HISTORY OF THE KILDARE HUNT 



another to the great advantage of them all. In pro- 

 posing the health of the farmers of Kildare, coupled 

 with the names of Mr Carey, Mr Conran and Mr 

 Fisher, he acknowledged the good feelings which 

 existed between the farmers and the Hunt, and 

 what the Hunt owed to them. As he truly said, a 

 man might provide himself with hounds, horses, 

 and hunt servants on the lordliest scale, but they 

 would all be useless without the good will of the 

 farmers. He had never met a farmer in the whole 

 wide country hunted by the pack who objected to 

 his riding over his land, and he felt indebted to 

 them as his best and staunchest friends. I find the 

 toast of the earthstoppers identified with the names 

 of Jemmy Ivers of the Athy country. Flood of Rath- 

 coffey, and John Nowlan of the Hollywood coun- 

 try. These good but humble sportsmen were 

 unable to reply to the toast, but I gather from some 

 further remarks of the Master that their services 

 were properly appreciated, and a remark of his that 

 the by-earths in the past season had cost £230 to 

 look after and that he hoped in future that they 

 might all be done away with as not only useless 

 but mischievous, and that he trusted he should 

 have the assistance of the earthwarners and earth- 

 stoppers in that desirable object, was received with 

 great and approving cheers. 

 Sir Edward, " the Sir " as he was called by the 



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