THE death took place last Friday of the Fermanagh Harriers’ senior Master Billy Vance who, at the age of 84, returned to the hunting field this season following two years on the sidelines as he recovered from an injury sustained while schooling a young horse.

Billy, whose home throughout his life was Scarva House, Clones where he was born in the breakfast room, was the subject of an Irish Horse World hunting profile by Noel Mullins on November 20th last year. A lifelong farmer, he was a horseman of the old school, combining hunting with point-to-pointing and breeding. His competitive stock performed with success between the flags, on the racecourse and in the show ring.

According to Billy, he only had time to marry local veterinary surgeon Maeve Scott as hunting was halted during the 1967/68 season due to an outbreak of foot and mouth disease. The couple had four children, Johnny who is a joint-Master of the Fermanaghs, Andrew, Susan and Clare.

Vance’s passion for hunting was so strong that a broken leg couldn’t stop him. Mullins wrote: “Just one example of Billy’s determination was when he broke his leg during Autumn hunting. Rather than ask anybody else to take on the pack until he got better, he got a loan of a side saddle and propped the broken leg on the top pommel and away he went with his hounds who just adore him. Hounds were always more than hunting hounds to Billy, they were his family pets, and if any were injured, he would get very distressed.”

A huge crowd from the local area were joined by hunting, racing and farming friends from all over Ireland at Billy’s funeral on Monday, with Clones Presbyterian Church full to capacity and mourners outside stretching right up to the Diamond in the town.

Following the 1pm service, the funeral cortege made its way to the graveyard a mile outside Clones, not arriving there until after 4 o’clock. It was headed by Billy’s 25-year-old home-bred hunter Sonnet, who was led Fermanagh joint-Master Richard Trimble while Catriona Conlan led two of his favourite hounds, Jester and Joyful.

Johnny Vance blew ‘Going Home’ at his father’s graveside following which a trio of Bobby Kellett (Ballymacads), Patrick Murphy (also a joint-Master of the Fermanaghs) and David Rodgers (Sunnyland Beagles) blew ‘Gone Away’.

The Irish Field extends its condolences to the Vance family on the death of Billy, a legend in his own time and in the seasons to come.