The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
LAST OF THE LOCAL BEAGLE HUNTERS
THROUGH hundreds of years the barony of Iveragh has been home to the beagle hunting dog with such a tradition embracing all parishes. The Liberator, Daniel O’Connell himself, was very keen on the sport, owning a number of hounds.
Junior Murphy of Cahirsiveen writes this in his book ‘Cahersiveen, The Town that Climbs the Mountain’:
‘The beagle hunting dog of South Kerry is part of our heritage. It’s said that they are of Spanish origin and were brought to South Kerry by Spanish sailors. The new breed proved immensely popular with the natives. They were not as fast as the wolfhound but they had tremendous staying powers and could follow the prey from the time of picking up the scent in the early morning till well past dusk in the evening.
‘The hare is hunted from October to March and it’s an inspiring sight to see groups of men gather in the towns and villages on a Sunday morning in anticipation of a day’s hunting when the huntsman sounds the bugle and the dogs answer the call, straining at their leashes to be free. There is no sweeter sound than the music of the beagles as they hunt the hare or the fox. The kill is very much frowned upon and any ‘killer’ is usually removed from the hunt. Beagles have very placid temperaments and their music, as the baying is called, can be heard for miles. The hunt is a much loved activity and a very social occasion, especially in the valleys and hills of Kerry.’
The scribe recently bumped into two long time beagle owners from Cahirsiveen. They are John Paul O‘Shea from Barr Na Sráide and Tom O’Shea, originally of Carhan.
Cahirsiveen has a long tradition of beagle hunters, but today John Paul and Tom are the last two of such left in the town. John Paul spent many years in London, mainly at cable work, and returned to the town about twenty years ago.
He hunts with the Cahirsiveen Over-The-Water club. Tom is a former employee of Kerry County Council and hunts with the Killoe club. They spoke of hunting with the former Kerry footballer Jack O’Shea and nostalgically reminisced on great hunting days with friends long gone. Long may they keep the bugle sounding in the environs of Barr Na Sráide. THE story of the world’s first Transatlantic Cable laid between Valentia Island and Heart’s Content in Newfoundland over 150 years ago is an inspiring one. The Transatlantic Cable dramatically reduced the time it took to communicate, as what previously required two weeks by ship could now be carried out in minutes via the deep sea copper cables, thus beginning an era of global collaboration. It really was the forerunner to today’s Internet.
To commemorate this historic project, an inaugural Valentia Island lecture will be held at the historic Cable Station building in Valentia at 4.30pm on July 14, followed by a gala dinner at 7pm in the Royal Hotel.
The theme of the event will be ‘Globalisation: Our Interconnected world’. Speakers will include Profesor Jeffrey Garten, Dean Emeritus at the Yale School of Management, who, incidentally, is husband to the famous ‘Barefoot Contessa’ chef, Ina Garten.
The event is organised by the Valentia Transatlantic Cable Foundation, which has been set up to raise funds to restore the key historical cable sites on Valentia Island with the objective of opening them up to the public and attaining UNESCO World Heritage status.
The foundation’s goal is to secure the required support and funding – estimated to be approximately €4.5m – by raising the profile of the project at national and international level, while engaging with state funding opportunities and private donors.
Tickets for the Gala dinner, which will include a complimentary ticket to the lecture, are now available for €50 ( plus booking fee) at https:// valentiacable. eventbrite, com
Further enquiries to info@ valentiacable.com.