12' 



CHAPTER VIIJ. 

 STEEPLECHASING. 



The Birthplace of Steeplechasing— Pounding Matches— Ancient History— Curious Records- 

 Old Englisli— Ross and Douglas— Clinker and Radical— The Grand National— Irisli 

 Winners —Author's Love of Steeplechasing— His Experience— Old Times— Cashel— 

 Tipperary— Newcastle— Stand-houses— Dressing— The Courses— How Kept— Results 

 —Selection of Courses— Riders' Costume— Farmers' Colours— Our Dress— Festivity- 

 Betting— Mullins and his Wife— Roulette and Hazard—" The Hells "— " Old Bones ''— 

 " Handicapping "— Those who Attended — Ladies— Farmers— Enthusiasm— Tents- 

 Drink— Shocking Scenes— The Plates— Honour and Glory— The Limerick Drag Hunt 

 —Gentlemen Jockeys— Captain Tempest and Dan Meaney— The Pace Then and Now- 

 Present Arrrangements— Compared in Detail with the Past— Is Steeplechasing Better 

 off ?— Lord Howth's Letter— Author's Reply— A Means to an End— Inferior Purposes 

 —Irish Steeplechasers Olden and Nowadays—" Mr. Armstrong"— Schooling— " Patent 

 Safety"— A Querj-— "A Qualified Hunter "—Hunters' Flat Races— Old Rulers and • 

 Mentors— Hurdle Racing— Author's Opinion— Who is Who now ?— What the Farmers 

 Like— Natural Courses, not Artificial— Curraghmore—Tramore— Mr. Martin Murphy- 

 Mr. Thomas G. Waters— His Kindheartedness— His Motives— A Good Sportsman — 

 MonumentstohisMemory—I.N.H.S.Committee—TakesAction—APity— Cork Park— 

 "RegulationFence"— Increase of Meetings— "GateMoney" Meetings— Author'sNotlons 

 —^port the Pole star— Author gets Tired at Last- Blurts out—" Hunters," Bless the 

 Mark !— Present System— I. N.H.S. Committee Again— Should be Supported— Corin- 

 thian Columns— Censors and Reformers— More to be Done— Our Rulers— A Suggestion 

 —Our Authorities must be Supported— What to Do— In a Nutshell— Pleasanter Topics 

 —Author Runs Riot— The Better to get off a Rough Line— A Horse's Stride— 15 feet of 

 Water— 20 feet— How Jumped— Painters and Pictures— Galloping— How to be Con- 

 vinced—Funny Illustrations— Nose and Feet — Landseer— The Forge- A Drake 

 Quacks !— " Hark back ! "— Punchestown and Fairyhouse— Aintree and Sandown— 

 They should be Copied— The Regulation Fence— How to Make One— To Lay out a 

 Course— The Punchestown Double— An Artificial Double— A Natural One— Do Horses 

 go as Fast now as Formerly ?— The Question carefully dealt with— Woodbrook's 

 Grand National— Subject entered into fully— Grand National from 1843 to 1889— 

 Tables of Comparison— Argued out— Real Steeplechase Courses— Not Billiard Tables 

 —No comparison— A Grand National Winner— The Press in Old Times— The Irish 

 Sportsman— Mr. William Dunbar— Manfully Maintained Sport— Now what do we see ? 

 —Daily Sporting Papers— Good old BelVs Life—K Record in Telegraphy— Mr. Charles 

 Barrington and Malahide— Lord Manners and Seaman. Postscript— Cloi&Xer' & Grand 

 National of 1893. 



That Ireland is the birthplace of steeplechasing there can be no 

 doubt ; in fact, the right of title has never been questioned. Tradition 

 hands down, and is backed up by family records, that the sport existed 

 in some parts of Ireland, and absolutely flourished in Connaught, long 

 before the beginning of the present century. I have heard men relate 

 what their fathers told them they saw at steeplechases in Clare, 

 Galway, and Roscommon " twinty years afore the rebellion of '98." * 



Steeplechases seem to have sprung from "pounding matches," a sport 

 much in vogue among Irish gentry early in the last century, and 

 continued to be until long after the beginning of the present. I often 



■*Tlie Irish peasants, even up to quite recently, took their dates from 

 some great historic event. 



