193 



CHAPTER XII. 



THE CURRAGH. 



Ita Early History — Compared with English Downs — Effect on Horses— What can be Carried 

 on Simultaneously — Its Area — Its Herbage — Its Hares— Training Establishments — A 

 Trip on a Jarvey — Mountjoy Lodge and Dan Broderick — French House and Michael 

 Dennehey — Conyngham Lodge and Captain Joy — Turf Lodge and tlie Hunters- 

 Lark Lodge and William Disney — French Furze, Paddy Gavin, and the Keegans — 

 Brownstown and the Knoxs — Normanby Lodge, Dick Sadlier and Colonel Thompson 

 Jockey Hall and the Wattses— Mr. John Hubert Moore— Mr. T. O. Gordon - Athgarvan 

 Lodge and Mr. Pallin— Mr. Bowes Daly— Eyretield Lodge and Mr. Linde— Eyrefield 

 House and the Beasleys— Something about this Extraordinary Family— Doimelly's 

 Hollow— Crotanstown — The Author gets Upset — The Kacecourse — Waterford Lodge — 

 Davy Canavan— Hamilton Lodge— The Fox Covert— Kathbride Cottage and Mr. W. P. 

 CuUen — Rathbride Manor and Mr. Meredith— Rossmore Lodge and Mr. F. F. CuUen — 

 Milletta Lodge and "Mr. St. James" — Curragh View — End of Our Drive — Olden 

 Times on the Curragh — Its Highwaymen — Homes of Great Horses — Sir Hercules — 

 Birdcatcher — Faugh-a-ballagh — Brunette — Guiccioli — Connaught Hanger — Roller — 

 Freney -Birdcatcher again— Bob Booty — Chanticleer — lerne — Hollyhock— Pleiad — 

 Ildegarda — Thump — Wheel — Bagot— Mr. Robert Hamilton — Master Bagot— Mr. 

 Edwards — Tom Tug — Commodore — Cornet — Sweet William — Smallhopes — Irish 

 Escape — The Highflyer Mare — Milesius — The Baron — Stockwell — Stockwell might 

 never have been heard of — Russborough — Harkaway and Tom Ferguson. Postscript : 

 Death of Mr. William Beasley — Marriage of Mr. Thomas Beasley. 



Except that the first race run there was in April, 1741, I know 

 nothing about the ancient history of the Curragh, so I can give 

 my readers only a sketch of what the noble plain is like at presents 

 and refer to events of comparatively recent date. I can, however, 

 assure them that many a long year has passed since grass first grew on 

 it, and that nothing else has ever grown there except a few furze 

 bushes. 



From off none of the downs or wolds of England have I ever felt such 

 invigorating air as I do off the plains of our own Curragh. Be it 

 morn, midday, or night, and whether in any of our four seasons, 

 there comes from it a bracing ozone not to be found on Epsom 

 Downs, Langton Wold, or Salisbury Plain. It quite equals, if it does 

 not surpass, the air we find on the west coast of Ir el ind, blown in from 

 the mighty Atlantic. 



Who knows but this health-giving property may not have a vast 

 deal to do with the hardihood of our Irish racehorse referred to in 

 other pages of this book ? 



I don't know how many acres there are in the Curragh, but it would 

 take a great many of the downs in England to make the same extent. 

 In the centre we have a military camp which is in itself a large 

 village, around it, and in the closest proximity, several regiments of 

 artillery, cavalry, and infantry can, in simultaneous review, fight their 

 miniature Waterloos, while within a mile there is a range long enough 

 to spend the force of bullets from our farthest shooting rifles. Nor 

 do the extensive operations which daily take place in and about the 



o 



