THE KILKENNY HOUNDS. 263 



meet plenty of big banks, many of them ragged and 

 faced with stones, and in places very big and well- 

 built walls. Your nag must be a good wall-jumper ; 

 he need not be very good at timber-topping, as you 

 seldom meet that kind of fence ; and though the 

 ' moon looks on many brooks ' in the territory, they 

 are not very formidable obstacles. Many noted 

 sportsmen, residing in distant counties, send their 

 horses to be trained to jump in Kilkenny, chasers as 

 well as hunters. It is a fine grass-country, and is 

 more free from that bite 7ioir of Irish hunting-bog than 

 any hunting-district in Ireland, not even excepting Kil- 

 dare. And now you have exhausted my stock of in- 

 formation on this subject, and I will therefore recite 

 for you some lines which were written about the Kil- 

 kenny Hunt of fifty years ago, as I daresay you never 

 heard it." 



'* I never did, but will be glad to ; so give 7nelody 

 the 'ofiftce' to go." 



" THE KILKENNY HUNT FIFTY YEARS AGO. 



" What a meet ! I remember one glorious spring morn — 



Our hearts beat with joy at the sound of the horn ! 



The breakfast at Rice's* was sumptuous, but short, 



For all were most eager to join in the sport. 



Harry Lorrequer's herof we think of with pride, 



And his sister, a Willett, they rode side by side, 



Disdaining restriction and feminine fear, 



She so loved the hunting, and always was near. 



Next Massey from Glenville — how noble his mien — 



He enjoyed a good fortune, was mate for a queen ; 



And Fosberry,^ ' Red George,' with a brogue as rich quite. 



Keen folk, these were welcom'd with cheers of delight. 



* The present Club-house Hotel, Kilkenny, 



t Major O'Flaherty. 



X Master of the Limerick Hunt. 



