I ALWAYS look towards my annual trip to the Muskerry with particular pleasure and anticipation. They hunt a most picturesque country in the heart of west Cork and a trip is always something of a geographical adventure.

Well, none more so than last Saturday for our trip to Bealnamorrive. Neither Google nor ordinance survey offered any help. On enquiring the best information available was to go to Agabolouge and if possible secure the services of a local who would guide you, that is if you could find Agabolouge!

However the problem was solved by acquiring a native guide who escorted us from Ballincollig. The guide in question was none other than senior master Robert Harkin with his lovely daughter Sophia acting as lookout!

We travelled over hills and on through wooded river valleys until we arrived at the little village of Bealnamorrive with just a church and Tig Ui Laoighaire, as hospitable a pub as you could find. Another great advantage of this hostelry is that it has no mobile coverage whatsoever so you cannot be distracted from good conversation with a hunting companion. The very village name itself is remarkable which means in English “the mouth of death”, a name acquired after a battle when the bodies were washed down to the village. As I write, the Muskerry have just returned from a very successful joint meet with Avondhu in Glanworth. Avondhu are due to make a return visit shortly when they will meet at Cloughduv.

Muskerry have four joint-masters and three of them were out and riding on the day. Sadly missing was John Crean from Ovens who was away on family duties. As previously mentioned, senior joint-master Robert Harkin, who is an auctioneer in Blarney, was out with his daughter Sophia, a fifth year student in Bruce College, Cork. Both were looking very smart with their horses impeccably turned out by Fiona.

Killian Lynch, joint master, who is also an auctioneer in Macroom, was out with his wife Chantal, a pharmacologist with Johnston and Johnston. I have a particular link with the happy couple as I was with the Muskerry with them on their very first day’s hunting together from a meet at Kilumney. She has now taken on added duties as she collects cap, a role she fills with good humour and discretion. The fourth joint-master is Ken Grandon who also carries the horn one of the very few masters who hunt their own pack. When not hunting hounds, he runs one of Cork’s major Toyota dealerships. The pre-hunting sociability is not for him as he sat on his horse with his lovely pack of 11 and a half couple Old English ready to move off on the dot as others were mounting up. Killian Lynch was acting as whipper-in a role he regularly fills.

SUPPORTER

Just that weekend, the hunt lost a long-time friend and benefactor in Mrs Norrie Coakley from Loughanne, Blarney, who passed away. Not only was she a lifelong supporter of the Muskerry, including being a puppy walker, but in addition hounds were kennelled on her farm. Sympathy is extended to her family.

Many old friends and hunting companions were out including honorary secretary Donie Riordan with his son Daniel, both sporting the hunt livery of an eggshell blue collar which goes all the way back to the Tonson-Rye’s as it was the then young Mrs Tonson-Ryes favourite colour. Also there were Moira Kiernan and her daughter Nicola. Moira is none other than sister to Fran O’Callaghan (Miss Muskerry) who is sadly out of action as a result of a crashing fall got while schooling a new horse. One can but wish her a speedy return to the saddle.

Hunting is very much a family sport where parents and extended family can enjoy together. Another family out were the Caseys, dad Peter and his young daughter Jill. Peter runs one of Ireland’s premier furniture stores of the same name with outlets in their native Cork and Limerick.

GRAND DASH

One could sense our huntsman’s anxiety to get moving and with just a touch on the horn, he took hounds to the first draw west of the village in land owned by Colin Wolf who farms extensively in the area. As they drew along by some semi mature plantation, hounds opened briefly but had to press on as scent petered out. The very first fence encountered was a good stiff Galway-type wall. Like all natural obstacles, it varied in size from novice to puissance. Killian, on his good grey, gave a great display over the puissance section and was away with hounds. Killian’s better half, Chantal, on a lovely grey, a wedding present from Killian, gave a smashing display, though over a less challenging part of the wall.

Hounds drew on towards Inchaleigh, which hosts the Townlands annual music festival. Here again hounds opened and a grand dash ensued but all too soon, he was marked to ground and left.

Hounds moved on to the next draw at Curraghnavadra which had some smashing Tipperary-type banks to jump, every one of them as honest as a country auctioneer. Possibly due to the fact that it had been hunted recently by a foot pack, it was blank and hounds pressed on to draw Casey’s farm with its resident herd of alpacas. These exotic animals are somewhat timid and might be frightened by a pack of hounds so two minders were given the job of keeping an eye on them. It made an unusual sight to see Sophia Harkin and young Daniel O’Riordan, who is in the garage business with his dad, and hunt secretary Donie O’Riordan holding a watching brief as their horses looked curiously at these exotic strangers.

Hounds went on to draw Casey’s and Sweeney’s plantation. The Caseys are vintage car enthusiasts and have a unique collection of rare vintage in their farmyard.

The plantation seemed at first blank but Lancer (by Muskerry Lomax out of Limerick Lavella) soon had a fox afoot. As he slipped away from the first plantation, he was spotted by hunt chairman Brendan Browne on his good chesnut, Brendan is an accountant in Ballincollig and rarely misses a day.

Both the field and foot followers were treated to the Muskerry orchestra as hound music reverberated around the wooded valley. The field was kept on the move as Reynard regularly switched plantation with hounds hunting well for almost an hour.

But with light well diminished and our pilot having shown no enthusiasm for open country, eventually the huntsman had to blow for home.

MUSKERRY HUNT

Chairman: Brendan Browne

President: Jim Willis

Master and Huntsman: Ken Grandon

Joint-masters: John Crean, Killian Lynch, Robert Harkin

Whippers-in: Killian Lynch, Dave Walsh

Kennel Huntsman: Allan Garrigan

Field-master: Eamonn Grainger

Honorary secretary: Donie O’Riordan

Meets: Wednesday and Saturday, 11.30am

HISTORY

Reputedly the oldest pack in Ireland, though neighbouring Duhallow might dispute this claim. They go right back to the Tonson-Rye family of Rye Court in 1742. Around 1800, the hounds passed to the Hawkes family who retained the mastership for many years with Samuel Hawkes hunting until he was almost 90. In the 1900s, the Mahoney’s of Blarney came to the fore with Jack Mahoney being master for many years before passing over to Noel Tanner. Joint-master Robert Harkin has been in office since 2003.

View more photos from the hunting field by clicking here now.