MR JOHN LA TOUCHE, 1841-1846 



question was, " Was it straight? " It did not matter 

 however good a ringing run might have been, he 

 would hear no word of it. If Mr Kennedy had to 

 say " No " in reply to his inquiry it was of no use 

 his proceeding, " he at once wished me good 

 morning and showed me out. If, however," con- 

 tinued Mr Kennedy, " I replied * Yes,' he lighted 

 up at once, and I had to describe the run over 

 and over again. I heard when a child that Wm La 

 Touche was really the best rider of the three 

 brothers at the time when they all three rode to 

 hounds." 



When Mr J. La Touche took the hounds James 

 Byrne, the first whip from Johnstown, was made 

 huntsman, and Martin Quirke was promoted to 

 first whip. They were both thirsty souls. After the 

 first season Mr La Touche hunted the hounds him- 

 self, and got a kennel huntsman from England. The 

 hounds were very carefully attended to and the 

 coverts well and properly cut. Fowl money was 

 lavishly paid to all who produced the heads and 

 legs of poultry, and it was said there grew up a 

 heavy trade in giblets between Dublin and Kil- 

 cullen as a consequence. Foxes became scarce 

 during the later part of Mr La Touche 's Master- 

 ship, owing in great part to the Repeal agitation; 

 indeed, Mr La Touche himself declared that Kil- 

 dare was only a two days a week country at that time. 

 M 161 



