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Bred by one of my greatest friends, and claiming as I do the famous 

 Master McGrath as my own county dog, I shall give a short history of 

 the bsst greyhound that ever coursed in public, some portion of 

 which was never published before. His sire was Mr. Douglas' Dervock, 

 his dam Lord Lurgan's Lady Sarah, and he was whelped at Colligan 

 on February 16, 1866. His brothers and sisters were Master McFaddin, 

 Master Heme, Lady Meta, and Lady McCarthy. 



Mr. James Galwey of Colligan was at that time the coursing 

 confederate of Lord Lurgan, and being a first-class judge of greyhounds, 

 their breeding, and their work, he looked after the kennel while the 

 nominations ran in his lordship's name. 



The dogs had "Master " and the bitches "Lady" as a prefix to 

 their names, which were usually taken from the family who walked 

 them. 



]\Iaster McGrath was sent to walk with Mrs. McGrath, who lived 

 between Colligan and Dungarvan in Co. Waterford. Her son Johnnie 

 and the puppy soon became the greatest, friends ; it was the delight 

 of the lad to have the dog held at oae end of a large field, which was 

 intersected by a wide stream, while he went to the other end ; the dog 

 was then let go and ran at his best pace to the boy, jumping the stream 

 in his stride. To this early training the Master owed much of his future 

 prowess over Altcar, for he there took the drains without hesitation, 

 giining several lengths, and more than once actually caught his hare 

 in the jump. 



When the puppies returned from walk the Dervock and Lady Sirah 

 litter did not appear to Mr. Galwey a promising lot, so he gave orders 

 to have them sent as a present to some young gentlemen in the neigh- 

 bourhood, who were home for the holidays. Tom Hennessy, who then 

 cared the Colligan greyhounds, luckily thought better of the puppies, 

 £0 he kept them and sent others to the schoolboys. 



Next time Mr. Galwey saw the saplings he was astonished with their 

 improvement, and upon trying them found they were most promising, 

 while Master McGrath showed at once extraordinary powers. 



His first essay before the public was in October, '67, for the Visitors' 

 Cup at the Lurgan Meeting for thirty-two puppies, which he won. 

 Within a week he divided the Moneyglass Purse for thirty-two puppies 

 at the Creagh Meeting with his kennel companion Master Nathaniel 

 showing splendid form. He next won the Waterloo Cap of '68, his 

 performance being so truly excellent as to stamp him a greyhound 

 whose equal it is the fortune of few owners to breed in a lifetime. 

 Well he earned his fame, for although a puppy he beat for that 

 stake such clinking good greyhounds as Belle of Scotland, Kalista, 

 Marionette, Brigade, Lobelia, and Cock Robin. 



He was then put by till the following October, when, on his own 

 ground, he had no difficulty in finding his way to the end of the 

 Brownlow Cup, which he divided with Mr. E. W. Stocker's Sir 

 William. L rd Lurgan, like a sportsman, would not run it off against 



