Echoes of the Hunting Horn 



no longer exist. In addition to the number of country 

 houses that provide for hunting visitors, there is ample 

 hotel accommodation. The Irish Tourist Board have 

 made exhaustive, up-to-date surveys of hotel conditions 

 and will supply on request full details of existing services 

 in hotels, even those situated in the most remote country 

 districts. 



The acid test that determines whether a holiday has 

 or has not been enjoyed is : will the visitor return to 

 his holiday haunt ? The steadily-increasing figures of 

 tourist statistics are the best answer to that question. 

 Even a small pack of fox-hounds can be a very expensive 

 item and, except in the case of private packs, they would 

 cease to exist unless for the whole-hearted support of 

 their followers. That hunting is flourishing is due, in 

 no small way, to the steadily-increasing influx of over- 

 seas visitors. It is obvious that these visitors must have 

 enjoyed themselves previously or they would not return 

 and bring their friends along with them to sample 

 another Irish Hunting Season. 



What is this mysterious lure that captivates the visitor 

 to our countryside ? Poets, artists, musicians all of 

 them have tried to capture the spirit of Ireland. All 

 of them have done their best, but an experience is a 

 difficult matter to convey through the medium of art, 

 and Ireland must be " experienced " individually before 

 one can fully appreciate the combined efforts of all the 

 exponents of the Fine Arts. 



The spirit of Ireland is as elusive as a wisp of wind- 

 blown thistledown, and thistledown is a very delicate 

 but very beautiful sample of our Creator's art. 



122 



