Scarteen. Black and Tans
PP Hogan (1922-2005)
In Ireland, the early 1950s through the 1960s was an era of amateur Master/huntsmen―young men of some means―who took on a pack of hounds more as an avocation than a job," writes our correspondent, Dickie Power. He was fortunate to have hunted with many of them, such as Thady Ryan in Scarteen, Evan Williams in Tipperary, Lord Daresbury in Limerick, Capt. Harry Freeman-Jackson in Duhallow, Victor McCalmont in Kilkenny, Elsie Morgan in West Waterford, and PP Hogan in Avondhu. This centenary year of Hogan’s birth is an appropriate time to remember him―a legend of Irish foxhunting and point-to-point racing.
(L-R) PP Hogan with his friend Thady Ryan, Master and huntsman, Scarteeen Black and Tans (1956)
PP (Pat) Hogan was born in Ireland into a family of horse dealers, farmers, and huntsmen, with an odd Bishop thrown in. His great uncle was the sporting bishop of Limerick, who always encouraged his clergy to ride to hounds.
The Hogans were a well-to-do farming family, with farms dotted around east Limerick, then as now an area steeped in everything to do with the horse. PP rode almost before he could walk. He rode his first race at the age of twelve. In those days before health and safety reigned supreme, it was only a matter of months before he made the first of countless visits to the winner’s enclosure.
Thady Ryan: Three Centuries of Tradition at Scarteen
Thaddeus 'Thady' Ryan of Scarteen was Master of the family pack of Kerry Beagles from 1946 to 2005, the year of his passing. Records show this unique breed of hounds has been in the Ryan family at Scarteen for ten consecutive generations stretching back more than three centuries. The pack hunted hare in the earlier years, then the stag, and finally, in 1927, the fox.
Thady Ryan, MFH, and Tommy O'Dwyer with the Scarteen Hounds at Knocktoran Bog, 1982. / From the painting by Peter Curling
The period from the early 1950s through the 1960s was an era of amateur Master/huntsmen where young men of some means would take on a pack of hounds more as an avocation than a job. I was fortunate to have hunted with many of them such as Thady Ryan in Scarteen, Evan Williams in Tipperary, Lord Daresbury in Limerick, Capt. Harry Freeman-Jackson in Duhallow, Victor McCalmont in Kilkenny, Elsie Morgan in West Waterford, and PP Hogan in Avondhu.
Over the next couple of months, I hope to bring short hunting biographies of these remarkable sportsmen, recalling a time of long days in the field and even longer hunts when the leading horsemen of those times flocked to Ireland to experience the magic and challenge of hunting in the south of Ireland.
Ward Union Hosts Showjumping Royalty
Kacey-Lou Carberry, 12, jumps ditch and bank cleanly off the road on a competent coloured cob on loan from Master Stephen O'Connor's family. / Catherine Power photo
Tuesday, December 2, 2021, was a gala day in Co. Meath, Ireland. Not only were the usual crack Ward Union jockeys out, but also in the field was a group of world-class showjumpers.
Shane Breen, Joint-Master of the Scarteen Black and Tans and a member of the Irish National Showjumping team, had arranged for a group of showjumpers to experience the mystique and magic of hunting in Ireland, in general, and with the Ward Union, in particular. Team Ireland was just back from Portugal, where they had emerged victorious in the Nations Cup finals the week before.
Hunting with Daniel O’Connell, The Liberator
Portrait of Daniel O’Connell and one of his Kerry Beagles / Noel Mullins photo
Researching the history of one’s sport can be very rewarding, as little did I know during my history classes in school that the Irish politician Daniel O’Connell (1775-1847), known as The Liberator, was a hunting man. Maybe I would have paid more attention had I known!
I explored Daniel O’Connell’s hunting life further when I was given a seventy-year-old unfinished manuscript on the Kerry Beagle written by the great Irish writer, poet, broadcaster, and hunting correspondent, Stanislaus Lynch (1907–1983). I since edited Lynch’s manuscript and published his book in 2017 titled, In Search of the Kerry Beagle.
Chris Ryan, MFH, and the Scarteen
The Ryans and Scarteen are fabled names to every foxhunter in the world. In addition to the many visitors to Ireland who have experienced the magic of following their pack of Kerry beagles—bred for more than 300 years by succeeding generations of the Ryan Family—both Chris Ryan and his late father, Thady, are well known in North America where they have visited over the years to judge hound shows, hunter trials, participate in panel discussions, lead clinics, and promote Irish tourism.
Chris Ryan, MFH and huntsman, Scarteen, takes his hard-hunting pack of Kerry Beagles to the draw. / Catherine Power photo
The name of Chris Ryan is synonymous with all that is good about foxhunting and the famed Scarteen Black and Tan hounds. He is the eighth generation of the family to carry the horn, a tradition that goes back all the way to the late sixteen hundreds.
Scarteen Black and Tans at Emly
Huntsman Raymond O'Halloran and the hard hunting Kerry Beagles of Scarteen / Catherine Power photo
The earliest records of the Scarteen and the Ryan family goes back to 1640, coming after the flight of the Earls in 1607, another incident in the long history of Irish-British conflict. Around 1820, Daniel O’Connell (the Liberator) disbanded his pack of Kerry Beagles, and his hounds were sent to Scarteen to augment the Scarteen pack. The Ryans of Scarteen were closely related to the O’Connell’s of Caherdaniel. Chris Ryan, now in his thirty-fourth season as Master, is the eight generation of his family to have carried the horn at Scarteen.
The morning of February 11, 2020 at Emly, County Limerick, started with squalls of rain, sleet, and even some snow, but riders were undeterred and a large field gathered just outside the famed and historic village of Emly, where the pent-up excitement was palpable. It may have been the thought of jumping the Emly banks and their attendant trenches, any one of which could swallow up both horse and rider leaving little more than a ripple.
Opening Meet at Scarteen: A Centuries-Old Tradition
Moving off to Opening Meet in the village are Chris Ryan, MFH (at left) and huntsman Raymond O’Halloran, leading staff, hounds, and a select few. Joanna Turvey (center) wears the colors of the South Notts Foxhounds (UK). / Catherine Power photo
Recorded Scarteen history only goes back to the early seventeen hundreds, so we don’t know exactly how long the opening meet has been held in Knocklong, Ireland. But through those centuries that have been recorded, the venue has remained an unbroken tradition.
Part and parcel of that tradition is to have hounds and followers (both foot and mounted) blessed for the coming season. This ecclesiastical duty falls to the local padre who came to the kennels with bell, book and candle to invoke Divine support. No doubt our young huntsman welcomed this as any huntsman would. However, a huntsman in his first season particularly needs a bit luck and a tail wind to see him through.
The Scarteen Over the Big Banks at Lattin
Chris Ryan is the eighth generation of Ryans to be Master and huntsman of the Scarteen Hounds. Catherine Power photoThe present spell of hard weather has played havoc with hunting schedules, so the moment a thaw was forecast Scarteen put on a bye day at short notice for Lattin, situated between Tipperary town and the little town of Emly. The shortness of the notice did not deter a large and well mounted field from turning up. The area is almost unique in that most of the farmers in the area are either directly or indirectly involved in the hunt, resulting in unrivaled access to the country—a country of huge banks and almost no wire.
