THERE are few packs with the tradition and lineage of the famed Scarteen ‘Black and Tan’ hounds, kennelled as they have been in Scarteen since the mid-1600s. The only break with tradition was moving the meet from its traditional Tuesday to the more user-friendly Saturday. This resulted in a huge turnout, with almost 60 mounted and a score more having failed to make the cut for the opening meet at Knocklong.

Sadly, the “real” master, Chris Ryan, was not present, as he is recuperating from surgery. I’m sure all in the hunting and eventing world and beyond will join with me in wishing him a complete and speedy recovery.

For all that, there was still a Ryan at the helm - Hughie Ryan from Cullen, now in his third season as amateur huntsman. He is an amateur in the true sense (from the Latin amo: to love), as he loves his hounds and hunting and yet is more professional than most of his peers. If given a chance and on a loose rein, he can talk for hours about great hunts and, even more importantly, the performance of his favourite hounds during the day.

He has a great team around him, but his two wingmen on the day were his two children, Lucy (10) and Scott (7), with his niece Catherine, who was out with her dad Pat, who is Hughie’s brother.

Hughie reflected on his team, saying: “The Scarteens don’t really have one huntsman, they have three. I couldn’t hunt hounds without Frisk [Jones] and my brother Michael… they know what I’m thinking and they are always one step ahead when they are needed.”

His brother Michael is, of course, the Olympian (London 2012), who comes up twice a week from his eventing yard in west Cork. Frisk and his wife Helen are key players in Ballyhimikin Stud in Nenagh, where they have bred many classic winners.

The Jones’ are not just good at breeding horses; on the day, with Helen on her good bay, they had their four children - Hannah, Lily, Mia and Tommy - out and all well-mounted and beautifully turned out. The team on the day was completed by field master Val O’Connell on his foot-perfect grey, who really cuts a dash across the country.

Joint masters Jake Murphy, Bill Hanly, Mairead English and retired secretary Triona Fitzpatrick at the opening meet of Scarteen \ Catherine Power

Of the joint masters, we had Bill Hanly, Mairead English and Jake Murphy from Knockcarron. The kennel team (and good hunting begins in kennels) was Paul Collins and Nadaline Webster and her other half, Sir Roy Walker, whose grandfather was a former master.

Far and wide

At 10.30am, the kennels were the place to be, as hounds were enlarged and hunt staff and masters made the short hack to that famed hostelry on the hill of Knocklong. On duty, with generous jorums of hot port for the field and foot followers alike, was DP Bowler, a great hunting man in his day whose family run this most hospitable pub.

A few quick words of welcome and thanks to the farmers and landowners from Jake saw the day and season launched.

Foot-followers came from far and wide and it was great to see Michael and Mary Buckley from Crecora. Michael showed great sport for many seasons as huntsman of the Limerick Harriers. Also holding a watching brief was Deirdre Hogan, life-time secretary of the Co Limerick Foxhounds and John Molony, who farms nearby, but was for many years the distinguished manager of Galway Racecourse, only to be succeeded by his son Michael. Another family in the field were the Purcells, with Mel and her two children, Jonty and Georgina, all looking a picture.

Carthach McCarthy on her lovely young horse sails over the bank with Scarteen at Pallasgreen \ Catherine Power

Though far removed from Christmas, the day had a festive air, as they made the short hack to the first draw at Creamery farm, now a semi-mature woodland. The woodland didn’t hold and they pressed on to draw Dominic Ryan’s and pressed on across the main road to draw Coffee’s covert.

Here, things looked up, and the third season bitch Lacely soon had a fine dog fox afoot and hunted him solo until the pack rallied to her and they were away. Lacely was adjudged the leading hunting hound of the pack at two succeeding puppy shows.

With hounds flying across the hallowed Scarteen turf, with its monumental banks, they crossed county boundary into Halpin’s before swinging back in big left-handed circle into Scarteen. Here, the fox was headed on the avenue and, with temperatures at Mediterranean level, scent petered out. As hounds were drawing the house covert, we were fortunate to meet retired chairman John Harlod-Barry, who took over the chairmanship all the way back in 1996 and is still going strong.

Leaving Scarteen, they again found and ran for Donovan’s of Lackelly and on to Dalton’s before marking to ground in Daly’s and given best.

With shadows lengthening, they drew on through Jake and Triona’s magnificent new farm and on to Ballyskidane, where they happened to meet Reynard returning from a romantic outing and away they went again, hunting by Mark Clery’s and through Sonya’s before finishing back in Scarteen, where scent petered out.

Overseas visitors

The following Tuesday saw hounds return to the fray, this time at Garranemore Equestrian Centre near the village of Pallasgreen.

This state-of-the-art facility was started a couple of years ago by Patrick and Jessica Delaney, who returned after a successful equestrian career on the continent. Patrick sat up for the day and by all accounts had a good clear round.

Scarteen master Shane Breen had made the trip from his base in Hickstead, which has been described as the ‘Vatican’ of show jumping. Accompanying him was his great hunting companion from Wexford, Michael Condon, and Kate Brooks among a group of UK visitors. From Belgium, came Christophe de Brabander, one of Europe’s most successful breeders. He was there as a guest of Cheryl Broderick, sister of Greg at Ballypatrick Stables.

The first draw was in Fennessy’s before hunting into the Dillon family’s very extensive farm and drawing on towards Tower Hill cemetery.

Super jumping in country that is never more than lightly hunted and area manager Johnnie Hourigan, who was out with his son Sean, had tremendous work in making so much land available for the day.

Going well on his good grey was Scarteen’s new hunt secretary Niall O’Connell from Bansha who doubles up also as point-to-point secretary with Bill Hanly MFH as chairman.

The best draw was kept for last at Thompson’s of Castlegarde Castle, at the very edge of Scarteen country. The oldest inhabited castle in Ireland, first built around 1190 by the O’Brien’s of Thomond, it is now owned by the Thompson family who run it as a sporting estate with a dairy herd.

Of covert there is plenty and hounds soon found and ran towards Cooga before returning to the welcoming acres of Castlegarde. The day was nearly over as the field made the short hack back to Garranemore. To finish the evening and recall the day, visitors and locals ended in Hayes Bar in Cappamore where good cheer and hospitality were dispensed in equal measure.

History

The earliest records of the Scarteen ‘Black and Tan’ hounds and the Ryan family goes back to 1640, shortly after the flight of the Earls. Around 1820, Daniel O’Connell (The Liberator) disbanded his pack of Kerry Beagles and his hounds were sent to Scarteen to augment the Scarteen Pack.

The Ryans of Scarteen were closely related to the O’Connells of Caherdaniel. Present master Chris Ryan, who first carried the horn back in 1986, is the eighth generation of his family to have done so.

The team

Kennels: Scarteen, Knocklong, Co Limerick.

Chairman: Mr John Hourigan

Huntsman: Mr Hughie Ryan

Joint-Masters: Christopher Ryan, Shane Breen, Roger Dungworth, Mairead English, Jake Murphy, Bill Hanly

Field Master: Val O’Connell, Jake Muphy MFH

Hon secretary and point-to-point secretary: Niall O’Connell,

Treasurer: Mr Richard Stapelton

Whippers-in: Mr Frisk Jones, Mr Michael Ryan