THE borderlands of Fermanagh, Monaghan and Cavan have felt the rumble of the Fermanagh Harriers’ hounds and horses for over 300 years. The magnificnet hounds are trained and kennelled by master and huntsman Patrick Murphy who proudly says of the pack: “We have a bond with the hounds just as much as we do with the horses.” There are currently 20 couple in their kennels, both dogs and bitches and the pack comprise of Modern and Old English hounds. The hounds are currently fit and ready to go and they are exercised using bicycles in the summer and then on horseback as the season approaches. Journalist Noel Mullins visited the Fermanagh Harriers in January and described the scene beautifully in Horse World: “It was a pleasure to watch the hounds weave their intricate lines over the drumlins and down the valleys through the wet shucks and never lift their heads. You just could not distract them.”