96 
Shorthorns  in  Scotland  and  Ireland. 
At  Castlebrack,  in  the  adjoining  county,  Mr.  Humphry  Smith  maintains 
one  of  the  largest  and  most  useful  herds  in  the  country.  Established  thirty- 
live  years  ago,  it  now  numbers  over  140  head,  and  includes  good  represen- 
tatives of  the  “Fame,”  “Mantalini,”  and  “Madeline”  tribes,  besides  several 
other  strains  that  have  earned  a good  name  in  Ireland,  some  of  them  having 
come  through  such  herds  as  those  of  Mr.  Tynte,  of  Tynte  Park,  and 
Mr.  Jaffray  Barcroft,  of  Kilboget,  co.  Dublin — two  well-known  and  very 
successful  early  breeders.  Mr.  Smith  has  for  several  years  used  Booth  bulls 
of  excellent  lineage — of  the  “ Bright  ” tribe  chiefly.  To  this  part  of  Ireland  a 
good  many  Shorthorns  were  introduced  between  forty  and  fifty  years  ago  by 
the  more  enterprising  landlords,  notably  the  Marquis  of  Drogheda,  Sir  Charles 
Coote,  Lord  de  Vesci,  General  Dunne,  and  others,  from  whose  stocks  much 
good  material  has  been  circulated. 
County  West  Meath  was  at  one  time  a famous  centre  of  Shorthorn  breeding. 
Now  it  is  more  extensively  devoted  to  the  fattening  and  grazing  of  stock 
than  to  breeding.  Thirty  years  ago,  or  later,  there  were  several  large  and 
important  herds,  in  addition  to  that  of  Mr.  Robert  Holmes  already  mentioned. 
The  principal  ones  were  owned  by  Mr.  Adamson,  also  a purchaser  at  Chilton, 
Mr.  Jones,  Mr.  St.  George  Grey,  Mr.  R.  S.  Fetherstonhaugh  of  Rockview, 
Mr.  R.  W.  Reynell  of  Killynon,  Sir  Percy  Nugent  of  Donore,  Sir  Richard 
Packenham  of  Cooluse,  and  Mr.  Dease  of  Turbotstown.  All  these  herds, 
unfortunately,  ceased  to  exist  some  time  ago.  One  of  the  most  celebrated 
animals  in  the  herd  of  Mr.  St.  George  Grey  was  the  cow  “ Rose  de  Manx,” 
by  “ Collard.”  The  Rockview  and  Killynon  herds  were  of  Mason  blood, 
afterwards  crossed  with  Booth  bulls,  Mr.  Reynell  obtaining  sires  from  his 
esteemed  friend,  Mr.  T.  Barnes  of  Westland.  The  “ Blossom  ” family  attained 
great  excellence  in  the  Rockview  herd.  Some  time  ago  well-bred  Bates  bulls 
from  Lord  Bective’s  herd  were  used  at  Cooluse,  but  about  two  years  ago  the 
animals  in  that  herd  were  nearly  all  dispersed.  The  only  herds  of  high 
standing  now  in  West  Meath  are  owned  by  the  Earl  of  Longford,  Packenham 
Hall ; Mr.  R.  Reynell,  of  Clondrisse ; and  Mr.  B.  Hannan,  of  Riverston.  Lord 
Longford  used  bulls  from  the  late  Major  O’Reilly’s  herd,  and  nearly  all  his 
stock  are  red  in  colour.  The  Athelstaneford  “Jenny  Linds,”  from  Crockna- 
crieve,  are  well  represented  at  Riverston.  The  Clondrisse  herd,  founded  in 
1869,  is  small  but  very  select,  and  of  high  merit.  It  is  composed  entirely  of 
the  “ Lady  Sarah  ” tribe  and  the  “ Medora  ” branch  of  the  “ Isabella  ” family. 
In  County  Meath,  once  the  Yorkshire  of  Ireland,  the  herds  of  Mr.  Pollock 
of  Mountainstown,  Mr.  P.  J.  Kearney,  Mr.  Stawell  Garnett,  Mr.  Radcliffe, 
Mr.  R.  Chaloner,  and  Mr.  Keating,  as  well  as  the  celebrated  Westland  herd  of 
the  late  Mr.  Thomas  Barnes,  have  all  ceased  to  exist,  leaving  a remnant  of 
the  Kingsfort  herd  as  almost  the  sole  representative  of  olden  times.  The 
generations  of  men  who  made  this  county  famous  in  the  annals  of  Shorthorn 
breeding  have  passed  away.  Changes  in  the  condition  of  Irish  agriculture 
have  brought  grazing  and  fattening  more  into  favour  than  breeding;  and 
thus  centres  once  renowned  for  their  stocks  of  pure-bred  cattle  have  been 
devoted  to  other  purposes. 
Westland  was  truthfully  termed  the  Warlaby  of  Ireland.  It  was  made  so- 
by  the  genius  of  the  late  Mr.  Thomas  Barnes — a man  of  no  ordinary  ability, 
distinguished  as  a breeder  of  hounds  and  hunting-horses,  as  well  as  of  high- 
class  Shorthorns.  It  is  stated  that  the  first  Shorthorn  owned  by  Mr.  Barnes- 
was  a cow  presented  to  him  by  Lady  Ross,  and  believed  to  have  been  de- 
scended from  some  Teeswater  cattle  introduced  into  Ireland  by  Lord  Ross  prior 
to  the  days  of  the  Codings.  This  cow  was  put  to  “ Kearney’s  Bull  ” (4144) 
(s  aid  to  have  been  imported  from  Mason’s  herd  as  early  as  1822),  and  the  pro- 
duce long  remained  at  Westland.  From  his  schoolfellow  and  friend,  Mr.  Robert 
Holmes,  Mr.  Barnes  received  some  Shorthorns  about  1836 ; and  with  the 
