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frequent occasions of my joining the early Sunday dinner at Tinvane, 

 ■with good Mrs. Briscoe presiding. In that house in these good old 

 days was to be seen indeed a united and Happy family. 



Like most popular and well-known men, the Squire of Tinvane was 

 seldom dubbed " Mister." Everyone, high and low, called him " Henry 

 Briscoe." 



He was a Deputy-Lieutenant, and, for more than one county, a 

 Justice of the Peace. He was a most useful country gentleman, a pains- 

 taking, impartial magistrate, and at our local Horse Shows he always 

 took a leading part. In fact, he was in a continued series of useful 

 rural work, which his sound judgment and experience eminently 

 qualified him to undertake and carry out. 



No man of his means in his day— and few with greater means — did 

 as much towards the improvement of the breed of Irish horses. He 

 was the first in his part of the country who imported thoroughbred 

 stallions likely to beget hunters. These he let to farmers' mares 

 at a nominal sum, buying the produce whenever a suitable or likely 

 young one offered — a course it would be well if many M.F.H.s of the 

 present day followed. As I have already said in another chapter, 

 Greatheart, Red Hart, Legatee, Confessor, Hospodar, Glenmasson, 

 Umpire, and others were of his importation. They all got good cattle, 

 while some of the produce, under both silk and scarlet, turned out quite 

 celebrated. The strains, particularly those of Greatheart and Confessor, 

 are still looked for. 



Briscoe was not fond of racing. He attended all local meetings, 

 just as he would any gathering or party got up for amusement, but 

 more for the sake of meeting his friends than to see the sport. When 

 a young man he rode a few steeplechases, but only where the riders 

 were confined to men of his own social standing. 



He was a good, steady shot, and he had for m^any years a breed 

 of pointers of rare quality, the strain of which was at Tinvane for 

 nearly half a century. 



He was neither a fisherman or exponent of any other branch of 

 sport. 



He was always a temperate man. During the " hunt week " in 

 Kilkenny, described elsewhere, instead of sitting up with his com- 

 panions over their wine, or spending the night in gambling, he would 

 slip off to bed long before midnight. He habitually kept early hours. 

 Nine to ten o'clock was usually his hour for bed, while daylight in 

 winter and shortly after in summer saw him in his stables or kennel. 

 He never betted, much less gambled. I don't think he knew a game 

 with cards, and certainly he could not play billiards, and he hated 

 smoking with intensity. 



Briscoe had his fads and his faults, like other people ; but, unlike 

 others, he had no vices. He was not fond of imparting his knowledge 

 to others, being very jealous of it, nor could he brook contradiction or 

 opposition on subjects upon which he considered he was better informed 



