PF Smyth’s Pub in Newtown, where the Carlow Farmers Foxhounds held their millennium hunt in traditional costume, may be closed, but honorary treasurer James Bolger came to the rescue with his well-stocked jeep, liberally dispensing refreshments to the happy band of followers.

Carlow hunt country, in the shadow of Mount Leinster, is something special with every possible obstacle, double banks, drains, and stone walls.

With that challenge, you need a good-quality all-round hunter, and there are producers, like former huntsman Ado Moran, that the great Killinick horseman Jack Lambert remarked to me once, that Ado was ‘the best man he has seen to make a young horse’ in his yard.

He has a stable in Borris offering livery and breaking facilities. Another producing top-class hunters is joint-master Joe Skelton, his sons whipper-in Jody and his brother Gerry. Jody is married to equestrian veterinary surgeon Emma Hosey who events and is a regular exhibitor at the Dublin Horse Show.

Jody’s fellow whipper-in Tom Berney was away playing polo in Argentina so JJ Bolger and Diarmuid Sommers, two stylish riders, were helping out. It was a pleasure to observe the standard of horsemanship, as nobody rushed their mount, just letting them settle and address every obstacle without fuss, and all with good hands, letting the horse or pony stretch their necks, but they did ride on at the walls!

What I also liked was that this is very much a family hunt, no heroics or boasting about what they jumped, and more importantly, nobody was left behind.

The hunt is well managed with strong financial skills, much needed in this day, with James Bolger and past master Brian Rice available in the wings. Brian has also bred some nice Irish Draught horses, which I recall he exhibited at the Dublin Horse Show.

The point-to-point course at Borris, where the hunt run two fixtures annually is, according to champion jockey Barry O’Neill, a very fair wide track with great drainage which attracts big entries. During the recent cold snap, it was one of the few tracks to receive approval to race. It has produced some high-profile winners like former Carlow Farmers’ master Gill Browne’s home-bred Andy Dufresne who has been such a success for current owner JP McManus and trainer Gordon Elliot.

The last time I visited the Carlow Farmers, Killinick horseman Jack Lambert was hunting his Irish Draught stallion. During the day the horse lost a shoe and somebody loaned him their hunter. He turned to me and said: “This is a first time in over 70 seasons hunting that I hunted a horse that was plaited!” It was always fun hunting with Jack.

The Watsons of Carlow

I have had an interest in the rich past of hunting in Carlow since I discovered Carlow born George Watson’s papers in Melbourne Library, Australia. He was a son of John Watson from Ballydarton House in Fenagh and with his son, Robert, were masters of the Carlow Foxhounds for over 100 seasons. George’s brother John was huntsman and master of the Meath Foxhounds. I travelled to Australia to visit both the Melbourne and the Oakland Hounds some years ago.

George emigrated to Australia in 1850 in the middle of the gold rush and set up Cobb & Co to supply the gold mines and Kirk’s Horse Bazaar, a livery and horse sales company. He was a founder of the Victoria Racing Club and redeveloped Flemington Racecourse in 1860 with Kildare engineer Robert Bagot and the new development attracted up to 100,000 racegoers on Melbourne Cup Day.

He rode in races, and was the starter of the famous Melbourne Cup for over 35 seasons, and founded the Melbourne Foxhounds still going strong to this day.

Ado Moran and Paddy Quinlan jump upsides across a ditch while out with the Carlow Farmers meet at Newtown \ Noel Mullins

Huntsman and followers

Huntsman George Barrett has gained his experience from whipping-in to the Crawley & Horsham in the UK and the Kilkenny Foxhounds. He receives great support from his father George and his brother Ger making them a very effective team. George has a lovely style with his smashing pack of hounds that have great voice, drive, and look a picture.

Some of the best young riders hunting were Peter, Lilly and Diarmuid Sommers who were to the fore all day. Others hunting were Ciara Mullen, Siobhan Carroll, Sinead Smullen, Dermot Sommerville, Amanda Finn, Ciaran Jones and his daughter Niamh, Ado Moran, show jumping rider Paddy Quinlan, Christine O’Donnell, Fergus Lawlor, Jamsie O’Brien, Ronan Gallagher, Jim Weldon, Belinda Ferris, and Kathleen O’Riordan.

Also following were Tommy Dunne, Richard Nolan, Helen Smullen and Kevin O’Donnell, a very fit man who followed on foot across country. His daughter Sarah took part in the Pony Club exchange hunting with the Aiken Hounds in Georgia. The huntsman’s partner Belinda Furness was hunting James Bolger’s smashing coloured hunter. Marie Barrett, a sister of the huntsman, looked after his and Belinda’s daughter 18-month-old Lily.

Hunting

The previous Sunday meet at Ballinabrannagh, organised by Brian Rice, was, by all accounts, a cracker of a day.

The meet at Newtown was organised by area manager Martin Fenelon, a great supporter of the hunt. He owns Curracruit Cross-Country Course, a popular schooling track and cross country schooling track with hunts, riding clubs, pony clubs, with set schooling days. The Carlow Farmers hold their hunter trials there and is suitable for adults and children.

The first draw was towards Millar’s Lane, down a boreen to Johnnie Murphy’s farm where, if the first wide drain did not catch out the followers, the second, just as foreboding, lay in wait, so there was plenty of casualties. Hounds found in the Plantation while half the field were trying to catch up, and gave this customer a good run and marked him in a pile of rocks.

Further down in Millar’s, hounds found another customer and pressed him hard into the open in a circle eventually over a harvested beet field and back to the find and to ground.

Scantallon’s Farm was next, and a slow draw ensued down a strip of bog which was so wet there was nobody at home. They jumped a few stone-faced drains into Murphy’s and the bog that borders the farm. A stout wall was an invitation to ride on, but the double bank out was complicated as the rider had to jump onto it and avoid a tree, turn right suddenly and jump out over what can only be described as a swamp.

It was a delight to see Ado Moran let his young horse only take it on when he was comfortable and talked to him, encouraging him every step of the way. Master Mehran Mirahmidi offered support to other riders yet to take it on. I heard one rider on the other side remark, “I am glad I am over this side!”

After jumping another double bank from Fenelon’s to Miss Murphy’s, the huntsman drew the bog and hounds took no time to have another customer on the move. He had a larder on site with a pheasant pen in the corner so was slow to leave.

But the two donkeys pointed the way, reminiscent of the classic Snaffles print titled The Informers. They pushed him on to another bog where he eventually turned right-handed and then left out into a field of beet and back again in a circle to Seanie’s Bog onto Brady’s Bog where they marked him in the brambles.

Although nearing dusk, the huntsman was determined to get the last light of the day and took the depleted field over a series of stone walls in Ivan Holden’s into Regan’s Farm and more walls into Jim Nolan’s Valley where hounds found again; they struggled with scent but persevered, eventually marking him in a shore. The huntsman reluctantly blew for home after a wonderful hunt and a great display of hound work.

What a day, great hospitality, super challenging hunt country, a fine display of horsemanship, and a wonderful pack of hounds and an enthusiastic huntsman. What more would you want?

History

There is a great tradition of foxhunting in Carlow with the Watson family in office for 100 years. Mrs Olive Hall was later master, then Cornie Grogan before they were disbanded. In 1979 the hunt was reformed to hunt the country that the Naas Harriers had hunted up to 1966, and has gone from strength to strength ever since.

Factfile

Carlow Farmers Hunt

Chairman - Fergus Lawlor

Vice Chairman - Ado Moran

Masters - Joe Skelton, Mehran Mirahmidi and Justin Scale

Huntsman - George Barrett

Whipper-in - Jody Skelton and Tom Berney

Honorary Secretary - Karen Noble

Honorary Treasurer - James Bolger