History of The Tipperary Foxhounds
The Tipperary Foxhounds, as they are known today, were formed by the Barton Family of Grove Estate in the early 19th century. The family were keen foxhunters and kept a private pack for several decades before William Barton officially founded the hunt, then known as The Grove Hunt, in 1820. Captain Jacob of Mobarnane bought the pack from William in the mid-1830's and renamed them The Tipperary Foxhounds.
Henry Beresford, Marquis of Waterford, in turn purchased the newly minted Tipperarys from Captain Jacob in 1840 and took over the country. With the deal, came huntsman Johnny Ryan, whose father and grandfather had hunted the pack in Mr. Barton's time. The hounds that Lord Waterford purchased were allegedly "an excellent lot, and very well bred" but he augmented the pack with a large importation from some of the then best kennels in England whose ancestors can be seen hunting to this day.
His Lordship rented Rockwell, near Cashel, and commenced to foxhunting across Tipperary in autumn 1840. Following his marriage in 1842, he moved his hunting establishment to Lakefield, near Fethard, where he resided during the hunting season. Lord Waterford, however, had a number of enemies and several attempts were made to poison his hounds. Events climaxed in the summer of 1844, when the stables at Lakefield were set fire to and burnt to the ground. His outrage at the events resulted in him quitting hunting in Tipperary and moving back to his main home in Curraghmore, Co. Waterford. However, upon leaving he presented a large portion of his pack and five horses to the Tipperary gentry.
Between 1843 and 1887 the hunt saw many Masters come and go but it was only when Richard Burke arrived in 1887 that the hunt kennels returned to Grove. Burke loved his hunting and made every effort to give his field a good day out. One legendary hunt was said to have encompased over 18 miles, with an eight-mile point. Burke retired in 1918 after 28 years in office, but he left a wonderful legacy.
The following era also saw another loyal servant, Tommy Ryan, join the ranks of Tipperary legends. Between 1922 and 1958, Tommy filled various roles in the kennels, eventually becoming 1st whip and kennel huntsman in 1934.
The hunt has had many Lady Masters down through the years but few female huntswomen. One formidable lady to buck the trend was Sylvia Masters. Sylvia was an incredibly talented horsewoman and won 101 point to point races as an amatuer rider. In 1935 she became joint-master and huntsman to her brother John Perry. Sylvia soon earned a reputation as one of the best huntsman, either male or female, in the entire country and is still the only woman to have hunted the pack in almost 200 years.
Another great Master and huntsman came on board in 1953 in the form of Evan Williams and during his seventeen year term as master, he proved one of the best and most popular masters of the twentieth century. Williams did not come from a traditional hunting background, starting out as a professional jockey and winning the Grand National in 1937 on ‘Royal Mail’. During his tenure, he kept up to 20 hunters in the yard of McCarthy’s Hotel in the centre of Fethard town. Advised by hunting legends such as Ikey Bell and Sir Peter Farquaher, Captain Williams transformed the hounds and his influence continues to contribute to their success in the field today.
On his retirement in 1971, Arthur Ryan took over for two seasons, then the great Michael Higgins took up the horn. The legendary Master and huntsman went on to give 18 years of outstanding sport to his mounted field and his legacy carries through to today.