting ability in all kinds of conditions, and that can only be judged in the hunting field.
Judging foxhounds were James Andrews, MFH, South & West Wilts and Countess Goess Saurau, ex-MFH, Vale of the White Horse / Noel Mullins photo
Foxhounds
The competitive nature of competition is such that to win a class at Stradbally now takes a quality model of hound. However, Philip Lazenby’s Wicklow Foxhounds assisted by his daughter Dena showing hounds for the first time proved that if you do the homework it is possible to take on the stronger hound breeders. Lazenby took both the Unentered Doghound Restricted Class and the Reserve Doghound Championship with Camelot ’12 (South & West Wilts Vanguard ’08–Kildare Chaffinch ‘08). He also took the Stallion Hound Class with Mendip ’11 (VWH Benedict ’06–North Cotswold Mistletoe ’08) and was runner up in the Entered Couple of Doghounds with full brothers Campbell and Camelot.
Theresa O’Mahony who whips into John Cantillon of the South Union picked up a place in the Unentered Bitch Restricted Class with Music (Tipperary Lonsdale ’07–Dartmoor Maiden ‘09).
Another highlight was the outstanding success of Alan Reilly’s Louth Foxhounds. Aside from taking the Unentered Doghound Restricted Class and the Old English Restricted with Stoker (Stanley ’06–Pendant ‘09), they followed with three wins in the bitch classes, including The Irish Field-sponsored Restricted Old English Class with Tinsel ‘12 (Brosna Tonton ’07–Lottie ‘10) presented by Sascha Geraghty, editor of Irish Horse World. The Louth’s then won the Best Couple of Unentered Bitches with litter sisters Ticket ‘12 and Tinsel ‘12, a tally of five classes.
The Doghound Championship was won by Tipperary Chieftain ’12 (Anglim ’05–Credit ‘09), while the Bitch Championship was won by Ballymacad Ribbon ‘12 (Bosco ’08–Duke of Beaufort’s Riddle ‘09) with the Reserve going to Tipperary Sable ’09 (Meynell & South Staffs Luther ’04–Worcestershire Sago ‘04). Tipperary also won the Unentered Doghound Open Class with Chieftain ‘12 (Anglim ’05–Credit ’09).
Champion Bitch Ballymacad Ribbon ’12 with whipper-in Bobby Kellett and huntsman Kevin Donohue. / Noel Mullins photo
The Meaths, another consistent pack, took the Unentered Doghound Couple with brothers Berkeley’12 and Beaufort ’12 (Exmoor Belfry ’08–Gravy ‘10).
The Best Two Couple of Hounds is one class most huntsmen like to win, and as usual it was keenly contested. The Ballymacad, who had by now won three classes, proceeded to take the Best Two Couple class for their first time with beautifully balanced hounds Sable ’11 (Saturday ’06–Kildare Saintly ‘08), Billis ‘11 (Bilco ’07–Bounty ‘08), Bobbin ‘08 (Duke of Beaufort’s Boycott ’02–Sinnington Gaelic ’03) and Biro ’11 (Bilco ’07–Bounty ‘08) which was really special. There was very little between them and the runner up Richard Markham’s Waterford Charity ‘12 and Chatterbox ‘12 (both by Chukka ’07–Lavish ’07) and Penguin ‘12 and Galaxy ‘12 (Ormond Alpha ’08–Pendant ‘09). Markham had already won the Entered Doghound or Bitch Old English Class, and the Entered Bitch Restricted Class.
Harriers
As harrier packs in Ireland hunt both hare and fox the organisers include a foxhound class, and they were judged by Rachel Green and Dickie Power. Here huntsman Chris Smith of the Fingal Harriers swept the boards winning five of the six classes including the championship with Disco ‘10 whose dam was Dingle going back to an old Dumfriesshire line. But the experienced Smith learned his breeding and showing craft when he hunted the Kilkenny Foxhounds. The one class that Smith missed out on, the Unentered Dog, was won by that well-respected huntsman Liam Murphy of the Farney Harriers with Bellman who was also the Reserve Champion. David Burke of the Grallagh Harriers another respected breeder had to be satisfied with four runners-up places, such was the standard of hound on show. Young Rebecca Geary, no stranger to the winner’s enclosure, took the retired foxhound class with Killeagh Cockrel.
In the harrier classes the spoils were evenly distributed between Tom Geary’s Killeagh winning three classes, Gary Ring’s Clogheen showing for the first time winning one class and the Championship with Shadow, while Johnny Vance’s Fermanagh, assisted by Catriona Conlon, also won one class and the Reserve Championship with Harvey. Tom Ryan’s Fantan Harriers won the Best Couple of Hounds.
Beagles
Having hunted two packs of beagles in the past, the Russellstown and the Goldburn, it gave me great pleasure to judge with Jim Squires former master of the Chilmark Beagles in Somerset. The show was superbly organised by Elizabeth Brown and her team with six packs of beagles lining up: the Balgarret, Mr. Kerrs, Pallaskenry, Riverstown, Sunnyland, and the Woodrock & Blackwater Valley, all of whom were in the ribbons.
The main classes were keenly competed for by the Pallaskenry, Riverstown, and particularly two packs from the opposite ends of the country—John Shaw Brown’s Sunnyland who hunt in County Down and the Stevie McDonald’s Woodrock & BWV who hunt North Cork and parts of Kerry. Riverstown, Sunnyland, and Woodrock BWV shared the doghound classes with Sunnyland Admiral ’07 (Newcastle & District Tangent ’03–Quickstep ‘03) taking the Championship, the Reserve going to Riverstown Merlin (Curragh Sampson N/R–Melody ‘11). In the bitch classes Pallaskenry, Sunnyland, and Woodrock BWV shared the classes with the Woodrock BWV winning the Bitch Championship with Sapphire ’10 (Vinny ’06–Fashion ‘04), while the Reserve went to Sunnyland Hawthorn ’11 (Zulu ’07–Unity ‘05). The Supreme Championship was won by Sunnyland Admiral and the Reserve to Woodrock BWV Sapphire. The Young Handler Class was won by Aoife Hynes with Balgarret Warsaw ’10 (WBV Badger ’04–West Somerset Witness ‘02).
Posted August 8, 2013