With Tom Fulton
Hunting Roundup
‘Ready for action’ - Huntsman Alan Reilly with the Louth Foxhounds at Darver.
A
trip to Co Louth to see the Louth Foxhounds’ meet at Darver Castle saw no improvement in the weather or the going. Huntsman Alan Reilly had on a 13½ couple mixed pack and professional whipper-in Cathal Tuite was joined by amateurs Oisin Duffy and Chris Rogers while joint masters Dr Ralph Hoey and Gerry Boylan had a thirty strong mounted field under their control. One of the most popular car followers was Charlie (seven months) the infant son of joint master Joe Callan, himself hors de combat but, he tells me, well on the way to a full recovery. I was fortunate to be driven by the appropriately named David Fox who kept me up with the action which just proves that it takes one to know one! Alan Reilly, now in his second season hunting these hounds, first drew McGuinness’s Bog, just off the main N2 Road, but it was blank. Happily, a move to Mickey McDonnell’s brought more luck with a fox going afoot and taking hounds right across McDonnell’s, then through David Redmond’s at Corderry and into Lawless’. Hounds pushed this fox through renowned 102
Summer 2013 Countrysports and Country Life
Connemara pony breeder Padear Boyle’s and Mary Keeran’s then onto the side of Tom McGuinness’s before going back through Corderry. Though hounds were pushing their fox hard he did not seem, on the three occasions when seen by your correspondent, to be in any hurry and hound music was intermittent but strong when it was audible. This hunt crossed the Link Road at Louth Village and moved on to Knockbridge where our pilot eventually went to ground. Alan Reilly then made several draws around Knockbridge and back as far as the meet but they all proved blank in what now appeared to be very poor scenting conditions. Among the hounds on show were some second season hounds by two Hurworth stallion hounds, Prussia 04 and Rustic 07. Alan Reilly is now getting his own breeding programme set in train and has some varied blood to use. At times during the day so well has he got them hunting together that a handkerchief would have covered them. On our return to Darver Castle the hotel staff produced an excellent, warm plate of stew which we all thought was thoroughly deserved!