IN the past I have had many enjoyable, but challenging, days with the East Clare Harriers in their country, bordering the mighty Lough Derg on the Shannon running from Limerick city right up to Whitegate which is on the upper reaches of Lough Dergy.

So, last Sunday, Whitegate it was and the venue was its only functioning hostelry, The Half Barrel, a gastro pub run by Batt and Annette O’Riordan and more welcoming or attentive hosts it would be hard to find. Joint-master Declan Durack was there to greet us but he definitely wouldn’t have passed the vet on the day but reckoned when he was on his horse and got going, he’d be fine.

It all came about as a result of a late night call from his fellow joint-master Pat Jones inviting us out for the day.

The pack were founded in 1984 by Tony Marsh, Sean Jones and John Blake MRCVS, Michael’s father.

The only surviving members of the trio is Sean Jones who frequently features in the pages of The Irish Field as he is the award-winning breeder of many show champions including View Point, Supreme Horse of the Year Champion. Happily Sean is still very much to the good and was there with his wife Mary. Sean’s nephews are very much to the fore in hunt management with Pat as joint-master and David as whipper-in.

Special guest

What made it an unmissable occasion was when Pat let us know that show jumping supremo and Irish manager Michael Blake was coming out of hunting retirement and would be among the runners and riders. Michael, he explained, hadn’t hunted with the pack, founded by his late father John Blake MRCVS for over 20 years, and in fact, had hunted very little since he was master and huntsman back in the nineties. Certainly an occasion not to be missed.

Huntsman Mike Dwyer from Birr had 14 couple with a good dash of Old English and he was on a nice dappled grey who could go around on his own. His partner Kim was equally well mounted and going well. Turning hounds to him were the veteran David Jones and the young Patrick Nugent, learning his trade, from Scariff.

With the obligatory photo taken outside The Half Barrel, away they went to their first line. The East Clares are one of Ireland’s few genuine drag packs and the drag was being laid by the father and son team Michael and Cathal Durack, both well mounted and who know the country like the back of their hands. They are extensive dairy farmers, located right on the shores of mighty Lough Derg, looking across to Dromineer in north Tipperary.

Clear round: Michael Blake takes the walls in his stride with the East Clare Harriers at Whitegate \ Catherine Power

Stone wall country

Without delay, our huntsman took his hounds to the first line just down from the village at Gweeney and they spoke straight away and it was close enough to flat out over a lovely bit of wall country. Of course, all eyes were on Michael Blake, still wearing the coat he hunted hounds in 30 seasons ago.

This coat has its own provenance having been donated to him back in the day by the late Maxie Skully on his retirement as master. This was the coat that saw Michael establish the bare-back /Puissance record of 2m 17cm on Skully’s horse which stands to this day.

While he didn’t have to jumps walls of that size, neither were they small and there was an awful lot of them. It took a few walls for horse and rider to form a rapport and after a few scraggy jumps, Michael commented: “I was wondering was I totally mad to be back after all the years and with only a week to go before I leave for Dubai.”

But like riding a bike, it all came back to him and things improved “and after a few, we got the hang of it and it was like old times,” he said.

From then on, Michael was on the tail of hounds and you could see the style that gave him 50 wins in Millsteet on the great Titanic. He recalled those heady days from the Millstreet Derby, ‘He (Titanic) stumbled on the turn and he wore a rubber bit which broke but he kept going as always and went on to win the competition.” Gerry Mullins later commented that he didn’t know another horse that could have taken the turn or anyone else who would have asked him!

Titanic, at 31, was brought out of retirement the previous week and made an appearance at an East Clare meet, looking as good as ever. Michael finished his day saying “Horses are great!”

Stuff of nightmares

It was great to meet many other riders whom I remember since I last rode with the pack, such as field-master Siobhan Garret-Cooney riding a coloured cob to die for. Sarah Whelan recalled a day from Broadford and one wall in particular with a boulder on top, the memories of which still give me nightmares, but we survived.

Pam Jackman, who probably has been hunting with the pack longer than anyone else, was out with her daughter Denise. German veterinary surgeon Kiki Novak was going well on a smashing Connemara.

Another veteran whom I was glad to meet was Gerry English from Kilaloe, going as well as ever. Junior rider of the day and surely a future champion was young Logan Woods (9), out on his good pony.

Dashing display

Hounds hunted through Durack’s lakeside dairy farm where father and son team Michael and Cathal gave a dashing display laying the drag over their own land.

Hounds then hacked back to the village where refreshments were served to one and all to refresh jockeys for what lay ahead.

Once hounds were laid on, they spoke straight away and another dash over the best Clare country had on offer ensued. We had as our guide Catherine, Pat Jones’s partner, with children Shauna and Abigail, and they brought on to the next point of vantage, right beside a house formerly owned by champion jockey Kieron Fallon who comes from these parts.

More fine walls and juniors Aaron and Alison Collins from Scariff showed how it’s done. As hounds checked and huntsman blew for home, there was a lot of light- hearted banter as jockeys applied for places on the Irish Aga Khan team for this year. None were turned down - it was that kind of day!

Factfile

East Clare Harriers

Kennels: Scarriff, Co Clare. Couples: 20.

Chairman - Brian Touhy

Joint-Masters - Delcan Durack and Pat Jones

Secretary - Daragh Collins

Point-to-point secretary - Gerry English

Hunter trials secretary - David Jones

Huntsman - Mike O’Dwyer

Whippers-in - David Jones, Patrick Nugent

Field-Master - Siobhan Garret-Cooney

East Clare - varied, stone walls, banks and hedges.

History

East Clare Harriers were officially formed in 1974 when the Co Clare was divided between the county pack and the newly formed East Clare Harriers. They are predominantly a drag pack.

Previous masters: Sean Jones, John Blake VS (1974 -1984), Joe Brogan (1984-99), Tony Marsh (1984-2013).

Meets: Sundays 12:30pm (sharp), visitors: Welcome by arrangement. Sub: Apply to secretary. Cap: Apply to secretary. Affiliated to: IMHA.