AS I came to Lafferty’s Bar in Cartymore Cross where the Grallagh Harriers were meeting, a number of trucks with hirelings swung into the car park.

Tom and Maria McNamara of Horses in Ireland had two truckloads, and Ray Lee from North Galway had another truck. The visitors were from the Ledbury and the Belvoir Hunts in the UK, and a group from the Fermanagh Harriers who left in the early morning to be at the meet.

How times have changed since I started hunting with the Galway Blazers 70 years ago. There was probably only a couple of horseboxes on the road then, as everybody hacked to meets. Myself and my friend Pat O’Neill, who was as mad on hunting as I was, used to hack horses for the much missed Willie Leahy from Aille Cross in Loughrea, and I decided to check the mileage from Aille Cross to Cartymore Cross on my way to the meet.

It is hard to believe that to get to Cartymore, we hacked, riding the horse in the middle with one more each side, 24 miles to the meet. The horses hunted all day and that was the time you moved off at 11am and we finished in the dark, to hack another 24 miles back home! A round trip of 48 miles plus hunting mileage. At Athenry we would link up with Chris and Eugene Daly who would have a dozen hirelings, all beautifully turned out. But I also recall that Willie was not very good at providing a lunch box, but we somehow survived!

The atmosphere in Lafferty’s Bar was electric as most of the visitors from the Ledbury, who host the Golden Button Race, the Belvoir and the Fermanagh Harriers were in Galway for the first time. They were settling into hot ports and many pints of Guinness were consumed to get them in the mood. Their expectations were high and they were not to be disappointed.

Great team

I always have a good day with David Burke’s Grallagh Harriers. They are a smashing pack of hounds, a harrier type Old English hound, which would remind you of studbook harriers of which sadly none are left in Ireland.

David bred them especially for crossing the stone walls of Galway. Interestingly, Toby Corbin Greenall, master of the Belvoir, whose great grandfather was also master of the Belvoir Hounds and the County Limericks, both Old English packs, was interested that David had a doghound Rambo hunting, which is by Belvoir Laceland.

This meet has some of the best hunting country in Galway. Cartymore is familiar to anybody that has hunted with the Galway Blazers as the Grallagh hunt much the same country. It is one of the few private packs in the country, really professionally run with exceptionally high standards as senior master and huntsman David Burke is surrounded by a strong team. His brother Frankie whips in, his sister Lorraine is a joint-master and field-master, the road team of his other sister Sinéad, Declan Burke, Olive Dempsey, countryman John Lohan and kennelman Mark Cunniffe are all in contact on walkie-talkies.

Mark is a great addition to the hunt and he celebrated his 21st birthday the following week. David’s mother Bernie is the perfect hostess, either at home or on the hunting field with a car packed with refreshments, smoked salmon, homemade brown bread and other goodies, and she manages to feed a multitude. You will never go hungry following the Grallagh and even more food was ready back at the meet.

But one member of the team was sadly missed, Bernie’s husband, Frank, a fine horseman and producer of hunters and show jumpers, who sadly passed away since I was last with the pack.

Joint-master John Cantellon in action with the Grallagh Harriers at their meet from Cartymore Cross \ Noel Mullins

Followers

Joint-master Joe Cavanagh was at the meet with his wife Claire, and 12 visitors from the Ledbury and Belvoir including Toby Corbin Greenall, a great grandson of Lord Toby Daresbury who was master and huntsman of the County Limerick Foxhounds (1947-77), also Charles O’Connor, Roly Peto, Issy Delerdinge, George Corbin Greenall, Chloe Hacking, Emily Rose Perez-Fragero, Antonia and Arthur Soames, George and Eve Nares and Billy Morley.

A large group from the Fermanagh Harriers were out, led by joint-master and huntsman Patrick Murphy, Caitríona Conlon (honorary secretary of the IMHA and HAI), Jay and Daire Murphy, Louise Presito, Carrick Campbell, Caren Robinson, Gerry Mullarkey, William Humphries, Michael Casey (who travelled from Scotland), Shane Reidy, Archie, Rubin, Rowan and Gabriel Freeney and Haddie Jones.

Following on foot were joint-masters Imelda O’Donnell and Kevin Hough, together with a special visitor, Jim Murphy, former chairman of the Irish Masters of Foot Harriers Association and the HAI who follows the Castletownkenna Foot Harriers in Cork. Others out were Jackie Conneelly, Shauna Murray Freeney, Seán Murphy, Ann Croome-Carroll, a sister of Jonah, one of the finest side saddle riders, and Anita Ryan, both from the Tipperary Foxhounds, as well as Jimmy and photographer Ann Marie Mulcahy.

Hunting

The first draw was in John Bane’s farm, who is a magnificent host. It is a model sporting farm in many ways as he has maintained all the old coverts and it is a haven for wildlife with plenty of foxes. I saw four smashing foxes during the day as well as woodcock, pheasant and a lot of snipe. Since I was last here, his daughter Marilyn, who many know through showing her horses, hunting side saddle, acting on stage and boxing, married international endurance rider Martin McNamara. They produce show horses, hunters and eventers. The couple are expecting their first child soon who will be the fifth generation on the family farm.

Scent was not good early on with patches of fog lifting but nobody told the hounds. As the huntsman drew the first covert in Bane’s, a fox crossed from Paddy Coen’s that was well spotted by Jackie Conneely. They got onto him immediately and ran in the open before heading for the Long Wood and on to the Middle Covert where they marked him. We were treated to the first performance of fantastic hound music which was to run on for most of the day. Thinking there was a brace in it, David went back and drew the same covert again, but there was nobody at home.

The huntsman moved on to Canavan’s and had a brace on the move but they settled on the first one, as the second one - a beautiful looking healthy fox - sauntered past me in the blackthorns. Hounds by now were swinging right-handed through Costello’s Rocks and into Seán Feeney’s and on to Hurney’s and away left-handed towards Vincent O’Brien’s furze. He then came away right-handed up into Maureen Walsh’s but scent just suddenly faded in the open. But the huntsman, with a good cast, found another in Maureen Walsh’s and hounds were away again. They were right-handed in great voice over Hurney’s and headed for the Tiny Quarry, near horse trainer Val O’Brien’s, where a fresh fox crossed the pack but the pack were not distracted.

They stayed on the hunted fox, running back to Fintan O’Brien’s where they checked momentarily, but picked him up again running all the way back to Feeney’s and over Coen’s but they checked again in the Long Wood and marked to ground back in Bane’s where they left him for another day. Then the huntsman then blew for home after a smashing day.

If Bernie Burke missed anyone with her smoked salmon and homemade brown bread during the day, well they more than made up for it with more refreshments back at Lafferty’s Bar. You never go hungry following the Grallagh Harriers!

History

The Grallagh Harriers is a private pack, founded by David Burke in 2007 as a foot pack, becoming a mounted pack in 2009. It is the first registered harrier pack in Co Galway and they hunt over the light turf and stone walls.

Visitors are welcome by arrangement and hirelings are available.

Grallagh Harriers

Masters - David Burke, Lorraine Burke, Imelda O’Donnell, Kevin Hough, John Cantellon and Joe Cavanagh

Huntsman - David Burke MH

Whipper-in - Frankie Burke

Field master - Lorraine Burke MH

Honorary Secretary - Lorraine Burke MH

Kennelman - Mark Cunniffe

Countryman - John Lohan