MEMOIR OF THE KILKENNY HUNT. 35 



sons of Mr. Power also took the field, and his third 

 son, Ambrose, afterwards Archdeacon of Lismore, 

 though one-armed, was a hard rider. 



It has been before mentioned that, when Mr. Power 

 began to hunt the country, he was practically free 

 to go where he would in search of sport, and 

 extended his operations outside the Kilkenny border. 

 After a time, however, other hunts were formed, 

 and his wanderings became more restricted. The 

 Carlow Hunt was formed by the late Mr. John 

 Watson of Ballydarton in 1808, though the country 

 hunted by him did not extend to all Carlow coverts, 

 and of course did not embrace the Island country 

 and other portions of the existing Carlow Hunt, 

 so long and so ably presided over by the present 

 Mr. Robert Watson, his son, who has earned the 

 unique distinction of having carried the horn for 

 fifty-two seasons, and afforded brilliant sport to two 

 generations of his field. His grandfather used to 

 keep a pack at Ballydarron, hunting mainly wolves, 

 hares, and deer, the latter enlarged from deer-parks ; 

 and a portion of the kennels he used nearly 200 

 years old still remains at Ballydarton, and is con- 

 nected with the existing kennels, which were con- 

 structed some seventy years ago. The Tipperary 

 Hunt had also been formed, and the Ossory Hounds, 

 hunting a part of the Queen's County, were given 

 leave to draw certain coverts in that count}' which 

 had hitherto belonged to Mr. Power. This arrange- 

 ment led to some correspondence later on. 



At this time the " new system " of riding to hounds 

 had come thoroughly into fashion. In earlier days 



