History
There has always been a tradition of hunting on foot in Co Cavan. The last mounted packs were private packs of the Maxwell family of Farnham Estate and Mr Humphries of Ballyhaise, where hunting was by invitation, but they were disbanded over 100 years ago. In 1999, the Drumlin Harriers, based in Cavan, were formed as a mounted farmers’ pack to serve people from all walks of life and especially children.
The team
Chairman: David Dunne
Masters: Austin Fitzpatrick, David Dunne and Roy Anderson
Huntsman: Odhran Smith
Whippers-in: Aaron McIntyre, Ben McIntyre and David Dunne
Honorary secretary: Laura Lynch
Honorary treasurer: Killian McDwyer
IT was refreshing to visit the Drumlin Harriers, who are a small pack in Co Cavan, catering for families and people from all walks of life, at their recent meet from Timmy Duggan’s Bar in Drumliff.
Hunt clubs like the Drumlin, similar to other clubs in the area, make a huge contribution to local communities, as they are cross-community, cross-gender and cross-age groups. The people hunting ranged from six years old to nearly 80 years of age. Everybody involved does so for their club, and there are no airs or graces.
The members and hunt staff wear black jackets and are very well turned out. They are mainly local farming families that breed a few horses, hunt on a Saturday on horseback and on Sunday follow the local trencher-fed foot packs of harriers, of which there is one at practically every crossroads.
Their hounds are traditional Irish Harriers that have a low carriage, and I just thought that Scarteen master Chris Ryan would enjoy following them. Chris told me one time, if I want to hear real voice in hounds, go to the foot packs. I asked him why the harriers keep their heads so low and he replied: ‘Sure that’s where they get their information from!’
I remember visiting the Drumlin over 20 years ago at a meet in Maudabaun. It was a privilege to talk with the local huntsmen of foot packs, like Michael Shalvey, Big John Fitzpatrick and Pakie Keenan, who were a real authority on hounds and hunting.
But above all this time, I wanted to see probably the youngest huntsman in Ireland of a mounted pack, 16-year-old Odhran Smith hunting the Drumlin pack.
Momentum
Two people who have kept the momentum going through good and difficult times over the years in the Drumlin are Austin Fitzpatrick and David Dunne. Austin is a modest man, who has made a significant contribution to hunting in Ireland, and in resolving the hunt insurance issue. He has served two terms as chairman of The Irish Masters of Harriers Association, as a representative on The Hunting Association of Northern Ireland.
David Dunne is the chairman of the hunt. He is a cattle and sheep farmer and popular with landowners, he is generous in making his cross-country fences on his farm available. He has also been a mentor to the young huntsman, Odhran Smith and rides up front with him to support and guide him.
High achiever
Although Odhran Smith may be only 16 years old and the youngest huntsman of a mounted pack in these islands, he is a young man way beyond his years. A high achiever as a student and all-round sportsman, he is also the captain of Cavan GAA football in his age group and a fine hurler.
Although this is his first season hunting the Drumlin Harriers on horseback, he is a seasoned huntsman, as he has been hunting his own pack of foot harriers for a number of years, a tradition that goes back in his family for hundreds of years. He hunts the Drumlin on Saturdays and joins with other foot packs on Sundays, the latter a custom in Co Cavan probably since the dawn of time.
I have found that huntsmen and women that have hunted hounds on foot have usually that extra gear in their harmony with hounds. The Drumlin hounds were a picture; well-muscled, glowing coats, low scenting with buckets of drive and melodious voices that carried sweet music across the drumlin hills and valleys all day.
Odhran has a good team whipping-in to him in David Dunne and Ben and Aaron McIntyre; three good horsemen, who can really cross country.
The honorary secretary Laura Lynch was unavoidably absent, as she was playing rugby in an important match for Virginia All Blacks Rugby Club against Clogher Valley. She told me of the importance of the Drumlin Harriers, as a focal point for horse and pony owners in the community, and they run a Man Hunt each year for a local charity or family that has found themselves with a serious life challenge. This year, it is for Alzheimer’s, a disease that has sadly touched practically every family.
History
The Drumlin Harriers are named after the topography of the land in the area, which is a series of hills and valleys that date back to the Middle Stone Age during the Mesolithic Period, which ended about 8,000BC having started 30,000 years before that.
Siobhan and Hugh Fitzpatrick with six-year-old Katlynn out with the Drumlin Harriers at Drumliff, Co Cavan \ Noel Mullins
It is a result of the land moving under a glacial drift and aligning in the direction of the ice flow. Drumlins are common also in Europe and North America and another good example is Clew Bay in Mayo, which has hundreds of drumlin islands, that are often referred to as ‘drowned islands’, creating a basket of eggs topography. But, from a hunting point of view, it is great for viewing and the valleys are a haven for wildlife, there is so much shelter from the weather. Flax was grown in the area in the past for the linen trade.
Hunting were Austin Fitzpatrick, David Dunne, Siobhan Fitzpatrick, former huntsman Hugh Fitzpatrick and his daughter, six-year-old Kathlyn Fitzpatrick riding Polly. Also out was 12-year-old Blaithin Smith on Murphy, eight-year-old Daithi Fitzpatrick riding Ash, 15-year-old Aoibheann Smith who is captain of the Cavan Minor football team, while four-year-old Eadha Fitzpatrick and her pony Spirit were taking a break from hunting.
Kevin Fitzpatrick told me that he once attended a course on show jumping with Iris Kellett, and local farmer Eamonn Mulvaney, whose father Eddie also hunted a foot pack.
Glorious
The townlands all have wonderful names - many derived from the Irish language, like Drumliff, Drumaharrid, Plush and Drumbran. From the moment they were unboxed at the meet, the harriers had their noses to the ground and, as they moved off, I was really impressed with their superb condition, spotless and with wonderful coats.
They tucked in behind young Odhran’s horse to the first draw in Seamus Martin’s. The countryside is magnificent, with the trademark drumlins, a relic of the Ice Age. Hounds were sharp and found, and we heard for the first time the melodious harmony of voices, as they ran through the hedges and fields of grass in a line for Duggan’s Plantings, where Aoibheann Smith was enjoying crossing country before hounds checked, but could not recover the line.
As they moved on across country, never going near a road, the pack were feathering up a line, casting themselves left-handed and then right-handed in Francie Doran’s until they settled on a line, but scent was poor and it did not hold.
In the meantime, the followers crossed the hedges and sheuchs (Irish word pronounced shuks) or water-filled drains. Eight-year-old Daithi Fitzpatrick and 12-year-old Blaithin Smith crossed in style and, at a tricky single strand of wire fence, David Dunne gave a foot-perfect lead with the whippers-in Aaron and Ben McIntyre following.
At 3.40pm, Odhran drew around the derelict Teeney School, where Austin Fitzpatrick’s mother went to school and the omens looked good. All of a sudden, a large pure white hare, a very rare sight as they are normally brown, popped up in the middle of the pack in Flanagan’s. This brought them on the best run of the day.
Rather than circle as most hares do, this one ran straight like a fox, over Fannings Hill, with the pack in full cry crossing various townlands, such as Plush, Keeney, Drumbran, Drumliff and Drumaharrid, where they lost her eventually, after a cracking run in Duggan’s Plantings at 4.30pm.
As the huntsman blew for home with his smashing pack of traditional Irish Harriers, it was clear that we had seen a young man who knows how to handle a pack of hounds, while also crossing challenging country. Timmy Duggan had his bar open for refreshments, where the followers thanked the landowners for allowing them to hunt over their land.