Southern Harriers Puppy Drag, 28/02/09

Waterfall at 4pm


The opening of the drag season happened today with the puppy hounds and their patient trainers, who anxiously awaited this event for the past few months. These trainers put a lot of hard work, time and patience into trailing their hounds, and today was the day which would determine their efforts at Waterfall where 16 puppy hopefuls were slipped.


So off they went to a tricky course. Tricky because of the first road crossing which was at an angle and these young pups didn't take it very well, and ran the road. Pups being pups they were probably just following each other for this part. However they did correct themselves and continued on their course. They had two road crossings and the pups were very staggered across the whole course. We knew there were 2 dogs away in front on their own, but we didn't know who for sure until the finish.


It was a long field to the call. Two fields out 2 hounds showed, and indeed it was not out of form ........... Pat O Learys 'I Want You' and Troy O Mahonys 'Get Smart' both of Northern United came into view. Pat O Learys 'I Want You' seemed to be driving out in front but Troy O Mahonys 'Get Smart' did just that when he cleared the ditch first into the long finishing field and maintained his position in front to win first place for a delighted Troy O Mahony, with a couple of lengths to spare on his clubmate 'I Want You', who took 2nd place for Pat O Leary.


After a few minutes we seen the next few hounds jump into the finishing field together, but the long call seperated these on the finish line with about 4 lengths between each. Northern United dominated this drag with 4 places and Mayfield taking 4th and 6th place.

Pictured Above; Troy O Mahony and Jennifer with their winning hound 'Get Smart'

RESULTS:

1st; 'Get Smart', Northern United
2nd; 'I Want You', Northern United
3rd; 'Nina', Northern United
4th; 'Barucca', Mayfield
5th; 'Jasper', Northern United
6th; 'Judys Girl', Mayfield
17 Ran, 16 Mins

Re-Run; Tuesday Night at 5pm, same venue

The re-run of Saturdays puppy drag got off to a great start. The pups were a lot more confident this second time round. They crossed the first road in a row with no hesitation, and at the second road, the pack were divided into two groups with a field seperating each.
A group of dogs came into the last field for the finish, where the previous placed hounds were in with a chance of a repeat performance. At least that's what we thought until the call went up and John Ahernes 'Nina' of Northern United stormed away from the pack and finished a very strong 1st on her own leaving a 6-8 length gap on her clubmate followers, 'Get Smart' who finished 2nd place for Troy O Mahony and 'I Want You' finishing 3rd for Pat O Leary, all of Northern United.

Results;

1. 'Nina', Northern United


2. 'Get Smart', Northern United


3. 'I Want You', Northern United


4. 'United Jack', Southern Harriers


5. 'Jasper', Northern United


6. 'Roxanne', Northern United

An Old Flame

A comment was made recently by a 'Barry' who was a member of Fairhill in the sixties before he left for Canada(His comment is under the News and Gossip column). As I had no contact details for this person I left a comment hoping He might see it, for him to contact me and I would post him this years Fairhill calender as it has a picture dating back to the sixties. To make a long story short, He seen my comment and e-mailed me saying that his brother Bill had posted him one(with a comment that the fairhill dogs couldn't pass the No 2 bus going up Cathederal road !!!) and was disappointed to see that his old club Fairhill was not in the running................... So I asked him a little more about his time here with the dogs and why He left etc..............and here's his reply.........

'Hello Nicola, I just got back from my walk, today was a nice day for walking. It has been very cold over here so far this year. Nicola if you look at the 2009 calendar in the extreme left hand corner is johna leary, he was a member and also a bookmaker, next to him is robert healy he used to have a grocery shop up the hill from the old glen hall.I am on his right with the white sports coat, 1st whip on left in front is johnny wrenne the last of the old fair hill boys, still alive must be in his ninetes. Peter cahill is huntsman in the centre, my brother bill is the whipper on the right in front, frankie quinlan is the whipper on his right. If i remember properly that picture was tken up in Mayfield, its the cross going up to rathcooney graveyard i think it was called Harrison Cross.
You asked me if i ever trained dogs for fair hill, my father won the all ireland in blackpool in 1947, the next year stevie quinlans dog joker and my fathers dog challenger tied for 1st place, so my father gave it to joker as my father won it the previous year, they were both fair hill dogs.Stevie Quinlan is in the calendar also, he is the 6th head in the back counting from the right. My brother bill had the first english dog liverpool lou,i had the next one the Don,i would think i was the 1st person to go to cumbria, i think it was 1961. I went for a vacation, it was my first time seeing dogs going over 6bar gates. It was johnny wrenne who was the first person to tell us about the drags in cumbria he was working in england at the time. We would not believe if anyone else had told us, but if you know johnny he never drank or smoked so the fair hill committe agreed to send me over. I remember the slagging we got the first time we brought liverpool lou to his first race you must remember we were running on horse flesh then, the lou as they called him was trained to aniseed oil. my brother bill and i picked him up off the innisfallen on thursday on friday morning and saturday morning we tried him on horseflesh against my own dog who was wicked fast for 2to 3 miles, they dead heated. We ran them from the long bog into the blackstone bridge. The first drag we ran the lou jn if my memory serves me right was in macroom on a monday of a bank holiday, he was second. He was actually running ahead and back to the pack not being used to the horseflesh, my brother bill w;uld remember better than me. Well Nicola i hope i did not bore you with my reminiscencing.Barry kelleher'



Above is the picture on this years Fairhill calender.
In his next reply to me ....................

'You asked me about and why i left Ireland, well my whole life then was draghunting, i worked in sunbeam on sot married in 1968 and left for canadahifts. There was little jobs then and i could not see any future. Josie callaghan got the Don when i left. WE got married in 1968 and left the same day for canada. For the next 12 months i could not wait to go home for vacation just to see my dog,we were going home in june 1969 when my father wrote to say the Don had died. A mystery three and half years old, i loved that dog, i used to talk to him alot when i was walking him. HE was afraid of crowds,in those days there was a lot of blackguarding in draghunting on both sides. In 1969 we moved to new york. Between 1969 and 1974 we had a house built on faggott hill, That bungalow looking out over the long bog -We were the only house there that time. WE had no luck in that house so we came back to New York after 10 months. So we are living in new jersey for the35years. WE are 30 miles from manhattan. I hope you are noy bored with my life story . God Bless Barry'

He told me his brother Bill, who still lives in Mayfield, was the fiirst person to run an English dog here in Ireland, his name was Liverpool Lou. I was very touched by this mans story, and it must be nice for him to see how the dogs now are running in Cork through this site.......I think it obviously brings back fond memories for him and he's able to keep track of old friends also. If any old friends wants to contact Barry let me know and I'll pass on his details. I'd like to thank Barry Kelleher for his time and for sharing his memories as I think other people who'll read this will as well.

Puppy Entries 2009

Puppy 2009
Name Club Keepers
Barucca Mayfield Bernie Rall
Judys Girl Mayfield Mick O'Brien
Scarty Boy Mayfield Sadie O'Donovan
Donna Mayfield Sadie O'Donovan
Shady Lady Mayfield Richie O'Donovan
Hi Magic Fairhill Pat O'Callaghan
Hi Ya Fairhill Pat O'Callaghan
The Stig Fairhill Cillian Doherty
Rock Star Carrigtwohill Jimmy Cotter
Bogart Carrigtwohill Jimmy Cotter
Decoy Carrigtwohill Jimmy Cotter
Schinazarde Carrigtwohill Charlie Cotter
Jasper N.United John Aherne
Nina N.United John Aherne
I Want You N.United Pat O'Leary
Don’t Quote Me N.United Pat O'Leary
Get Smart N.United Troy O'Mahony
Skylark N.Hunt G & A O'Sullivan
The Buffer Boy Clogheen Damien Wade
Berlin Clogheen J & G Frayne
Max High Clogheen David Lynch
High Maintenance Clogheen Shane Lynch
Tempest Douglas John O'Callaghan
United Jack Southern Harriers G & J Kenneally
Miss Jack Southern Harriers G & J Kenneally
Sheares Park Lad Southern Harriers Timmy McCarthy
Sheares Park Boy Southern Harriers Timmy McCarthy
Towlers Choice Southern Harriers D & R Hickey
Greenmount Warrior Southern Harriers D & R Hickey

Thanks to Marie Keating for supplying the list.

Fixtures & Venues 2009

28/02/09 Southern Harriers; Puppy Drag at Waterfall, 4pm

01/03/09 Southern Harriers; Senior Drag at Waterfall at 4pm
07/03/09 Northern United Puppy Drag at Carrignavar, 4pm

08/03/09 Northern United Senior Drag at Carrignavar, 4pm
15/03/09 Clogheen Harriers
17/03/09 Lets Get Together Suicide Foundation Drag at Bottlehill
22/03/09 Douglas Harriers
29/03/09 Carrigtwohill
05/04/09 Northern Hunt
11/04/09 Fairhill Harriers Senior Drag 4pm, at Duggans Lane

12/04/09 Fairhill Puppy drag at 12 noon, at Haunted House
13/04/09 Blackpool (Bank Holiday)

19/04/09 IHTA Deasy Memorial Senior Drag at Newcestown

22/04/09 Mayfield Puppy Drag at ERI, 7pm
26/04/09 Kerry Pike
02/05/09 Griffin United
04/05/09 Mayfield Harriers
09/05/09 International Drag at Grange, (near Clonakilty) West Cork

17/05/09 Gary O Sullivan Memorial
24/05/09 John O Leary Memorial Senior & Puppy Drag
31/05/09 Cahirciveen
01/06/09 Cahirciveen
07/06/09 ICDA D O Sullivan Memorial
14/06/09 Southern Harriers

20/06/09 English International at Millstone Moor, Cumbria

21/06/09 Northern United
28/06/09 Carrigtwohill
05/07/09 Northern Hunt

11/07/09 Cock How Festival, Cumbria, England
12/07/09 Munster Championship
19/07/09 ICDA / IHTA
26/07/09 Kerry Pike
02/08/09 Kenmare Annual Draghunt
03/08/09 Griffin United
09/08/09 Donal O Mahony Draghunt
16/08/09 ICDA Harrington Memorial Draghunt
23/08/09 Fairhill Harriers
30/08/09 Mayfield Harriers
06/09/09 Clogheen Harriers
11/09/09 Douglas Puppy Drag at 7pm

13/09/09 Douglas Senior Drag at 4pm

16/09/09 M Harrington Memorial
20/09/09 Puppy All Ireland
27/09/09 Senior All Ireland at Glenville