History

The hunt dates from the early 19th century, with John Dennis as its first master and huntsman. He was followed by Burton Persse, who hunted the pack for 33 seasons. Other masters and huntsmen that are still fondly remembered are Bowes Daly, Paddy Pickersgill, Brian Fanshawe and Michael Dempsey and his son Tom.

Hunt Officers

President: Janet Coveney

Chairman: Mike McDonagh

Masters: Ella Coffey and Michael MacDonagh

Huntsman: Anthony Costello

Whipper-in: Mark Ollard

Honorary Secretary: Maeve Carty

Honorary Treasurer: Veronica Dempsey

ONE cannot attend a Blazers meet at Aille Cross without thinking about the late Willie Leahy, field master of the Blazers for over 30 seasons.

His is a remarkable story, leaving school at 12 years of age, living on the family farm of less than 50 acres and eventually farming over 1,500 acres, building a hireling and horse sales business known around the globe, including the largest herd of Connemara ponies (400) in the world, and building a museum to honour the Irish Horse.

He set up the Connemara Trail, offering trekking on The Wild Atlantic Way well before the term was coined, which he ran for over 50 years, playing host to royalty, international pop stars and high-powered business men and women and being recognised with an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur nomination, which brought him to Harvard University in Boston with other businessmen. Willie summed it up for me once saying: “I could not do what they do, and they could not do what I do”.

I met up with my friend Pat O’Neill from Loughrea and we recalled hunting Willie’s first hunter, Dan, and hacking Willie’s horses to meets, often up to 25 miles away, for hunting visitors before Willie had a horsebox. We used to shorten our stirrup leathers to mimic jockeys, so that we could cut a dash hacking through places like Loughrea and Athenry, leaving in the dark and coming home in the dark.

It was great to see members of Willie’s family at the meet - his daughter Dorothy, who is married to Liam McAlinden, who showed great sport when he hunted the East Galway Hounds. Their daughter Rachel was hunting on a nice quality bay hunter and Dorothy’s brother William was also hunting two young horses.

Producing horses is a way of life in this part of Galway and the hunting field is the nursery that allows them to socialise and find their feet, ready for new owners. Tim MacDonagh of Hollypark Stables had four young horses out. Niall Molloy was riding two three-year-olds for Liam and Dorothy McAlinden and she was quick to acknowledge Niall’s skill with youngstock.

I remember Niall on my US hunting trips, when he whipped-in to fellow Galwayman Ivan Dowling in Mr Stewart’s Cheshire Hounds in Pennsylvania. He whipped off the former Enda Bolger racehorse Young Dubliner, a Maryland Hunt Cup winner when ridden by Brian Moran. The Cheshire had a joint meet with the Green Spring Valley starting at ‘Duck’ Martin’s farm, who hosts the Hunt Cup. Whipping-in with Niall was the legendary Louis ‘Paddy’ Neilson III MFH, regarded as the greatest timber jockey in the USA, who loved visiting Ireland to hunt and race ride. He rode in The Hunt Cup 21 times and won it three times, placed 15 times and also won the American Grand National, when he was only 15 years of age. In between draws, Paddy and Niall could not resist jumping the highest solid timber fence on the course to the astonishment of the followers.

William MacMahon who, with his wife Grace Maxwell Murphy, has produced so many champions including the Supreme Hunter Champion of the 2022 Dublin Horse Show, Gleann Rua De Vinci, was riding another youngster destined for the show ring or the hunting field.

The Shields family of Vincent, Ruth and daughter Molly were hunting. Vincent was joint master, with actor Jeremy Irons, of the West Carberry Hunt that the great writer Edith Somerville was master of. Vincent used to lead Molly on a long rein, but now she takes the lead of her smashing pony Silver. Mary O’Neill from an old Loughrea hunting family was hunting with her son Nicholas.

Galway hunting family Vincent and Ruth Shields and their daughter Molly at the Galway Blazers meet at Aille Cross \ Noel Mullins

Facilities upgrade

The masters, Ella Coffey and Michael MacDonagh, have overseen a major upgrade of the kennel stable buildings and the apartments for hunt staff, which I am sure the members are very proud of. Ella was on the ground for a change, looking after her granddaughter Chloe, as her daughter Karen was hunting a smashing steel grey hunter. Joint master Michael MacDonagh’s son and former National Champion show jumper Tim had four youngsters out. It was just some of the larger number of future eventers, show jumpers and hunters that Tim produces each year that go to new homes around the world. Tim was just back from a fact-finding trip to the USA, where he managed to take in an event and a day’s hunting with the Green Spring Valley Hunt in Maryland, which he really enjoyed, particularly the people and the countryside.

Blazers huntsman Anthony Costello has hunting in his blood, as I remember him whipping-in to his father James, when he hunted the County Clares and his uncle John Willie hunted the Sligo Harriers. He produced so many horses over the years, including point-to-pointers and rode a few winners too. Whipping-in was Mark Ollard, who hunted a number of packs in Ireland and in the UK. His daughter Scarlett was hunting a coloured cob named Zola that her mother Clare (Lambert) found for her in Kildare.

Followers

Field master Kevin Dempsey was on horseback, while fellow field master Johnny Geoghegan was busy with hirelings. Following were Aaron Geoghegan, Orna Duffy, Mark Walsh, Amory MacMahon, riding her well-known hunter, 19-year-old Fred, who has done just about every equestrian discipline.

Following also were former East Clare huntsman Shane Jones, Richard Jakeman, Mick Tonery, Sarah O’Regan, whose father Finbar was a committee member and great supporter of the Blazers, and Alan Leonard, who photographs the Blazers hunting each week.

In touch also were Veronica Dempsey, Maeve Carty with her children Michael and Lauren, former Blazers whipper-in Joe Clarke who whipped-in to Paddy Pickersgill, Katie Murphy, Fiona Duffy, Mattie McDonagh, Johnnie Griffin, Gerry Carty and his brother Damian and children Kate and Amy Pierce, and Cian Carty who is being coached by Regina Daniels at Callantra Stables. Regina is a former junior Irish international eventer and dressage rider, having also spent five years in Florida as a barn manager and professional rider.

Polished

All huntsmen have to be careful at the moment, as with late grass growth there are so many stock still out. Costello moved off with 13½ couple of smashing Old English dog hounds, looking well in their coats. It did not take long for them to find in the quarry, running left-handed at first and then twisting right-handed. They checked, but the huntsman had them on quickly, taking a line over the Hill of Knockash, but the fox crossed the road leading to the forestry, so the hunt staff stopped them; otherwise they could be in the wood for the day.

They came back towards Aille Cross and drew the coverts in Christy Burke’s and then into Liam and Dorothy McAlinden’s, as the followers were faced with a few handy walls, perfect for the young horses out for the first time. But there was nobody at home.

The huntsman did not delay and headed for Jack Daly’s, who maintained the old natural coverts on his farm. Young show jumper Daniel McAlinden, who is now attached to show jumper Greg Broderick’s Ballypatrick Stables, is a grandson of Willie Leahy and now owns the farm, and he too has left the traditional coverts, although he has upgraded all the fencing and restored the buildings.

The pack were not hanging about and had another customer away quickly. Some car followers took up a position on the hill beyond Pat Brogan’s farm, where he breeds thoroughbreds. Pat’s father Paddy, a well-known Galway county hurler and owner of coursing greyhounds, had a pub in Loughrea that was frequented by connoisseurs of pints of porter.

When the film director John Huston had guests in St Cleran’s they frequently visited Paddy’s Bar. I recall Hollywood actors Richard Widmark, Cary Grant and Montgomery Clift sitting up at the counter, fascinated with Paddy’s stories of hurling games. Meanwhile, hounds were hunting hard in the direction of Willie Leahy’s and back over his son William’s farm, where they marked to ground.

A huntsman is always relieved when hounds have hunted well and stock are safe, so he wisely called it a day. All the young horses arrived home safely after another milestone in their education. Yes, the hunting field really ‘polishes them’ for the next stage in their careers.