A Fox-Hunter's Paradise 



entail any very great expense. There are no three 

 guinea Saturday Caps in Ireland. Indeed, the usual 

 Cap-money collected at most Irish Meets is half-a- 

 crown. With the more fashionable packs the Cap is 

 accordingly higher, but the maximum for non-subscribing 

 visitors is one pound. Subscriptions for the season are 

 as low as three pounds, with several two-days-a-week 

 packs ; of course, with the bigger establishments, annual 

 subscriptions range up to fifty pounds. There are 

 several private packs and an endless array of foot-hound 

 packs, where Cap-money and subscriptions do not exist 

 or are merely optional. 



If visitors wish to purchase their hunters here . . . 

 well, who has not heard of Ballsbridge Bargains ? The 

 same applies to Ireland in general. Any farmer's son 

 will be glad to sell his horse to a visitor, and although 

 it is our Irish trait to ask plenty at the outset, we are 

 easy to deal with eventually; and if there is still some 

 difficulty towards the conclusion of the deal a good 

 " luck-penny " soon overcomes it. If horses are to be 

 hired, there are numerous reputable riding schools and 

 livery establishments in the cities and bigger provincial 

 towns which provide safe cross-country conveyances at 

 very reasonable charges. If hunting with the smaller 

 provincial packs, a farmer's son may lend you a horse 

 that will do your heart good. Invariably, the honorarium 

 will be left entirely to yourself, and you may have a 

 day on his raw-looking four-year-old that will be, in 

 the long years ahead, one of life's most pleasant and 

 cherished Irish memories. 



The difficulties of procuring personal accommodation 



121 



