The Cill Dara (Kill Dara – Co Kildare) Gundog Club held it’s spring Open Stake on the Liffey Head on Saturday 9th February 2008. The trial was run under Irish Kennel Club field trial rules and regulations. The judges for the day were Aiden Dunne and Anthony Mulhall and the steward of the beat was Davy Byrne.
The forecast was good but it seemed a bit optimistic at the meet when it was clear but cold but over the day the weather improved and by the end we had a glorious sunny spring day that seemed a lot warmer than the 5c on the temperature gauge. Wind was fresh at times maybe sw4 in the morning but moderated over the day.
Results :-
1st Pallasgreen Harriett Jim Sheridan’s I.R.&.W. Setter bitch.
2nd Stanedge BrackenGerald Devine’s English Setter dog.
3rd Tullycroman Jakes Surprise Paddy People’s English Setter dog.
4th Shinlogue FionnDavy O’Neill’s red Setter bitch.
Places 1 – 3 excellent, 4th very good.
Roxy.
Two excellent rounds of fast, flat, hard running. Hunting well and handling reasonably well. Good wide beat. A much easier job than Judy but the judges thought otherwise.
Judy.
Everything was here , except a bird. She was flat, fast, hunting hard and covering maybe five hundred yards. She got four runs, the only dog to do so, so she must have been in the judges’ eye. It was nearly a manic display. She was a bit hard to turn some times but I eventually just let her get on with it and she did a nice wide even beat. She was involved in the run of the day with the eventual winner and I thought she greatly out quartered the other dog and was much flatter and neater.
This was a good trial in no small part due to the attitude of the judges. A lot of dogs performed well and it was nice to see dogs take the hill by the scruff of the neck and give it a good seeing to.
There were plenty of finds but mostly on snipe. With the quality of the running the judges might have been made to work harder at sorting out the placings if we had come across a few more grouse.
