25 



The Curraghmore country thus enlarged covered a very large area. 



Taking as the four corners, say, Thorney Bridge on the river Anner, 



the river Nore from a point nearest to Brownstown Wood, Dunmore 



East, and Clonea Castle near Dungarvan, we have a point-to-point 



measurement as follows : — ^-.., 



Miles. 



Thorney Bridge to the Nore tat Brownstown 26 



Brownstown to Dunmore 23 



Dunmore to Clonea Castle -J 



Clonea Castle to Thorney Bridge '5^ 



This gives an area of something like 725 square miles. Nor does, 

 this survey take in adjacent outside parts, nor the undulation of the 

 country, which necessarily adds considerably to the area. 



Vast as was that extent of country it was all huntable, and Lord 

 Waterford visited all parts fairly and with equal regularity. To enable 

 him to do so, he had to establish out-stables at Mullinavat, where 

 the horses were sent over night the days they hunted the far-ofif Ross 

 country, the hounds being vanned to and fro on hunting days. 



The country I have described was in all respects eminently suitable 

 for foxhunting. We had large tracts of woodland in Curraghmore, 

 Baylough, Churchtown, Coolnarauck, and Gurteen, on the Waterford 

 side of the Suir, with Bessborough, Carrig-a-tubrid, Bowling, Cor- 

 bally. Owning, Kilcash, and, lastly, Newtown Wood, of disgraceful 

 memory, on the Kilkenny and Tipperary side. These gave every 

 facility for cubhunting, and afforded the finest strongholds for foxes. 

 Lord Waterford hunted the big woodlands on his by-days, which 

 tended in no small degree to drive foxes to the surrounding gorses, 

 few of which were ever drawn blank. Over the rest of the country 

 there were, of course, numerous gorse and other coverts, but Lord 

 Waterford had to plant several in addition, notably Weatherstown in 

 the Ross district ; Earlie's Gorse, between Carrick and Clonmel— 

 given by and called after that prince of good fellows and prime 

 sportsman the late lamented Earl Clonmell— Ormonde's Gorse, 

 situated between Snow Hill and Tory Hill, given by Lord Ormonde. 

 Then in the county Waterford he planted Kelly's Gorse in the 

 Dunmore district, Lady Waterford's Gorse near Kilmacthomas, 

 Carrig-a-nure between Ballyduff and Ballydurn, arid the late Mr. 

 Fred Malcomson planted Carrigeen near Gardenmorris. 



Although he had this enormous territory, the love of foxhunting was 

 so insatiable in Lord Waterford that, in addition, he actually took up 

 the part west of Dungarvan which had been hitherto hunted by the 

 late Earl of Huntingdon when he was Lord Hastings, but this 

 accession not being satisfactory, he gave it up after hunting it and 

 showing good sport there for a season or two. 



The district known as the Ross country extended from Snow Hill, 

 by Knockbrack, to Tullagher, round by the rivers Nore and Suir, 

 and covered nearly (if not quite) seventy square miles. The Ross 

 resembles the Ballydurn country, which is of much greater extent^ 



