LAWN meets are always special, but the meet at Cartown was extra so, as it was a commemorative meet for the late Paul Kennedy MFH, who grew up and man and boy lived his life on the family farm. Cut short, having barely reached the biblical three score and ten, nevertheless he fitted in an awful lot of life (much of it on the back of a horse) on the ancestral acres of Cartown.

Hunting and horses were part of the DNA of Cartown, a stunning sporting estate almost on the Shannon estuary and located between the adjacent West Limerick villages of Kildimo and Pallaskenry. His father, George, was master and huntsman of the local Stonehall Harriers and hounds had their summer kennels there.

The Kennedys and their extended family came to Cartown just over a hundred years ago, the property formerly being part of the nearby Mellon, then owned by the Westropps. The meet had been carded before Paul’s passing, but the family decided to go ahead to celebrate the life and times of Paul in the way that he would have wanted.

His two boys, both of whom have inherited the equine gene, work with horses. John is racing and bloodstock manager at Coolmore Australia, while Paul Jnr has a very successful show jumping yard in Cheshire. Their mother Jane, a medical doctor, comes with an equally impeccable blacktype pedigree, having grown up in Duhallow country, in a family driven by two great passions - medicine and horses.

Reminiscing

Refreshments there were aplenty in their sporting kitchen, with conversation equally divided between friendly reminisces of the master and looking forward to the day ahead.

But, before move-off, a special photocall had to take place, with Cartown as a backdrop, with Fergus and his hounds and the extended Kennedy family all mounted and looking the part. Jane, with just a small bit of persuasion, sat up and looked a picture on Eugene O’Doherty’s very smart grey with tail tied up polo fashion. Eugene had sportingly surrendered his grey for the occasion.

Of course, the two Kennedy boys, John and Paul, were looking the part, but they were joined by cousins, George, a solicitor and James, following the family tradition of medicine. Completing the Kennedy line up was Paul Snr’s brother James, former interim CEO of Horse Sport Ireland, his wife Mary and son Jerome, a lawyer and keen polo player, who on the day was holding a watching brief.

There was a great turnout of foot-followers, including former Tipperary MFH, Jack Ronan, Caroline Tarry and Sue Foley of Clonshire. Fergus was hunting seventeen and a half and, as always, they looked a picture. There is nothing as pleasing to the eye as a pack of Old English, where every one of them could be of the same litter. Fergus and his whipper-in David Beecher from West Waterford run a great show and consistently produce good hunting over a challenging country for the hard-riding Co Limerick field.

Sadly, we had no joint master, but hunt chair, Mrs Liz Barry of Manister House Stud, who rarely misses a day, was on hand. Another veteran out was John O’Keefe of Ballingarry, riding a young horse, who performed like a made hunter.

Because of the occasion that was in it, Fergus lingered just a little before going to the first draw on one of the many coverts on the farm. While there was plenty of jumping for the field, of a fox there was none. Show jumpers, the Dore brothers, Kian and young Jack, who just love jumping, could be seen flashing over a couple of good stiff flies and they popped out over a nice wall into Dr Pat Meehan’s of Limerick University, but sadly his academic duties resulted in him being marked down “in absentia”. As well as his academic career, he is one of the country’s top producers of pedigree Aberdeen Angus.

Fox afoot

However, with plenty of covert available, it wasn’t long before the fourth season bitch Truthful (by Limerick Racket out of Limerick Saline) soon had a fine west Limerick dog fox afoot. He was holloed away by young Conor Fitzgerald of Patrickswell, who rarely misses a day. Reynard set his mask for the ruined castle of Dromore, which dominates the skyline, looking down on the Shannon Estuary, with Shannon Airport distinctly visible on the Clare side of the tide.

With hounds working hard and music to match, they pressed on towards the main road, but our pilot knew where he was going, as he found a welcoming shore and was given best.

Hounds hacked back schooling through Meehan’s and Cartown before coming out on the Mellon/Pallaskenry road. They hacked no more than a furlong, before popping over a nice drop wall into more Cartown land, which runs almost as far as the estuary. This was a smashing fence, with some jockeys giving a great display. The four Buckleys - dad Donacha, Emma and their two boys, Harry and Ben - were foot-perfect, as were the Foley sisters, Jane and Tara, with farrier Rory Brennan likewise.

Another family going well (and hunting above all is an inter-generational family sport) were the Kelly sisters, Seánna, who is studying law and accounting in UL, and young Kaytlyn, still in school in nearby Pallaskenry. Dad, Sean, was out, but only on foot due to pressure of business. The two girls landed safely and were gone. The next time I saw them, they were taking on a good stiff hedge and giving it a clean pair of heels.

Hounds drew on along the estuary and soon found and ran towards Ringmoylan Pier, before swinging inland across Ballydoole and crossing back to the Cartown side of the road, where they met the best jumping of the day, with several empty saddles.

But eventually, even Fergus Stokes had to blow for home, which as it happened, was not very far away and made the short hack back to the boxes in Cartown.

It was a special and most enjoyable day, but it was like a hamlet without the prince. Paul would have been field master and pathfinder for the day on one of his special Cartown hunters, as he knew every blade of grass in the parish and far beyond.

But, if there is hunting in Elysian Fields (and there must be), I have no doubt that, on the day, Paul was flashing over a bit of smashing country with the Elysian hounds in full cry. If he is not yet appointed field master, I’m sure he will be before the season is out.