HUNTING

The Shancor Hunting Club was founded in 1890 by  J.P. Johnson, Cherrybank House, Cornafean and James McCann, Shancor. It has remained active in the locality ever since.

THE HISTORY OF HUNTING IN THE CORNAFEAN AREA

by Peadar McSeain

Peadar McSeain

The name of the hunting club that hunts in our area is Shancor. There is no formal committee, but the recognised members are largely the owners of the dogs. The hunting season usually starts at the end of September, on the first Sunday after the All-Ireland final, and ends on St. Patrick’s Day. In olden times, during the off season, the dogs would lie idle or be used as house dogs, but in more recent times they took part in drag hunts. This is where hay from a ferret’s nest sprinkled with aniseed was dragged around the course by a relay of officials. At present hay from a fox’s nest is used. Then the dogs were released in heats of twenty. A final would then be run with the first dog, past the post getting the major award. The first drag hunt ever to be run in heats was on 8^th February 1946 in Cornafean and the first prize of £20 went to Peter Curry from Teemore, Co. Fermanagh, with a black dog called “Gambler’. The entry fee was 2/6d. (1 21/2p). There was a bar on the field and dinners were served in the hall Incidentally, one of the judges was Big Tom O’Reilly of Cavan football fame.

The season started with hunts every Sunday till Christmas in the local club. We are all familiar with the sound of the huntsman’s horn used to call the dogs to prepare for the hunt:

                        "The huntsman's horn in the early morn likewise a ringing cheer

                        Awakens and re-echoes the woodlands far and near

                        The wee hound in his cosy lair will answer without fail

                        And to the call go bounding over woodland. hill and dale.”

Early in the New Year, as the days got longer, hunts would be arranged with other clubs. These would normally be Milltown, Kildallon, Redhills and in later years we crossed the border to Magheraveely and Derrylin in Co. Fermanagh. This meet would start with a handshake and the host club usually directed the hunt after the dogs had been released. The huntsmen identify their dogs by their cry.. one would say “youh youh” and another   “wouh wouh”, while others”yoh yoh”, but they all blend in the distance, especially around a lake.

Local hunt enthusiasts pictured in Waterville, Co. Kerry in August 1998 (l to r) Eddie McCaffrey, Jimmy Connolly, Philip Fitzpatrick, Charlie Chaplin, Tommy McDonald, Mrs McDonald, PJ McSeain, Tom Geraghty

 The cry is better on the trail of a fox than on a hare. The hounds are referred to as beagles, but I think the proper name is a harrier. Each club meets once a year with a return during the same season. In the early days this visit would be concluded with a spree and barn dance with a couple of half barrels of porter  being tapped in the process Before this would happen each huntsman would bring a guest home for dinner and later they would assemble at the pre-arranged venue where one man would be in charge of the porter. The late Tommy Donohoe told a good story about an event like this is Redhills. Owen Galligan was in charge when Benny Smith arrived after a feed of salty bacon and said, “Owen, I’m shocking dry.” To which Owen replied, 1 haven’t the bucket or mugs got yet” But Benny, undaunted, said, “Oh, God, I never was beat for a plan; put a sup in this wellington, the other one is leaking.”

Relaxing in Cornafean (l to r) John Joe Kiernan, Joe McKiernan, Sean Duignan, Thomas McKiernan, Stephen O'Hanlon, Philip Fitzpatrick, John McKiernan, Pauric Brady, Tommy Fitzpatrick (Teemore)

A good hunt is when the dogs keep in full cry and together, the old saying is “A sheet would cover them”; also when the hare is saved - a dead hare is no good to the huntsman. After hunting for about three quarters of an hour the huntsmen know the hare has got enough and when she crosses the road and stands at the gap, the dogs turn back and the hunt is called off. If the hare is killed, which rarely occurs, it will be accidental and this happens if you have old dogs which cannot keep up with the hunt and if the hare does a U-turn she will be met by the slower dogs and this is where the accident occurs. The advice from the club is to keep old dogs at home except when you have a local hunt on a wet murky day with no wind-the saying is  “Where there is a tear on the grass”-on such a day the scent would be poor, so experience would be more of an asset than speed. Hence the expression, “The old dog for the hard road!’

Songs were composed about famous hunts, for instance “The Foxhunt from Coolbawn” by Tommy Donohoe, and here is one verse from “The Hackeldy Black Hare” composed by the same man and his father.

“On top of the Mill Hill a crowd they stood there,

They ran in between them saying let Pussy (hare) away

When chorus (the hound) spoke out “Ah show me fair play”

They hunted her on and kept up the cry.

The black hare did answer. “Today I must die”.

Hunting in our area started in Drumcarey; Jimmy McGahern’s grandfather hunted with them, so also did John Martin’s grandfather along with Frank Lynch, Paddy Keogan. Eddie McCabe, Jack Sheridan and Peter Masterson. The present club was formed in Shancor about 1890.

One of the founder members was my grandfather, J. P. Johnson. Kenny Masterson maintained he was the first person to call a hound on Shancor hill. He was joined by James McCann, Charlie’s father, Michael McGahern and Mickey Bowe As the club grew, it included the Duignans and the O’Reillys of Shancor, the O’Briens of Aghaknock; James Walsh, Cloncose; James and Joe O’Reilly of Drumbess; and James and Paddy MeGahern. Then we had Charlie McCann and the Wrynns of Shancor, Frank Duignan of Cloncose, the Gertys of Bruce, and Mickey McDonald who one day was boasting that his was the best dog walking, to which Paudge Masterson quickly retorted in his own inimitable style, “But don’t ask him to run”.

The club was joined in the forties and early fifties by Tommy Donohoe, Larry McIntyre, Tommy Hughes, the Mac Seains, the Cassidys, John McKiernan and Sean Masterson, together with John Martin, Jack Masterson and Jimmy Sheridan of Bruce. A feature of the club has been the inclusion of younger members all the time and the sixties was no exception with the arrival of the O’Hanlons and the Fitzpatricks of Quivey, while the seventies witnessed further expansion with the McKiernans of the Fort, Seamus O’Reilly and Gerry Sheridan of Drumbess, and the Fitzpatricks of Annagh. In the eighties, new members included Eamon Masterson, Sean Martin, the Blakeleys and the MacSeains, great grandchildren of the founder member, J. P. Johnson.

The club has won many trophies at drag hunts. Brendan Hanion has been successful twice in Cornafean and has numerous other prizes to his credit, Tommy Donohoe won 13 trophies for victories in draghunts, while John Martin of Bruce was the first Cornafean man to win the Pol Mac Seain Cup. The McKiernan brothers won it later with a dog they brought up after the father had gone to the drag. 1 myself won first prize at a drag in Smithboro two years in succession; the first year with Brendan Hanlon’s dog and the following year with Tommy Donohoe’s.

THE DOGS OF DRUMCROW  by the late Tommy Donohue

You lovers of sporting, I pray you draw near,

To the few simple verses I would like you to hear

It is of hunt, I'll  now let you know,

With a fox from Coolbawn and the dogs from Drumcrow

It was old Xmas Day 1964

When the boys from Drumcrow bet all Corlismore.

It was out in Coolbawn in Joe Crowe's whins and rockA

Frank Fitzpatrick's old dancer, he put out a fox

Out through Mullaghambly they did hunt him with skill,

Then in through Drumcoghill and up the long hill

They came to Cornafean with a cry loud and clear,

Right round the wee lake and in through Farinseer.

For the high hill of Corr he then took his way,

He crossed the road there at Paddy's brae.

Back through Drumora, he swam into Lismore,

Through Crenard and Kevit and on down through Tonnymore.

From Tonnymore to Drumcor, sure he went all the way,

And Bob Millar saw them as they flew through Drumskeagh.

It was Millar who told me the chasing was hard,

For in less than ten minutes they were down in Drumard;

Through the birch in the bog where they scarce could be seen,

He did all Killagoan and likewise Derryheen.

It was then that he turned with his head into the wind,

While the dogs of Drumcrow, they came up behind.

This hunt was near over for reynard was beat

They viewed him and caught him on Bill Tubman's street

So now to conclude and to finish my song,

I have told the true story about the fox hunt from Coolbawn.

Fill up your glasses until they overflow

And we'll drink to Matt Caffrey and his dogs from Drumcrow.

 

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Current Members and Subscribers

Deceased Members 

In 2000, Peadar McSeain compiled a full list of all deceased members of Shancor Hunt Club and recorded the name, address, age and date of death of each member. Since the publication of the list, another long-serving member Tom Geraghty, Bruse, has died. May he rest in peace.

We reproduce the list below with Peadar's  permission.

Date of Death

13th September 1926

Members of Shancor Hunt Club in 1982