THE very first meet I was lucky enough to be invited to hunt with this famed southern pack was from the village of Aghabullogue. Located somewhere east of Macroom, it can defeat even Google Maps to find. To make things just that bit more challenging, this was a lawn meet at Dave and Norma Walsh’s house, some two or three miles from the village in the townsland of Knockrour.

Armed with a post code, we set forth and surprisingly after as little as two or three hours, we rounded a bend only to see horse boxes lined up and a very welcoming hall door open with sounds of revelry within. Straight away it was obvious the Walsh’s are a real sporting family as there were a couple of gun dog kennels at the back of the house. Dave, whom I remember from his days as first whipper-in to the Muskerry, was on foot but he and his wife Norma proved generous and welcoming hosts .

As well as being a shooting family, their son Tiernan is looked on as one of the premier trainers of Springers in the country.

We were greeted with the best of west Cork hospitality and joined the general celebrations with enough food and drink to stave off famine in a small country. And they did have something to celebrate as it was only their second day back after the long and enforced insurance lay-off.

But with tyres renewed on boxes, hunt coats taken from behind the spare bedroom door in the hope that they hadn’t shrunk too much during the lay-off, everyone was back with a bang.

From experience I have found that hunt coats have a nasty habit of shrinking during the summer lay-off and don’t fit nearly as well as they did at the end of the previous season!

Perhaps the first thing to catch my eye was a lady’s hunt coat in the Muskerry livery with the pale blue collar on a hanger waiting for the off. Tradition has it that back in 1742, this particular shade of blue was chosen by the wife of the hunt’s founder, Cecilia Tonson-Rye, as the colour of her ball gown for their very first hunt ball held of course in their home, Rye Court.

However this latter day coat was going to be worn by young Aoibhe Walsh who is doing her Leaving Cert. She has a smashing coloured cob that I would really like to bring home with me.

Masters out in force

Muskerry is somewhat unique in that it has no hunt committee but is run by the four masters who were all there on the day. Sadly one, Killian Lynch from Macroom, was stood down due to a bad back and he was anything but a happy camper and obviously couldn’t wait for the all clear to get back in the saddle. Attempting to throw oil on troubled waters was his wife Chantal and their little daughter Rochelle.

Master and huntsman, Ken Grandon, a stickler for time, was first out and on his gorgeous grey with 12 and a half couple of smashing Old English. No wonder hounds look so well as they are looked after by kennel huntsman Alan Garrigan who trained the Beaufort Foxhounds.

The whipper-in, young Daniel O’Riordan, was equally prompt and looked very smart in the Muskerry livery. Daniel is following in the family business and is an apprentice in the garage trade. Sadly, his dad, hunt secretary Donie, couldn’t be there as he was still in hospital but hopes to back in the saddle before the end of the season.

They just looked a picture as they lined up outside our hosts’ house for family photos as members of the field were unboxing, tightening girths, and all that goes with the preparations for a day’s hunting with the Muskerry sportsmen.

Almost anyone there could have filled the role of the legendary Muskerry Sportsman of the song:

For rambling, for rovin’, for football and sportin’

For drinkin’ black porter as fast as you fill

In all you days huntin’ you’ll find none so jovial

As the Muskerry sportsmen,

The bould Thady Quill

First draw coulnt have been nearer ambling,

Firs for roving, for football or sporting,

for emptying a bowl just as fast as you’d fill.

In all your days roving, you’ll find none so jovial

as that Muskerry sportsman, the bold Thady Quill.

Most of the Muskerry sportsmen were there; Jim Willis from Aherla, at 73 he’s the ‘father’ of the hunt, looking as sprightly as ever on his nice grey. Hunt chairman Brendan Browne who practises as an accountant in Ballincollig, was out as was the inimitable Eamon Grainger who also hunts with the Duhallow and visiting from the South Union, Paul Crowley, who works in UCC, was out with his son Michael. John Paul O’Callaghan was bringing on a youngster so, unusually for him, was taking something of a back seat.

On foot it was great to catch up with Michael Barry. I often took a lead from his good cob who was there with local landowner Billy O’Connell who has many stories to tell about the legendary Fergie Sutherland from the area. He trained Imperial Call (9/2) to win the 1996 renewal of the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Smashing jumping

The first draw could not have been much closer in Dan Murphy’s where there was some smashing jumping. Not found wanting was Robert Harkin but for style, it would be hard to pick between joint-master John Crean and young Sophia Harkin, a student in UCC, on her ongoing grey cob.

As they drew on towards Toomey’s, they met a really decent drop bank, reminiscent of the Hickstead bank, and it was here that young Sophia and Aoibhe decided to take up beagling for a field or two before they were reunited with their mounts.

Hound drew on into Dennehy’s where they found. A more sporting family it would be hard to find as young Tim, a teacher by profession, hunts the local Aghabullogue Harriers which have been in their extended family for generations. His dad Pat hunts all over the country, every day possible, while brother and sister, young Angela and Patrick, both represented Ireland in eventing. Incidentally, Angela has returned to college to study medicine.

Hot pursuit

As hounds drew on, a fine dog fox was hollowed away by Robert Harkin who is the longest serving and senior-master in Muskerry but is always in the right place at the right time.

With music to die for, they pushed him on through the point-to-point field owned by Jack Morris Murphy who sadly passed away only recently. They hunted on through Tom Healy’s, who first hunted the Aghabolouge back in 1995 before handing the horn to his nephew young Tim Denehy.

It was never a great scenting day but they managed to mark their fox near the Aghabullogue River and was given best.

Keeping us in touch as hounds ran on through Healy’s was Anthony Buckley from Aherla, a retired paramedic and keen shooting man who seemed to know the country like the back of his hand. Background information was supplied by John Dwyer and Dick Dineen, both of whom farm locally.

They drew on at the other side of the village near St Olan’s Well, a place of piety and pilgrimage, but unfortunately on this occasion there was no resident fox. With shadows lengthening and the prospect of a warm welcome back at Walsh’s, our huntsman blew for home.

Factfile

Muskerry Hunt

Chairman: Brendan Browne

President: Jim Willis

Master & Huntsman: Ken Grandon (2014)

Joint-masters: John Crean (2014), Killian Lynch (2014), Robert Harkin (2003).

Whippers-in: Daniel O’Riordan

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.