212 IRISH SPORT AND SPORTSMEN. 



CHAPTER XV. 



THE SOUTH UNION, UNITED HUNT, AND MUSKERRY 



HOUNDS. 



I SHALL condense the history of the South Union, 

 Muskerry, and United Hunt, into one short chapter. 

 I have to adhere carefully to the line of accuracy, having 

 to deal with facts and shun fiction ; so that as I do 

 not know very much of the hunting territory of these 

 packs, their supporters, followers, or of the hounds, I 

 must be brief in dealing with them. 



The South Union Hounds were established in 

 1 830 ; they were Irish bred, and comprised drafts 

 from the best kennels in the South, such as Mr. 

 Hedges Eyre of Macroom Castle, Captain George 

 Rye of Ryecourt, William Baldwin, and Mr. Stannus. 

 They hunted both hares and foxes until 1866, and 

 since then they have been regularly established as 

 foxhounds. The present master's father was the first 

 to preside over them, and he kept them till his death 

 in 1840. During his long reign he had only two 

 huntsmen, William Sullivan and Denis Hallis. Mr. 

 T. Walton Knolles succeeded at the death of his 

 father, and has presided since then. He resides at 

 Oatlands, near Kinsale, and hunted the pack himself, 

 until incapacitated from doing so by an injury 



