HAVING hunted for the first three weeks of the current season with some of the longest established packs, it was a refreshing change to visit a hunt that is unburdened by history, having been started a mere 12 seasons ago in a county with no huge tradition of fox hunting.

Up to 20 years ago there was no mounted pack at all in Kerry, though there were numerous foot packs, particularly around Waterville. More recently, a group of enthusiasts based around Killarney formed the Kingdom Hunt, hunting drag and covering most of south Kerry as far as Valentia Island. It was a runaway success, often attracting fields of over 100 and eventually having to close membership to new applicants.

Allied to this restriction, there were a group of enthusiasts around Listowel who wanted “real” hunting and the North Kerry Harriers were formed in 2002. For the first season they were hunted by Eamonn Kelleher from South Union, who brought hounds with him, before the torch was passed to local dairy farmer and coursing enthusiast David Trant, who acquired hounds and kennelled them at home on his farm at Brehins just outside Listowel.

This meet was held at the huntsman’s home and the field unboxed in his yard and that of his uncle and neighbour. Kerry hospitality demands that visitors are invited in, so we found ourselves being refreshed in Trant’s kitchen where we were made very welcome by his wife Deirdre, who comes from nearby Knocnagoshel and works as human resources manager in Tralee’s Bons Secours Hospital. The Trant family is completed by their two girls, Eabha (7) and Mollie (5).

The Trant family have been farming in the area as long as anyone can remember and now milk over 400 Holstein Friesian cows, supplying, naturally enough, Kerry Foods, whose plant is only about two miles from the farm.

It is essentially a farmer’s hunt and the huntsman told me that he expected to hunt mostly his farm and close neighbours that day, all of whom were hunt members.

He was hunting 12 and a half couple of hounds, a mixture of Old English and harriers, which Trant feels are particularly suited to their rolling country. Asked if they were all homebred, his answer was: “If you want proper stock, whether it’s hounds or dairy cows you must breed your own.”

Assisting him was first whipper-in Tony Keane on a nice dun who had been bought to go show jumping but after getting hurt as a yearling remained on as a hunter. Looking very smart was field master Noel Stack, who runs a butchering business in Moyvane on the Kerry/Limerick border.

A field of 25 moved off to the first draw in Trant’s farm while a junior brigade of six beginners aged from five to eight were led on a less hazardous route by their own field master, Denis Crowley of Castleisland. The two fields met occasionally during the day and hacked on together, giving the young entry a sense of what it’s all about in a relaxed way.

With paddock systems and new grass which seemed to go on forever, a visitor could be forgiven for mistaking Trant’s farm for the Teagasc dairy research farm at Moorepark in north Cork. However one crucial difference was that Brehins is dotted with hunt jumps, banks, dykes and sleeper fences almost everywhere.

A nice dash ensued with the field crossing the next road and hounds swung left to draw an out-farm, the field master took the field for a jolly over some more hunt jumps on an adjoining farm. This, the huntsman explained later, was to give him a chance to settle his hounds as they drew Trant’s Glen.

As hounds drew, it gave an opportunity to get to know some of the field. A founding member is local GP Dr Joe Arthur, who practises in nearby Tralee. A lightweight, he was riding a very ongoing grey cob who didn’t appear to have any first gear and was accompanied by his daughter Sue, who has just qualified as an intensive care physio.

Hounds spoke and even an untrained ear could pick up the sharp high pitched cry of the harriers, mellowed by the deeper tones of the Old English. After some pleasant woodland hunting, a short dash ensued over some nice hunt jumps before our pilot found refuge in a disused quarry and had to be given best.

Drawing on towards the Listowel/Tralee road and Dowling’s Quarry, the hounds showed interest and it wasn’t long before the third season black and tan hound Lincoln threw his tongue and had a fine dog fox afoot, which was viewed away by our eagle-eyed whipper-in.

A nice dash of over 35 minutes ensued as our pilot ran for the six crossroads before describing a big left-handed circle over some grand country before returning to almost from whence he came.

The field were well spread out at this stage but going well were Garda Sergeant John Lynch, who keeps the peace in nearby Abbeyfeale, and his daughter Aoife (14) on a smashing pony.

Drawing on towards a glen near the road in Dowling’s, another keen coursing family, hounds again found and, just as riders were preparing for a good run, our pilot found refuge under the road in a shore and had to be left.

Despite the fact that time was pressing on, our huntsman was determined to draw on and crossed the road to Eamonn Kelleheher’s farm. Kelleher, who works with Kerry County Council, was out to show the way on a very business-like grey who looked as if he could cross any kind of country.

There was plenty of covert, ranging scrub to modern forestry, and every inch of it was tried. Here hounds briefly spoke and the field had a short run over some hunt jumps and natural fences.

Our host Eamonn Kelleher led most of the way with Mike Halloran and Tom McCarthy close on his heels. However perhaps the best performance of the day must go to the physio Sue Arthur and her eventer, who soared out over a drop bank and landed halfway to Tralee!

All too soon hounds marked and our huntsman blew for home. More hospitality ensued back at Trant’s, with enough tea, sandwiches and perhaps something stronger, to feed an army.

Hunting is alive and well in north Kerry and, if invited, I will definitely return!

FACTFILE

Chairman: Mike O’Sullivan

Secretary: Eilin Pierse

Point-to-point secretary: Bernadette Hanrahan

Huntsman: David Trant

Whipper-in: Tony Keane

Field master: Noel Stack

HISTORY

The North Kerry Harriers were formed by a group of hunting farmers from North Kerry in 2002 to promote the sport of hunting, both drag and live. Members of the hunt are also involved in point-to-pointing, hunt chase, team chase and charity rides.