SCARTEEN have hit something of a purple patch of late and we felt a very special St Stephen’s Day from Knockcarron could not go unreported.

In the meantime, we had hounds here at our home, Friarstown Lodge, for a day which was more a fun day than anything else but, with loads of jumping, some hunting and hospitality thrown in, everyone had a most enjoyable day and, even with a few empty saddles, bookings are already being taken for next year.

Hunting hounds on the day was eventing Olympian (London 2012) Michael Ryan, who gave a particularly impressive display over a few real decent hedges. Not found wanting and giving a Puissance-like display was the Ryan famil,y led by Richard - an auctioneer in Golden Vale Mart, Goresbridge and Clifden Connemara Sales - closely tracked by his girls, Eimear and Emma, with 10-year-old Meg hot on their heels. They weren’t the only juniors showing a bit of class over the challenging hedges, as young Dave Hennessy - on his first day of hunting ever - and Georgina Purcell were more than impressive.

Tradition

However, the traditional St Stephen’s Day meet in Knockcarron was different story. With over 60 mounted and a multiple of that on foot, parking was at a premium. The Foxes Den, that well-known and sporting hostelry, had patrons who had come from far and wide to see hounds move off, spilling out on the street with scarcely standing room inside.

For the mounted field, it was a different agenda. Horses gleaming, manes plaited and all the riders in their best bib and tucker for the fray that lay ahead. Knockcarron is known to have the biggest and most challenging jumping in Scarteen and anything less than a properly schooled and fit horse would be inviting a trip to the local A&E.

Before move off, a special occasion was a presentation of a hunting portrait to Chris Ryan in front of Scarteen House (see news on pages 86-87).

Expectations were high and, as it turned out, those expectations were well-founded. A short few words from the chairman, John Hourigan, set the tone and just 10 minutes past the carded time (11.10), hounds moved off to the first draw at the hill of Knockcarron, overlooking the meet.

Hounds have been drawing this very covert on the feast of St Stephen since the pack were founded in 1684 and it has never failed to hold. This year was no exception and a fine dog fox was holloed away by whipper-in Frisk Jones. Two of his girls, Hannah and Lily, were also out and had a clear round all day.

However, our pilot was in no humour for hunting and, after a couple of fields, he found a welcoming shore and was given best. However, the field had had a pipe-opener, which blew away at least some of the Christmas cobwebs.

Michael Ryan whipper-in, Richard Ryan Field master, Mairead English MFH and Triona Fitzpatrick at Knockcarron \ Catherine Power

Fast and furious

Huntsman Hughie Ryan was hunting ten and a half of his best and riding the very competent six-year-old, Jake, who had been produced by Marie O’Connor in Cork. Hounds were looking a picture with their distinctive black and tan livery. They are a credit to the kennel team of Paul Collins, with Nadaline and Sir Roy Walker almost living with hounds.

Delay is not part of the Scarteen agenda and hounds cantered on to the next draw just nearby in Lackelly. The famed obstacle, the beech ditch, has a mini covert on site and it was there that first season Lacy and the veteran Rocket raised their sterns and, with a blast of the best Scarteen music, they had Reynard afoot. He was holloed away by joint master Jake Murphy, who farms nearby. Always well-mounted, he and Triona came through the day with a good clear round.

It all happened so suddenly that some of the field were still in girth-tightening mode with chin straps hanging loose. However, once the flag dropped, there was to be no let up. Hounds absolutely flew and ran first for the main road, which was chock-a-block with cars and foot-followers. He swung a hard right back in to Lackelly and into some of the biggest and best of Scarteen jumping. Banks came fast and furious and the casualty list rose accordingly, with many a jockey going beagling for a field or two until their mounts could be retrieved.

Running from Tommy Dalton’s to Pat Donovan’s and on to Pat Halpin’s, where the field met a right good stiff gate on to a boreen, which had to be jumped. The leaders were over quicker than the final flight in the Champion Hurdle. The field took a lead from field master Val O’Connell on his foot-perfect grey. The size of the gate was not the only issue as, like the Canal Turn, horses had to swing hard right on landing to avoid a deep trench. Joint master Mairead English jumped just a little fast and, as her horse took a hard right, Mairead carried on in a straight line.

It didn’t take long to re-unite horse and jockey, but such was the pace that the field were struggling to get on terms until hounds checked briefly at the back of the old kennels in Scarteen. Master Chris Ryan was on hand and put huntsman and hounds back on the line.

At this stage, the field master was almost redundant, as such was the pace that there was absolutely no danger of the field overriding hounds. The field struggled to stay on terms, Hughie recalled: “Any big field we met, we had to gallop flat out to try to catch up.”

With the main road only a couple of fields away, whipper-in Michael Ryan shot ahead and was on hand to see hounds safely across the busy road.

Monumental

Skirting the hill of Knocklong, hounds swung left-handed for Mitchelstowndown, where they ran through Sir Roy Walker’s cattle, but with a few calming words from Roy, they settled and resumed grazing. Hounds hunted on through Dominic Ryan’s, whose daughter Holly and cousins Michaela and Leah O’Brien were hunting on the day.

Here, they were briefly at fault, but again it was the infallible Rocket, which had the pack back on the line.

Jumping out of Ryan’s, they met a monumental bank, high and hairy with a good wide trench to the fore. While the first flight took it in their stride, it caused no little delay back in the ranks, resulting in a gap of at least a mile between first and last. Crossing through Raleigh’s very extensive farm, they jumped a real good stiff trench on their avenue, with surprisingly few casualties.

As they met the Morningstar River with a shoulder high drop off the bank, hounds again checked, but with an inspired cast towards the Kilfinane Ballinvreena road, hounds were back on song.

However, the best was over, Reynard by then was probably enjoying a well-earned chicken supper, somewhere at the far side of Kilfinane and scent just petered out.

It was a spectacular but a short day, with horses boxed up at one thirty. Hughie had the last word, saying: “My best day since I started hunting hounds, I never touched the horn once. It’s a team effort. My brother Michael and Frisk know what I am thinking, they are always in the right place at the right time. I am very lucky.”

Well, so are the riders of Scarteen and those lucky enough to visit.