The English Setter Club of Ireland held its summer grouse trial at Kippure in The Wicklow Mountains National Park on Sunday 2nd August 2009. This is effectively the other side of the road from the previous day and the wind was still from the same art. The judges for the day were the vastly experienced, and widely respected, Tom Hayes and Aidan Dunne who among other credits was the winner of last years Champion Stake. The weather was dry and sunny at times and it was a much more pleasant day to be out.
Unfortunately the day didn’t go much better than the previous one, both personally and collectively. By the end of the first round one snipe had been pointed and two single grouse flushed. Despite the best efforts of the stewards and the judges no other birds were seen in the second round.
Result :-
1st Ballydavid Pooh Capt Cormac Brady’s Red Setter dog. born 1st April 2007 by F.T.Ch. Creg jake X F.T.Ch. Remkilens T-Ebba. Graded Very Good (Snipe) Handled by Hugh Brady.
Roxy.
She was on fire again and barely on the same planet. The difference between yesterday and today was that she was taking too big a bite. Her drive in these situations is amazing but at Carl Lewis said “Power is nothing without control” She didn’t get another run.
Chris.
He ran with the eventual winner in the first round and had a back on the find. I think Chris suffers from Big Dog Syndrome. People think a big dog isn’t going as fast as a small dog because their size means their action has to be slower. It is only when the two dogs are running side by side that you can really tell if there is a difference. He didn’t get another run, which was disappointing, but for maybe the first time in my trialling career I was delighted not to make the second round as I was suffering badly from the exertions of the day before.
Last year the weather was abysmal and I think that by this stage I had attended six events and not one made the second round and in fact a couple didn’t even make the first round. The net result was that we never really got to see what birds there were. In the two days of this weekend on the Liffey Head and Kippure three singles and a covey of seven were seen and that’s not good. While grit, water and bilberry occur naturally and there is amply Bog Cotton and damp places for insects the heather is poor and without extensive burning or flailing it isn’t going to improve quickly. The flail doesn’t exist and burning is precluded I presume because of the floating bog restoration scheme.
Unfortunately if grouse don’t come to the party the trial is a failure despite the best efforts of Field Trial Secretaries and the like.
