‘Twisting foxes and engrossing hound-work’
catherine.austen@futurenet.com
IN KENNELS
Joint-masters: David Burke, Lorraine Burke, Kevin Hough, Imelda O’Donnell, John Cantillon
Huntsman: David Burke MH
Whipper-in: Frankie Burke
Hounds: 25 couple old English foxhounds
Hon secretary: Lorraine Burke, +353 8610 16466
Hunting days: Wednesdays and bye-days
Neighbouring packs: Galway Blazers, East Galway, North Galway
Hirelings: Johnny Geoghegan, +353 8686 59807
Grallagh Harriers, Dartfield, Co Galway
TO refer to any hunt as “a happy family” is something of a cliché, but the Grallagh Harriers in Co Galway is exactly that. David Burke is senior master and huntsman. His brother Frankie whips-in and their sister Lorraine is joint-master and acts as secretary as well as field master.
On the day of my visit, their other sister Sinead was following by car and the matriarch of the family, the charming Mrs Bernie Burke, was present at the meet to greet us all.
The Grallaghs are very much a private pack, formed to hunt on
