THE scenery around the East Down Foxhounds hunt country is spectacular, with Slieve Donard and the Mountains of Mourne that Percy French wrote so eloquently about in his well-known ballad of the same name.

Trekking is popular with its woodlands, beaches, rolling drumlins, old turf, wonderful spinneys, small lakes and reed beds, a natural home for wildlife and particularly, the red fox.

I often wonder why more hunt followers in the south don’t come to hunt with these Ulster packs as they are within easy commuting distance. The people are most hospitable and they have some of the most experienced hunt staff and hounds in the country.

Donna Quail and Pat Turley are the joint-masters and would be well-known in the racing and bloodstock world. Donna’s daughter, Toni, rides out for Colin Bowe and has already ridden the winners of a point-to-point, a hurdle race and a bumper.

Pat Turley farms beside Downpatrick Racecourse, is the owner of Kingsfield Haylage, and a regular consignor at the thoroughbred sales. His son Patrick, a former point-to-point jockey, trains on the farm, and has had a consistent winning record on the circuit. He has a new batch of four-year-olds ready to run. Pat’s son David and grandson Ben were also at the meet.

Ultimate professional

Declan Feeney is a professional huntsman for 25 seasons and the ultimate professional, and a role model for any aspiring person wishing to go into hunt employment and I am surprised that the Irish Masters of Foxhounds Association don’t utilise his expertise on a hunt staff development programme.

In the kennels is a plaque in memory of his favourite hound Peacock. It is interesting that one of the most revered and talked about masters in the UK and indeed the rest of the hunting world, especially the USA, commented that the hound would not last the rigors of hunting as she had turned-in toes.

How wrong he was, as not alone did the hound hunt 10 seasons but was the top performer in the pack. Maybe some of these masters were breeding hounds more for the show ring rather than hunting, with an eye firmly on the summer hospitality at hound shows!

Declan was kennel huntsman and whipped-in to British international and Olympic show jumper David Barker, huntsman of the Meynell and South Staffordshire. A classic horseman, Declan learned some of the finer points of horsemanship from him and particularly split second decisiveness in what line to take crossing country on a hard running pack. He was riding a former three-star eventer previously ridden by Declan Cullen.

His kennels are immaculate, and he has an impeccable reputation as a hound breeder and this is evident in his athletic and superbly conditioned pack of hounds that have voice, drive and real fox sense. His daughter Dorothy, who is studying to be a veterinary nurse, was exercising her Connemara pony that has both bone and presence. His wife Cathy and son Conor are fine riders but work unfortunately sometimes gets in the way!

Nice surprise

Hunt chairman James Armstrong was away on holidays but Craig Cavan, joint-master for over 30 seasons, was following. A keen hound breeder, he is a committee member of the Irish Masters of Foxhounds Association.

It was good to meet up with local landowner Max Irvine and his wife Margaret who are astute breeders of thoroughbreds. They had a nice surprise early that morning as one of their mares had a colt foal by Bungle Inthejungle.

Brian Toner, who normally is whipper-in to Declan, also produces show ponies. He is a member of Devils on Horseback and is away filming a lot of the time, making productions like Game of Thrones, Outlaw King, and Valhalla. He guided me around and could anticipate every line of a fox all day and where the followers would cross-country over the stone walls and hedges.

I was sorry not to meet up with local farmer Willie McDowell who is a great help in the kennels when he is free, but on the day he was busy on his farm nearby.

Followers

One of the first people I met was Ruairi Barlow whose grandfather, Billy, did the fencing for the hunt. Local builder and publican Bartley Murphy was looking really well after recovering from a crushing fall recently, spending four weeks in intensive care. He is a popular man in Downpatrick and received a rousing reception home, which Declan said was timely as there was some electrical work to be finished in the kennels!

Hunting also was Judith Evans whose daughter Molly works for trainer Sam Griffith in Dorset, Emma Byrne, Barney McConville, visitors from the County Down Staghounds Norman Walsh and Joanne Martin, and Bartley’s nephew Ross Reynolds who was riding a smashing Connemara.

Hunting

The first draw was in Firis Bog and hounds quickly found their first fox of the day. He slipped away left-handed crossing thoroughbred horse producer Max Irvine’s farm while hounds were creating the most spectacular music in cover.

This dark coloured and well-nourished fox crossed beside me and Brian Toner but stopped momentarily in no panic to stare at us. He ran through another covert and over international dressage rider Dougie Stevenson’s gallops in a line for Crossgar Golf Course, but turned and ran back to Stevenson’s and to ground.

To get to the pack, the followers had to jump a steep drop off the road and then onto a few solid double stone walls with masters Pat Turley and Donna Quail giving a great lead. Declan drew back in Dougie Stevenson’s again and they ran on through Doug Carlisle’s where he blew them out and moved on.

Hounds found again in Will Armstrong’s off Beeches Road and ran in a few circles as the followers jumped a number of hunt fences over David McClugg’s and they marked to ground at the back of the sheds in the farmyard.

The Old Fort on top of the hill produced a brace, with one running left with the pack splitting through the properties of Roy Caruthers and Hugh Gabbies. But the huntsman, who had nobody whipping-in to him on the day, gave a real lesson on how to lift hard running hounds with split second timing, and put them onto the main pack on the second fox.

They ran hard right-handed through Irish Draught breeder Dr Karen King’s place with her young horses and Irish Draught mares standing fascinated in an adjoining field. The pack marked this customer at the back of McClugg’s, as the huntsman blew for home.

What a smashing day with Feeney and his hounds in sparkling form. Add to that, the great viewing and action-packed from start to finish.

History

The pack was hunted by Matthew Forde of Seaforde in 1768, known as the Lecale Harriers. Then in 1887 it became the East Down Harriers and changed to a foxhound pack in 1947.

Factfile

East Down Foxhounds

Chairman: James Armstrong

Joint-masters: Donna Quail and Pat Turley

Huntsman: Declan Feeney

Whippers-in: James Armstrong, Michael Smith and Brian Toner

Field-master: The Masters

Honorary secretary: Donna Quail

Honorary treasurer: Calvin

Henderson