Io6 IRISH SPORT AND SPORTSMEN. 



nature of the ground making riding Impossible. In 

 1745, Mr. Nicholson of Balrath, kept a pack, which 

 was the first kept in the country exclusively devoted 

 to hunting foxes, and some Idea of the difficulties they 

 had to contend with may be had when we find It the 

 practice of the time to go to some well-known haunt 

 of the fox before break of day, where, glad to shelter 

 themselves under some friendly bank, these hardy 

 sportsmen used to await the return of the fox to his 

 earth, and at the first dawn of the wintry morning lay 

 the pack on his trail. We can well imagine how wel- 

 come the gallop he led them must have been. In 

 1816, this state of things came to an end, and most of 

 those packs which were scattered about the country 

 were joined into one club, which consisted of twelve 

 members, viz., Messrs. Christopher A. Nicholson, 

 Waller, John Gerrard, A. H. C. Pollock, C. A. 

 Tisdall, Wm. Cruise, Robert Longfield, John Payne 

 Garnett, Andrew Cruise, George Everard, Henry 

 Pendleton, and Hamlet Garnett, four of whom sub- 

 scribed ^50 each, and the other eight £20 per 

 annum. They were called the ClonglU Hounds, and 

 the kennels were at the old castle of that name, the 

 ruins of which may still be seen. On the death of 

 Knipe, their huntsman (which was caused by his 

 breaking his neck in a fall from his horse near Slane), 

 John Grennan, with his sons. Jack and Denny, held 

 office. A hard-riding man was he, and always 

 Inclined for a forward cast. 



The management of the pack for fourteen years 

 was undertaken by Mr. William Waller of Aliens- 

 town. A separate pack had still been kept by Mr. 

 Hopkins of MItchelstown, but in 1832, this was 



