55 



Of course there were many whippers-in whose names can't be 

 remembered, but among the best who whipped in to Johnny Ryan, in 

 the third Marquis's time, were Tom Clancey, Ned Bolger, Tom Ryan 

 (father of Tom and William, the famous steeplechase jockeys in the 

 *' seventies " and '' eighties "), and, lastly, Billy Barry, whom I remem- 

 ber well. He was a capital rider and cheery fellow, with a most mag- 

 nificent musical voice, but he much preferred to be close to the body 

 of the pack when running their fox, than to wait to get on tail hounds. 



Dickey Cooney did second whip for a few years in Briscoe's time, 

 and was very smart in his work, but he got too heavy. Duke, im- 

 ported by Briscoe from England in 1860, was the best whipper-in I 

 ever saw. He got tail hounds out of covert so quickly, generally 

 without leaving one behind, that he had them clapped on to the body, 

 directly at the first check, if he did not nick them in before- 

 hand. A good whipper-in does not always make a good huntsman, but 

 Duke was an exception— he was both. Dan Ryan, son of Johnny the 

 huntsman, whipped-in during the last year or two of Briscoe's time. 

 He and Billy Quinn whipped to Duke in the present Lord A¥aterford's 

 first few years, and they were both exceptionally good men, Quinn 

 promising, at one time, to graduate into an accomplished huntsman. 

 Next to Duke I think Arthur Wilson was the best whip I ever saw 

 with the Curraghmore. He was taken out of the stables on an emer- 

 gency to fill the place of a whip who was summarily discharged. 

 Wilson soon showed aptitude for the duties, and quickly rose from 

 second to first whip, and, as such, served Lord Waterford for three 

 season?. He subsequently left Curraghmore, and, after being 

 with the Fife, under Mr. Anstruther Thompson, and with the 

 Belvoir, under Frank Gillard, he became huntsman to the York and 

 Ainsty, and is now huntsman to the Atherstone. Will Rawle was the 

 last first v/hip of the Curraghmore in the present Lord Waterford's 

 time, and, from his ability, but more so^from his staunch reliability 

 he was promoted to the horn when Mr. Springfield took the Master- 

 ship in 1882, and, as I have elsewhere shown, he acquitted himself 

 well. He married one of the youngest of Mr. Henry Briscoe's daugh- 

 ters, and is now huntsman of Lord Fitzhardinge's pack, the Berkeley. 

 Charles Kennett, Charles Fleming, and George Southwell whipped 

 to Rawle in Springfield's time ; the latter succeeded Fleming in the 

 last season. 



Thus we see what was the sport had with the old Curraghmore but 

 a few years ago. Thus have T recorded the princely magnificence 

 with which Lord Waterford hunted his country. Thus is shown 

 what an amount of money was scattered right and left out of the 

 pockets of the rich men into those of the poorer classes. Thus is 

 recorded the happy— oh, how happy !— relationship which for genera- 

 tions existed among all classes in our peaceful sport-loving community. 



All that state of things has been changed, and nothing now remains 

 but its history ! 



