THE Grallagh Harriers are without doubt a fine pack of hounds. They have everything that you would want in a pack - uniform in size, similar markings so they look like a specific type, exceptional voice, a strong work ethic and powerful drive.

They are in stature very similar to Old English coloured harrier hounds I saw hunting a few years ago in South Island, New Zealand. The hunt has set high standards with immaculately turned out hunt staff and hunters, but it is the Grallagh hounds that create the magic.

Regrettably, since my last visit to the Grallagh when myself and cameraman Ken O’Mahony filmed a documentary on the hunt at the Krush Bar overlooking Loughrea Lake, Frank Burke, the rock behind the Burke family and the Grallagh Harriers, and his neighbour Willie Leahy, that legend of a horseman known the world over, have sadly passed away. But it was wonderful to see Frank’s wife Bernie at the meet, and she never comes empty-handed, as she had smoked salmon, homemade brown bread and other refreshments for the followers.

The Grallagh Harriers team

The masters are David Burke, his sister Lorraine, Kevin Hough, John Cantillon, and Imelda O’Donnell who is a former joint-master of the Tara Harriers. They will be joined in the mastership this coming season by Joe Cavanagh, former joint-master of the Ormond and the East Galway Foxhounds. The rest of the team are whippers-in, Frankie and Declan Burke, countryman John Lohan, and road whipper-in Mark Cunniffe, another valuable addition.

The Bane family were the first farm to play host to the Grallagh. John Bane followed former Blazers’ master and huntsman Captain Brian Fanshaw when he was a youngster on a bicycle, and later he hunted on horseback with Blazers master Michael Dempsey. There was always rivalry between John’s father James and Johnnie Egan to make sure that no foxes were disturbed before the hunt arrived! John has maintained a number of sheltered coverts on his farm for wildlife including foxes.

His daughter Marilyn is a multi-talented singer songwriter, trained actress, and boxed to All Ireland level for the nearby Monivea Boxing Club. But she is also known as a keen hunt follower, a side saddle specialist. as well as producing horses for the show ring.

Her horse, The Grey Rebel, is indeed a special horse, having won the Small Hunter Class at the Dublin Horse Show on two occasions, and was also Reserve Side Saddle Champion at Balmoral Show. Marilyn has had lots of offers for him but she says he is not for sale.

She also has a five-year-old Irish Draught by Roadside True Blue (by Blue Rajah) who she has already hunted and she feels will make a similar impression in the show ring.

Followers aplenty

Joint-master Imelda O’Donnell wasn’t hunting on the day so Sarah Wiers, a show jumping and dressage rider, rode her new acquisition, a beautifully marked coloured hunter. Sarah got a tune out of him as he was standing off his walls and flying them all afternoon.

Her mother Andrea was the friendly face that greeted everyone at the late Willie Leahy’s Dartfield Horse Park and Museum. Mounted were Bryan Ryan from a Loughrea hunting family, Shane Reidy and Michael Casey riding Johnny Geoghegan’s hirelings. Others hunting were Michael (Mack) McMahon, a long time follower of the Ward Union Staghounds, Mark Cunniffe, Eilish McCarthy and Imelda Hobbins.

There were a large number of others including former Blazers follower Pat O’Neill who remembered hunting horses for Willie Leahy and John O’Dea at this meet. At the meet also was North Galway joint-master and well-known Craughwell horse producer Tom McNamara and huntsman David Masterson, Joe McEvoy, Haddie and Will Jones, Tynagh guesthouse owner Caroline Madden and Olive Dempsey, a niece of former Blazers master and huntsman Michael Dempsey.

Sean O’Brien who hunted with the late Elsie Morgan, master of the West Waterford Foxhounds, was following as were Billy Shaughnessy and Donie Cummins who told us mid-afternoon that he nipped home for a steak lunch, but he kept the phone nearby in case hounds were hunting towards his house! Joe Clarke, who whipped-in to the Blazers as did his father Dan, was in Co Clare but was tracking progress on the phone with Sean O’Brien. Local farmers and great hunt supporters Mattie Rabbitt, Jackie Conneely and his son Conor were also following.

Hunting

Bane’s farm is a sea of grass, and horse friendly with inviting stone walls which the followers enjoyed, and many schooling jumps for bringing on young stock, smashing dry and thick coverts for wildlife, the perfect hunting balance. Marilyn Bane was not hunting on the day as she was competing on the weekend, but her father John took up the perfect viewing position, balanced by his thumb stick.

The huntsman drew upwind away from the Monivea to Galway motorway and hounds opened. It took time to dislodge this customer but what a sight, the most perfect-coloured fox I have seen in recent years, a rusty red colour from head to toe and nearly as big as an Alsatian dog. He was indeed a smasher and I hope he lives on for many years and produces more of his type.

He ran to another covert in Bane’s, then sat tight in the thick briars. Hounds worked hard and in great voice and eventually the fox slipped away in front of John Bane and into Paddy Coen’s, then left-handed parallel to the motorway again. The huntsman picked them up and cast them in the briars along by the walls as a second fox jumped up near the mast, but as he was not the hunted fox, the huntsman did not let the hounds switch.

The Long Wood, which is lined by two double stone walls, was so thick that the huntsman drew it on foot to no avail, but had better luck in Canavan’s finding at the edge of the crags and hunting on in a circle around the farm and eventually to ground in a rock heap.

The action continued in Sean Feeney’s and Brud Crishim’s with the pack finding in a small clump of furze in the middle of the farm and they had a nice run towards Canavan’s again. When they checked, the huntsman moved on and drew back in Brud Crishim’s again and found a another customer who ran in a straight line over Vincent O’Brien’s and went to ground in the quarry near the road beside Galway Equestrian Centre.

But the best was yet to come as light rain fell and visibility faded. Hounds opened in fine voice, pressing this fox hard and back to Crishim’s, over Canavan’s and right-handed through Sean Feeney’s and right again for Vincent O’Brien’s in a beeline for Paddy Coen’s where this fine fox found a safe place.

It was a really enjoyable day’s hunting, and the debrief back at Lafferty’s Pub measured up equally well!

History

The Grallagh Harriers were formed in 2007 as a foot pack and in 2009, became a mounted pack.

Grallagh Harriers

Factfile

The Grallagh Harriers

Masters: David Burke, Lorraine Burke, Kevin Hough, John Cantellon and Imelda O’Donnell.

Huntsman: David Burke

Whippers-in: Frankie and Declan Burke

Countryman: John Lohan

Road whipper-in: Mark Cunniffe