IF you like jumping across country over every conceivable obstacle, get a day out with the South County Dublin Harriers. Visitors are welcome by prior arrangement. I joined them in Clonee for their pre-season hunt, where casual dress was the order of the day.
They had a large following and I seldom have seen such an enthusiastic group of people, who live for their hunting. It is a drag hunt, so they can hunt country that would not necessarily be suitable for other hunts, as it is tight but with a drag line you can lay it in a direction that you want hounds to run.
I could not help noticing that Clonee has some of the best tillage and grassland in Co Meath and it is being increasingly taken over to build high density commercial industrial units and housing. In my own area in north Dublin beside the sea, with the most productive vegetable growing sand-based soil that never floods and a main supplier to the Dublin markets, incredibly they are building houses on this rich soil. Land should be considered a natural resource.
If building does not go unchecked, how will future generations have enough suitable quality land to produce adequate food to feed the increasing population in the years ahead - has anybody in high places given it any thought?
The day was significant for joint master Liam Brew’s wife Ailise, as it was her birthday. Ailise is a cousin of top sculptor Siobhan Bulfin and many would be familiar with her great equestrian piece on the Curragh. Liam and his family also spend time at their other base in Galway and get as many days as they can hunting with the Galway Blazers and the Grallagh Harriers.
There is a Blazers connection to the Souths as the first master and huntsman of the Blazers, John Dennis, was born in Ballygall House in Finglas, Co Dublin in 1813 and hunted his private pack of draghounds at a meet at nearby Mulhuddart, which formed the western boundary of Dennis’ hunt country.
Unique
Paul Kerr is now in his 33rd season as huntsman and he has a unique partnership with his three daughters, Grace, Eve and Catherine, who whip-in to him, which must be rare in the hunting world. Any one of them is experienced enough to hunt the pack on their own and they are all top riders, having hunted and evented on the very best of horses, many home-bred.
They are impeccably turned out, as are their hunters and their pack of black and tan hounds are a picture, with coats gleaming, strong backs with wonderful voice and, what’s even more important is, they look very happy hounds. Their breeding goes back to Dumfriesshire bloodlines from the Scottish Borders.
I was reminded by Kevin Reilly, who hunted with The Souths in the past, of former master Willie Dunne in the 1970s and 80s from Rathbeggan, Dunboyne. I remember hunting with Willie from Myos pub in Castleknock many years ago with Ned Hughes.
Ned did not like jumping wire, so he asked me to delay in the pub until they went into Lord Iveagh’s, which is now Farmleigh House owned by the State, and we had a great day. If you remember the writings of the two great Irish authors ‘Somerville & Ross’, whose hunting stories appeared in their book The Irish RM, well it was Willie Dunne and the South County Dublin Harriers that appeared in the TV series with Roger Harvey hunting the hounds.
Billy Flood in action off the road at the South County Dublin Harriers meet at Clonee \ Noel Mullins
Hunting brought the hunt’s chair and vice chair – Kieran and Tina Foley – together. They were originally followers of the Co Limerick Foxhounds but, for business reasons, they reside in Dublin. Kieran’s uncle is James Foley, honorary whipper-in of the Co Limericks, who I remember when I hunted with them back in the 1990s, and their talented huntsman at the time, Hugh Robarts. Kieran is also related to the current Co Limerick joint master, Niall Foley.
Followers
Billy Flood from Kildare, who you could meet at any hunt in the 32 counties, had a truckful of horses. Two former masters, Kieran Kinsella of the Shillelaghs and Paul Doyle of the Kildares, were out, as well as Mark Houlihan, Adam Cross, William Flood and Kaylum Reid, who is an impressive young rider with an exceptionally talented pony that will take on anything.
Niall Byrne is joint master for over 20 seasons and is one of the most enthusiastic masters you could meet. His family joined him hunting, his wife Eileen and daughters Ciara, Eimear and Ashley. John Hanlon, I notice, can still nearly jump into the saddle. Eoghan O’Neill had a truck full of horses that were transported from Clonbullogue in Co Offaly by Murt Dempsey.
Also hunting was Oliver Ryan, Amy Clarke, Helga Ryan, Orla Byrne, Cathal Giltrap, Kieran Dignan and Clodagh Brophy. Adrian Lee from Allenwood was donning a cowboy hat and appropriately enough was riding a coloured hunter. Sinead Weld was keeping an eye out for her daughter Charlotte, who was riding a smashing bay pony who was keen to get going. She competes in Pony Club Games, but also loves her hunting.
Fine voice
The men to follow in this area of very narrow roads and no signposts were Desmond Bell, who had already been autumn hunting with the West Wicklow Hunt that morning, and Dick Pender. But these days, people catch up with ‘pin drops’ and WhatsApp, which are not much use to those still on a Nokia! Joint master Liam Brew organised the hunt, which was on a few large farms. Laying the drag was Jamie Taaffe, Kieran Dignan and Ciara Byrne. Josh Mondraum is an important member of the South’s team as he makes sure the meet is left tidy, which means that the hunt is always welcome back again.
I remember the horse trainer Georgie Wells who lived nearby. During the Galway races, he used to keep his horses with my granduncle WP Higgins, who lived at Glenina House near Galway city, the home now of Galwegians Rugby Club. A champion jockey himself, winning the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas as well as an Irish Derby, he trained a horse named Umm to win both the Galway Plate and the Irish Grand National in 1955 ridden by Pat Taaffe, a relation of Jamie Taffee, who was laying the drag line on the day.
The first line had the followers jumping in off the Bracetown Road at land owned by Denis Coakley, who evented for years and whose father, Denis snr, was a big cattle producer and a joint master with the Ward Union Staghounds from 1974-87. Hounds were immediately away on the first line in fine voice across the extensive farm with lots of real challenges, which bested a few as it is so early in the season and horses are only getting fit. Joint master Barry Murphy saw that they were not left behind and keeping up with the leading group.
The second line was from Kilmartin’s Grain Depot, which is farmed by John Donegan. This is a large farm and the machinery was busy harvesting a big crop of potatoes. They got over one hour’s run on that line, over a variety of terrain and they all came back safe and sound to the meet.
Billy Flood and his group were slow to stop, as they love their hunting and, to finish, they jumped a huge ditch onto the lane at Kilmartin’s and none better than young Kaylum Reid on his pony Daisy, who made little of it and even jumped it back in the opposite direction. What a cracking pony and what a great young rider.
Yes, if you like jumping and following hounds across natural country, the South County Dublin Harriers is the hunt to be with.
History
The hunt dates back to 1867, but was disbanded in 1884 and reformed as a drag hunt in 1904 by Claude Kavanagh. It is the oldest surviving mounted drag hunt in Ireland and its history is well recorded in James Norton’s book, The History of The South County Dublin Harriers. Former jockey Ruby Walsh and show jumpers Paul Darragh and Jack Doyle were former masters of the Junior section.
The team
President: Dick Pender
Chairman: Kieran Foley
Vice Chairman: Tina Foley
Masters: Niall Byrne, Liam Brew and Barry Murphy
Huntsman: Paul Kerr
Whippers-in: Grace Kerr, Eve Kerr and Catherine Kerr
Honorary Secretary: Jackie McCann
Honorary Treasurer: Cathal Giltrap