MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. II 



Mountains to the bridge of VVaterford without jump- 

 ing a fence. It might seem rather inexplicable why 

 Mr. Power should have been induced to settle for 

 hunting in Kilkenny in preference to remaining in 

 his native county of Tipperary, a fine hunting area ; 

 but the explanation may be found in the fact that 

 Tipperary being a very open country, without many 

 woodland coverts, Mr. Power was attracted by the 

 number of strongholds for foxes which exist in Kil- 

 kenny, and perhaps by the reputation which it, even 

 then, may have enjoyed for good scenting properties. 

 Having settled at Kilfane, he proceeded to build 

 kennels, the ruins of which still exist in a part of the 

 place called Sunnyvale, not far from the house, but 

 on the west side of the stream. A circular courtyard 

 ran round the front of the kennels, which were well 

 planned and well situated as regards aspect. Here 

 the hounds remained for nearly forty years. At that 

 time there were no gorses or made coverts, and Mr. 

 Power had to rely on woodlands and rough natural 

 coverts ; but he soon began to make gorses and to 

 construct earths. No doubt, he availed himself of 

 patches of natural gorse in wild places, and enclosed 

 and enlarged them ; but many he planted, such as 

 Castlcwarrcn, Bishopslough,Cloghila, Dunbell, Knock- 

 roe, c. Others, such as Ballyfoyle, Ballysallagh, 

 Clara, Src., he probably merely fenced. He took 

 Grennan Wood on lease, both as a nursery for foxes 

 and for the sake of the sale of timber thinnings and 

 oak bark. He did not, however, confine his opera- 

 tions to the County Kilkenny only. At the close of 

 the last century, and for some years subsequently, 



