THERE was a great buzz on the main street in Coolgreany, where the Wicklow Hunt (a foxhound pack) was meeting at The Top Shop Bar, owned by Alan Giles. Local volunteers, Andy Kinsella, Ollie Gardner, Shauna Murphy, Laurence O’Neill, Tony Keelehan, Philip Redmond and John Minogue, were busy working on the Christmas lights.

When visiting the Wicklows, I often think of that great horseman Florrie Webb, former Wicklow master and huntsman in the 1970s, who I interviewed a number of years ago for my book Horse Tales & Hunt Talk. Florrie, despite having only one hand as he lost the other in a farm accident, hunted the pack for 16 seasons. He managed to utilise a hunting horn, hunting whip and still handle the reins and cross this double-bank challenging country with flair. And to make it even more remarkable, he also rode in point-to-points, winning the Island Open Lightweight Race on his own horse, Red Bar, and produced The Reserve Mare Champion at the Dublin Horse Show with Estrella. He said the secret was to make all his horses used to a plain snaffle bit by endless hours walking them on the road and through the streets of Gorey, stopping for chats and letting the young horses relax and get used to all the sights and sounds. He also hunted the Gorey and District Foot Beagles for 21 seasons.

The Wicklows were set up as a farmers’ pack and the followers are still steeped in farming and horse production and have a great following, as the countryside is so picturesque to hunt. With all the rain, the hunt staff sensibly planned the early meets in high country and will keep the low country for later when the weather improves. This year the membership has increased, and they had nearly 50 mounted followers out on the day. At their recent point-to-point, 60 volunteers turned up for 40 jobs.

Home ground

Wicklow huntsman Brendan Kavanagh was on home ground and he was riding Tyson, a horse by Lansdowne, bred by John Roche. Whipping-in to him is Patrick Goland and the field master is Peter Somers. The kennel huntsman is Larry Kavanagh and the fencing is efficiently done by Joe Swaine and Brian Cushe.

The chairman, Doran O’Toole, has a good team around him and a great interest in Wexford hurling and his son, Doran, plays on the minor team, as well as another young hunt follower, Conor Fanning.

It was a pleasure to see Richard Sheane of Cooley Farm unload four smashing and immaculately turned out young Irish Draught horses, ridden by Jessie, Sarah Anne and Kevin Law and Cian McHugh, that are bound for Lindsay Kelley Equestrian Yard in Marshall, Virginia - hunt country in the USA. I remember having grits for the first time a few years ago, when I had a hearty breakfast with Dr Will Russell, originally from Tipperary and a former master of the Scarteen, at Marshall Livestock Mart Cafe. Will said, ‘Don’t ask what’s in grits’, but they were tasty! The Cooley brand is flying high all over the eventing, show jumping and hunting world and Australian eventer Ryan Wood, who is based on his farm in Pennsylvania, was over looking at horses the previous week.

Richard Sheane's Cooley Irish Draughts, bound for the USA, with Kevin Law, Sara Anne Law, Cian McHugh and Jessie Law at the Wicklow Foxhounds meet at Coolgreany \ Noel Mullins

Lights, camera...

It was great to meet up with lighting cameraman Ken O’Mahoney, who I made a number of hunting documentaries with over the last few years, all of which are up on his Facebook page, ‘Horsin Around’. He is a well-known contributor of top class photographs to The Irish Field.

His film work is to be seen on all the major film and TV channels and he has just returned from a contract filming 1,000km inside the Arctic Circle on a follow up to Robert J Flaherty’s epic film Nanook of the North with Flaherty’s granddaughter, Martha. She grew up traditionally in Grise Fiord on the southern part of Ellesmere Island. For Ken, it was different from fox hunting, as the local quarry and diet is seal, walrus, caribou, bear, whale and berries.

Followers

There were three generations of the Coade family hunting; Kevin, Mary, Elaine, Parish and Kayla. Also hunting were Ravi Daly O’Toole, a good young rider who won the junior section of the Ward Union Antler Challenge, Paddy Finnegan, Kitty and Elsa Byrne. The Healer, whose identity is known only to Wicklow followers, also made an appearance - a mystery character like The Stig in Top Gear. Others mounted were Casey McDonald, Lorcan D’Arcy, Austin Fanning and his son, Conor, Vicki Marshall, Kitty and Elsa Byrne, Peter Somers, Layla O’Brien, Lorcan Darcy, Siun Goland, Annette Cushe, Heidi Hamilton and Barbara O’Reilly, who had an Irish Draught out, ridden by Aubrey Chapman. Aubrey won the Middleweight Championship at the Dublin Horse Show on Casey’s Express in 2023.

Other regulars were David Grandy, sheep farmer Mervyn Sunderland, Liam Owley whose granddaughter, Ceile, was hunting, Samantha Cushe, Seamus Killoran and Cathy Carton. Mick Goland is carrying a foot injury, so he was babysitting and, always to the fore was Stephen McDonald, who is a top producer of Connemara Ponies, winning this year in Ballinasloe loose jumping and at the RDS. He has a couple of ponies jumping in Denmark with Olivia Dressler.

Hunting

The great thing about the Wicklows is that there is often as many people following by car as mounted, and that has to do with what a huge family-orientated group they are.

It was a hard day for hounds, but they never gave up and worked well with the huntsman, who did not fuss them and allowed them to keep their heads down. There was a great view of Arklow Hill and Tara Hill in the distance and I learned a lot of this country had not been hunted in many years. Field master Peter Somers gave a great lead to the followers on the first two draws at Michael Kavanagh’s, Jimmy Hill’s and, passing through Sherscheen, a gate awaited the followers on the huntsman’s farm and they all took it in style. Granted, a couple had two tries! A double bank later held up half the followers, but they eventually caught up.

The pack were spoiled for choice, as there was a plethora of foxes congregating down at Larry Byrne’s. Two left and headed for Coolgreany before hounds entered the covert and there was at least a brace and a half still in the covert as the pack settled on one, who ran towards the hills and to ground. The huntsman brought the packs back and they found again, this time he went left-handed up the valley towards Celia Redmond’s and to ground. They found another in the long ditch and hunted him and marked him also.

With so many foxes in one spot, the huntsman decided to move on to the Askinch Road to John Joe McCarthy’s and Ted Fanning’s farm, but there was nobody at home, as they had moved on to Ford’s and they had some wonderful woodland hunting, eventually marking him in a wide ditch.

Drawing Terence Clare’s farm and on through the crossroads at Ballyfad Post Office in the direction of the highest points at Croaken and the Wicklow Gap with the mist coming down and near darkness, but the huntsman was not giving up, drawing on foot with his whipper-in Patrick Goland and proving their fitness (Brendan has an All-Ireland GAA medal).

We could hardly see him or the pack, but the car lights gave some reassurance, as he found in the second covert in Noel O’Toole’s and they had a lovely hunt for about 45 minutes we believe, as we could see nothing, but we could hear two of the top hound voices in Bouncer and Torment that kept us in touch. It was a good job the fox did not straighten up, as the valley ran all the way to Inch!

At the end of the day, at 5.30pm in darkness, there were 15 followers there to help box horses and hounds, amongst them Brian Cushe, John Kavanagh, Joe Swaine, Larry Kavanagh and David Grandy. The debrief took place back to The Top Shop Bar, accompanied by very welcome soup and sandwiches.

History of the Hunt

The Wicklow Hunt was founded in 1901 as the Wicklow Harriers and changed to a foxhound pack in 1936. In 1957, it changed name again to the Wicklow Hunt, hunting South County Wicklow and North Wexford.

Officers

Chairman – Doran O’Toole

Master – Frank Redmond

Huntsman – Brendan Kavanagh

Whipper-in – Patrick Goland

Kennel Huntsman – Larry Kavanagh

Honorary Secretary – Siún Stafford

Honorary Treasurer – Peter Somers