The History Of The Irish Wolfdog

By Edmund Hogan

Originally published in 1897 this was one of the rarest early monographs on this noble breed. The illustrated contents include: Early History of the Irish Greyhound - The Wolf Hunting Greyhound - The Nineteenth Century Claimant - Descent of the Modern Wolfdog - Hounds and Hunting in Ancient Ireland, etc. Many of the earliest dog books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Home Farm Books are republishing many of these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: Jan 4, 2013
• ISBN: 9781447484905

Book preview

CHAPTER I

THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE IRISH GREYHOUND

1. THE Greek and Roman writers, Pliny, Silius Italicus, Arrianos, Ovid, and Strabo are loosely quoted by many authors, without a reference to page, or volume, or book, as speaking of these Irish hounds. They really do not even mention them. But Quintus Aurelius Symmachus, who was a Roman Consul in the year 391, does more than mention them in a letter to his brother Flavianus. He writes:—

In order to win the favour of the Roman people for our Quæstor you have been a generous and diligent provider of novel contributions to our solemn shows and games, as is proved by your gift of seven Irish dogs. All Rome viewed them with wonder, and fancied they must have been brought hither in iron cages. For such a gift I tender you the greatest possible thanks.

These dogs must have been very powerful and fierce; they were employed by the Roman Consul to fight men, or wild beasts, or other dogs, or among themselves. For in two previous letters Symmachus speaks of bears, lions, and twenty-nine Saxons which were sent, or to be sent for the combats of the circus. He complains bitterly that the twenty-nine Saxons cut their own throats the night before the games, not wishing to butcher each other to make a Roman holiday.

Prudentius, the poet, is quoted as referring to the Irishman and his fighting dog; but he does not; he says merely: Even the semi-beast Scot, worse than a fighting dog, has felt that there was a Supreme Being—Apotheosis, line 216. The Latin,

Semifer et Scotus sensit cane milite pejor,

hardly refers to the dog of the Scot.

2. The dogs sent to Symmachus were seven in number. This leads me to think that they were a present to a Roman officer by an Irish chief, though at that time the Irish were fighting against the Romans in Britain. Seven was the usual number of hounds presented by one king or chief to another. According to the Leabhar na gCeart, or Book of Rights and Customs, sixteen kings or princes were, by custom, bound to give, or entitled to receive presents of greyhounds for the chase, for the chase of the deer, for the killing of stags, for the forest hunting-shed. In eleven instances the number was to be seven, and in three instances the dogs are said to be very beautiful, all-white; in three cases they are eager and quick-eyed. From this we gather that our best dogs were kept for hunting and killing stags, were eager for the chase and quick-eyed, were very beautiful, and that white was the favourite colour, as we shall find it to have been down to the seventeenth century and even in the eighteenth.

3. In the first century of our era, the hero Fraech got from his aunt a present of seven greyhounds, with chains of silver and a golden apple between them. They had every colour in them. When Fraech shot his pole to a distance, the seven hounds caught it before it reached the ground; then they chased seven stags, seven foxes, seven hares, and seven boars; again, they jumped into a river or lake, and caught seven water-dogs (perhaps otters). Ailill and Medb, king and queen of Connacht, watched them hunting till mid-day.

4. The Irish warriors and hunters were so fond of hunting and hounds that Oisín said to St. Patrick:—To the son of Cúmall and the chiefs of the Fiann it is sweeter to hear the voice of hounds than to seek mercy. O, son of Calpurn, wilt thou allow to go to heaven my own dog and greyhound?

The admiration and love of Irishmen for their greyhound is further evidenced by the fact that Cú (greyhound), or Míl-chú (greyhound that hunted large game) was the name, or part of the name of their chieftains and great warriors. St. Patrick’s master was Mílchú; his convert who gave him Down was Dí-chú. Cú Chulainn says of himself:—

"I was a greyhound (Cú) of catching a deer,

I was a greyhound strong for combat,

I was a greyhound of visiting troops. . . ."

Cú Chulainn is styled by Tigernach the bravest hero of the Irish, fortissimus heros Scotorum, and so he is considered by all writers on the history of Ireland. But another cú was at least as brave, for Cú Rúi, King of West Munster, vanquished Cú Chulainn in single combat at Solohead in Tipperary; and put on him the fetters of the five smalls, that is, tied him by the two wrists, the two ankles and neck; he cut off his hair and carried his sword away.

5. In the first century of our era, which was the time of Cú Chulainn and Cú Rúi, the King of the Leinstermen, named Mesroida, son of Dáthó, had a greyhound that defended the whole province, and filled all Ireland with his fame. For this hound 6,000 cows and other things were offered by the King of Connacht. About the same price was offered by the King of Ulster. Ulster and Connacht fought for him. The dog joined the Ulstermen, made great havoc of the heroes of Connacht; he seized the axle-tree of the Connacht King so firmly that his head, when cut off, held its grip of the axle. This last event happened in the plain of Mag-Ailbe, so called after Ailbe, the name of the dog.

6. In the same century the sons of Uisnech, in their flight from Ulster into Scotland, took with them 150 greyhounds. When these heroes were slain, the Lady Deirdriu, in her lament over their graves, says, their hounds are now without their hunters.

7. In the story of the Battle of Moytura, which is referred to in manuscripts of the tenth and eleventh centuries, the Fomorians are said to ask some warriors: Whence do you come? From Ireland, said they. Have you got hounds with you? We have, said they. Thereupon there was a dog-race, and the Irish greyhounds were the fleetest.

8. The children of Lir, finding Síd Finna-chaid deserted, raised a loud lament, and Finn-guala, their sister, sang: A wonder to me in this place, without a dwelling. This place as I behold it now, uchón! it is bitterness to my heart—without hounds, without packs of them. In the Fate of the Children of Tuirenn two slender fleet-going hounds are said to have given tongue (do labradar) impatiently in pursuit of the Druidical boar. Failinis, the hound-whelp of the King of Iruaide, was such a creature that all the wild beasts of the world would fall prostrate at the sight of him; he was more beauteous than the sun in his wheels of fire. The sons of Tuirenn had to fight a fierce battle with the king’s warriors, and take the king prisoner before they obtained the beautiful whelp:—

"This was the ancient greyhound

Which belonged to Lug of the Mantles,

To whom the sons of Tuirenn gave it;

That hound of mightiest deeds.

Which was irresistible in hardness of fight,

Was better than any wealth whatever,

A thunderbolt every night:

Caor theined gach n-aon oidchi."

9. About the third or fourth century flourished the great warrior and hunter, Finn, son of Cumall. In the poems attributed to Oisin there are 2,272 verses on Finn and his men and hounds and hunting, giving the names of 300 of their hounds. These dogs hunted deer and boars, and one of them would attack singly a wild boar, while Bran, Finn’s favourite greyhound, would pursue even the magical wild boar of Benn Gulbain.

The Tales of the Cycle of Finn are full of references to hounds and hunting. Finn, son of Cumall, was the chief of King Cormac’s household, and master of his hounds; for the primest leader that the King of Ireland had was his master of the hounds always. The stewards of Finn’s hounds were Crimthann and Connla. In the forests and wilds round about him, to Finn it was sweet music to hear and listen to the cry and baying of the hounds, the clink of the dog-chains, the hurried call of the striplings, the hunters’ halloo, the strong men’s noise and din, and the whistling and blithe shouting of the Fiann.

Finn had a favourite greyhound, named Conbec, and not in all Ireland might any stag whatsoever, at which he was slipped, find covert before he would head him off and run him back right up to the Fiann’s main pack, and to their attendants; neither did hound other than he ever sleep in the one bed with Finn. Here, at Tráig Chonbicce, he was drowned by Goll, son of Morna (a rival of Finn); here a tidal wave washed him ashore, and so he lies under yon green cairn that thou seest about upon the beach. On him Cáilte uttered the lay:—

"Piteous to me was Conbec’s cruel death,

Conbec of perfect symmetry,

I have not seen a more expert of foot

In the wake of wild boar or stag.

A pang to me was Conbec’s tragic fate,

Conbec of the hoarse deep voice;

Never have I seen one more expert of foot

At killing of a buck without delay.

A pang to me was Conbec’s death

Over the high, green billows,

His cruel death was a cause of strife,

His fate was most pitiful."

Finn set on foot the hunt of Benn Edair (Howth), and took his station between Edar’s height and the sea, while his men slipped their greyhounds. There his spirit was gay within him, while he listened to the maddened stags’ bellowing as by the greyhounds of the Fiann they were killed rapidly. Finn had three hundred full grown hounds and two hundred puppy-hounds. A Briton in his service stole away to Britonland with the greyhounds, Bran, Sceolaing, and Adnuall; but the dogs were recovered by a hard-fought battle in Britain. This was the first of a long series of dog-stealings or exports, which we shall have to record.

In Cenn Febrat Cáilte rose, eastward and westward, on the south and on the north he stationed his men. Then on high he reared his waving signal of chase and Fiann-like hunting. He gave three mighty and formidable whoops; whereat neither far nor near, in plain or moor, on mountain plateau, or in wood, was there a free-roaming stag but in his career of headlong speed came up; and, to cool themselves after their course, before the hunters’ faces they all plunged into ample Loch Bô. At that rushing noise horror and fear seized them; at the wild stags, I say, at the roe deer frenzied, at the weighty-sided boars, regarding which it wanted but little of their having all perished on the spot, with the length of the race and with distress of breath. Of the quarry a single beast escaped not alive.

A pirate’s greyhound, described as a shag-haired dog (gadar) of dirty grey, is slipped at