Name: Raymond O’Halloran.

From: Kilross, Co Tipperary.

Name of Pack: Scarteen Hunt.

Kennels based at: Knocklong, Co Limerick.

What type of hounds, and how many?: We have 30 couple of Kerry Beagle in the kennels at present.

What’s your Huntsman experience?: I started hunt service in England when I was just 17 years of age, whipping-in at the South Notts Hunt. I went on to hunt hounds as a professional huntsman for three seasons with the South Notts, before returning to Ireland to hunt my home pack where I grew up and am based now, the Scarteen Hunt. I am now in my second season here working as a professional huntsman.

Who has been your biggest influence to date?: Growing up watching Chris Ryan and Tommy O’Dwyer hunt hounds when I was a young lad.

Where did your interest in hunting stem from? My interest in hunting mainly stemmed from seeing my family’s involvement within the hunt and farming world.

Where did you originally gain your hunting experience? I gained my hunting experience working as a whipper-in, in England.

Describe your daily role as Huntsman (on non-hunting days)?: The first call of duty each morning is to wash down the kennels and ensure fresh beds are put under the hounds. Couple up the young entry hounds (pups for next season) to an older hound until they know their name (each hound has a name).

It is then time to exercise all of the hounds and we take them down the road or into the fields.

During the hunting season, we just walk with hounds on exercise but during the off season we would take them out with bikes or horses to allow us to go further in preparation for getting them hunting fit. Then it’s back to the kennels to feed hounds and split them up back into lodges. It’s then on to the horses to be cared for which I exercise muck out and so on!

Each evening I must go back to kennels to care for and walk out hounds again before settling them for the evening.

Pre-hunt day prep: The kennels are completed as mentioned above. It is vital I check all hounds are sound, especially the hounds that are due to hunt the next day. I take the hunt horse for a good canter (the horse that will hunt the next day), wash and rug up so he’s all ready. I must make sure the tack is clean and all hunt gear in ready for the morning. It is then time to go out and walk country and check where livestock is to make sure there is nothing unknown for the next day.

Importance of good relations with landowners?:

A good relationship with the landowners and famers is the most important part of hunting, in my opinion. Without the landowners, the sport of hunting would not exist.

We visit all landowners/farmers before a day’s hunting in their area. Also, we have a fencing team who follow the hunt and make sure all wire, gates etc are put back to secure the landowners and farmers’ land.

How do you choose the various meets?: Many of the meets on the hunt card may take place more than once a season, so we try our best to spread them out as much as possible so any one area isn’t hunted twice over a short period of time.

How important are the network of puppy walkers? The puppy walkers are very important for a hound’s social development as if the hounds as pups are not walked, they can become very shy. The puppy walking days are the most important and vital months. We usually have local farmers or families who want to puppy walk which is great as it keeps everyone involved and gives them an interest in the hunt.

What’s your favourite hunting memory? Hunting the South Notts Hounds on my last day in England at Colston Basset Hall, a brilliant day out was had.

Funniest hunting memory?:I asked the whipper-in are we all on (counted the correct number of hounds at the meet), he said: “Well how many did you bring out? Sure, haven’t you enough to go hunting with!”

What in your view is the best thing about hunting and being a Huntsman? Not everyone is lucky enough to go to work and love what they do, as if their job is a hobby like mine is!