Kilkenny Foxhounds
Bespoke Hunting Attire: Part 1
The Art of Making
Michael and Elsie Frazer in their bespoke tailoring shop in the village of Hospital, Ireland / Noel Mullins photo
I read a report recently in The Sunday Times that ‘Fast Fashion,’ a term for the impulse buying of clothes online and in stores that people wear just a few times and then discard, contributes 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year into the atmosphere. In the USA alone, 13 million tons of clothing are thrown into landfills or burned. In the UK, 300,000 tons of clothing end up in landfills, an interesting statistic in that the public is often led to believe, incorrectly, that farmers are to blame for all the unwanted emissions.
Those in the hunting fields, however, used to see family after family who wore hunting attire passed down from prior generations. What was their secret?
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.
Alan Reilly: New Huntsman at County Louth Foxhounds
Alan Reilly takes over next season as huntsman for the County Louth Foxhounds on the east coast of Ireland. He replaces Noel McKeever who has a had a recurring knee injury. McKeever has hunted the pack since 2002 when he took over from his father Michael who had whipped-in and hunted the pack for forty-two seasons. Reilly, a farrier by trade, has hunted with the County Louth Foxhounds since he was a teenager. He whipped-in to the Louths before furthering his experience as whipper-in to Charlie Gundry, huntsman of the Kilkenny Foxhounds. A serious fall sidelined him for a couple of seasons. On returning to the Louths, he whipped-in to Noel McKeever and will now carry the horn for this famous Old English pack that has been hunting some of the best ditch and stonewall country since 1817. The Louth hunting country is only thirty minutes from Dublin Airport. Visitors are welcome, and hirelings are available. Posted April 15, 2011
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Huntsman and Eventer: “The Happiest Pair in Ireland”
The hunting and eventing world were well represented at the wedding of Mark Ollard, huntsman of The Island Foxhounds and event rider Clare Lambert at Ballymore Church, Killinick, County Wexford, Ireland. The ceremony was performed by Father Murty Byrne and the bridesmaids were event rider Monica Whelan and Correna Bowe. Best men were Irish international event rider Michael Ryan and Ted Hudson. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Roddy Bailey, former Master and huntsman of the Morpeth Foxhounds, read Will Ogilvie’s poem, “The Happiest Man in England” re-worked as “The Happiest Pair in Ireland.” Mark’s mother Claire and his late father Martin were Joint-Masters of the South Wold Foxhounds in Lincolnshire. Clare’s father Jack is a well known breeder of Irish Draught. and Irish Sport horses, and her family has been long time followers of the Killinick Harriers. It was Clare who produced the Irish bred eventer All The Aces, one of New Jersey-based Buck Davidson’s hopefuls for the next Olympics. A guard of honour was provided by (l-r) Chris Ryan, Master and huntsman of the Scarteen Hounds; Oliver Ryan-Purcell, Master and huntsman of the North Tipperary Foxhounds; and Charlie Gundry, huntsman of the Kilkenny Foxhounds, who blew “Gone Away” as the happy couple left the church. Mark and Clare will have a short honeymoon before Mark makes preparations to take on the North Tipperary Foxhounds as Master and huntsman next season. Posted March 24, 2011
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