WHAT could be described as the sport horse capital of Ireland and probably Europe, Goresbridge was our venue for a meet of the famed Kilkenny Foxhounds. The meet was by invitation of Goresbridge Horse Sales through the good offices of its managing director Martin Donohue, a former Kilkenny master. While Martin was unavoidably away, there was a warm welcome and even warmer refreshments designed to make the Kilkenny fences look slightly less daunting on the day.

There to welcome all was the lady who founded the sales and ran it single-handed for many years, Mrs Catherine Donohue, still going strong in her mid-eighties.

From relatively humble beginnings, Goresbridge Sales are now looked on as Europe’s leading auction house for sport horses. The Irish-bred showjumper, Dougie Douglas (ISH) made a record price of €1.4 million in 2015 to go on to be ridden by Katie Dynan in America. Cooley SRS, who was runner-up at Badminton, ridden by former world number one Britain’s Oliver Townend also passed through Goresbridge. Meanwhile, they are giving the major auction houses a run for their money as their breeze-up sales have gone from strength to strength, producing a record price of €315,000 for a Frankel filly who went on to be second in the Breeders Cup. To put this price in perspective, it was more than the aggregate for their first staging of a breeze-up sale. They have now entered a new era as they have joined forces with Tattersalls for the future running of this event.

Almost all the joint-masters were out, the only one missing was Paul Holden from Mullinavat who was on racing duty with his daughter, the very successful trainer Ellmarie. Since we were there last in Kilkenny, Joe O’Flynn from Rathsallagh has joined John McEnery, Dermot Dwan and Charlie Moore in the mastership. Joe is very much following a family tradition, his father, also Joe, was joint-master of the Laois while Charlie Moore was formerly master of the neighbouring Kildares. Both of the local masters were out, John McEnery runs the Rosenarra Stud near Kells. He is a great grandson of Lady Hazel Lavery whose image was on the first Irish banknotes. Meanwhile, Dermot Dwan is also a well known breeder and is married to Catherine Dwan MRCVS who is secretary of the Irish Equine Veterinary Association as well as filling the role of hunt secretary. The Dwans are steeped in hunting. Their brother John is chairman of Kilkenny and breeder of the 2017 Grand National winner One For Arthur (by Milan). The Dwan pedigree is loaded with blacktype, with their Dad, Jack, the Galileo of the line. He farmed, bred bloodstock, ran Vale Oil and as well as all of the above, managed to find time to hunt six days a week. Another brother Bill of top thoroughbred consignors, Castlebridge Consignments, has just joined the Meath mastership.

Now in his second season is huntsman Mark Casserly, originally from Meath, who formerly hunted the Iveagh in Co Down. He travelled south with his girlfriend, Rose Boyd who was out on the day. He learned his trade with the Henrys in the royal county. He was hunting 14 and a half couple of modern-bred hounds. It could be said that the modern hound originated in Mount Juliet when the Kilkenny were hunted by Ikey Bell. Born in America, Ikey became the leading hound breeder in these islands and introduced the Fell and Welsh outcross which infuriated the hunting establishment of the day. His views prevailed and now most packs particularly in the UK are bred on these lines. Curiously under Mark Casserly, Kilkenny are in the process of reverting to the Old English hounds and are breeding from Limerick, Louth and Waterford stallion hounds.

The hunt has a new whipper-in this season, young Jay Riordan who started his hunting career in Scarteen where his father James was possibly the best field-master Scarteen had ever had. Hunting was always going to be Jay’s life, from the time he came out first on his small pony it was obvious he could have just one career, and that had to be hunting. He rides well, is a real hound man and has the manners of a diplomat.

There were five visitors from Scarteen led by recent committee appointee Joe Kearns. Also making up the party were Danny Hayes, John Breen (Shane’s cousin), Dermot O’Halloran and Jo Turley, brother and partner respectively of Scarteen huntsman Raymond. Also visiting from Kildare were Andrew Perrin, Finnuala Lennon and Siobhan MacDermot, wife of joint-master Charlie Moore.

But all too soon, sociability had to stop as the saddling bell sounded and after the compulsory photocall, hounds moved off to first draw just at the back of the old Brigidine convent which is near Connolly’s Red Mills who are the leading producers of horse feed not just in Ireland but across the equestrian world, much of it from locally grown ingredients.

They drew on towards the Castlekelly Road where they found. A grand dash ensued over some hedges. Some 20 minutes later, they marked their fox near Padraic Houlihan’s farm and gave him best.

They drew on towards the Paulstown Road where they had had to cross a tributary of the Barrow just down from O’Connor’s nurseries at Duninga. Some jockeys took swimming lessons but Scarteen’s Danny Hayes managed to stay in the plate, although his hat went floating merrily towards the Barrow. No such fate befell young Jack Kent on his good grey pony who gave a peach of a pop down into it with dad Jack not too far behind. They then had to jump out over a wire-laden hedge onto the lane which didn’t present any problem for young Jay Riordan on a smashing chesnut that he is mad about. He later admitted that he couldn’t afford to get a fall as his mother would never forgive him if he had his picture taken in a muddy coat!

Hounds then hacked back through the village and out the Gowran Road where they drew in behind the football pitch towards Powerstown. They drew out through Eddie Mahony’s well-fenced farm where the owner was on hand to see them through.

While there was a lull in proceedings, it gave a chance to catch up with some hunting companions such as John Dollard who was instrumental in setting up the hunting museum in Mount Juliet. Another whose hunting career goes right back to the McCalmont era was David Dempsey who runs H&F Stoves. He recalls a day with Major McCalmont when he was all of five and his hunting photo appears in Caroline Corballis’ marvellous hunting history of Co Kilkenny.

Hounds then found and ran across the Gowran Mount Loftus road before running on to Powerstown Stud. Here scent petered out and with shadows lengthening and loads of country crossed, the huntsman blew for home.