The Ulster Irish Red Setter Club held its Autumn Open Stake on Murley Mountain near Fivemiletown on Saturday 6th October 2007. Judges for the day were Carol Calvert and Laurence McAlister.We were there by the kind permission of the Hamilton-Stubber family who were represented on the day by their keeper Philip Moore. The Hamilton-Stubber’s have hosted events for various Pointer & Setter Clubs on their ground for as long as anybody can remember and as a group the field trial community are deeply indebted to them. We started out on the back of the hill at The Scores, an area burnt in one fire a few years ago. The result is that we now have a big area of even heather just the right height to allow dogs to run but just high enough to test their guts and stamina. There was a bit of mist and fog about at the start but this soon cleared to a warm bright day with a steady breeze, just maybe the wrong side of warm for the job in hand. There was a cheek wind from the right for the whole of the first round. Organisationally the day was a success. The dogs stayed withing the beat and birds came to hand just about when required. As is usual in Ireland all the dogs displayed a desire to run but again as usual a number, my own included, showed a distinct lack of enthusiasm for handling.
Judy.
Cast off to the right she turned short, bored up the beat for fifty yards, turned to come across back towards the left, but by the time she was at the centre of the beat a bird flushed from the heather down wind of her. She had missed it. Too keen to run by far.
Jalad.
Didn’t do that much wrong but didn’t do anything right at the same time. Unusually for him he never really got going. He didn’t deserve and didn’t get a second run.
Roxy.
By the time I cast Roxy off the cheek wind was nearly blowing into my right ear. Roxy tried to run the wind rather than the ground and more or less did but what she didn’t do was handle. No second run for her either.
Other dogs of note.
Three others really caught my eye.
Hugh Brady’s Imported Swedish Red Setter bitch Ir.F.T.Ch. Remkilens T-Ebba. This is a very stylish, fast, flat running bitch. When the main quarry for a trial is pheasants there is a requirement for tight quartering and sometimes she doesn’t make the transition satisfactorily but this is a class dog.
Gerald Devine’s two English Setter bitches. “Mighty Mouse”, F.T.Ch. Lefanta Kiera and Lefanta Tinka. Tom Dunne (Guard) describes Kiera as a small dog that doesn’t know it. She isn’t much bigger than a springer and maybe even a bit smaller than some. She goes like the wind. Then there is Tinka. This is just about the best English Setter I have ever seen. She ran in a trial in Scotland in the Spring and it was breathtaking to watch. With Tinka you are never going to die wondering.
Results.
1st Silent Seeker of Shannonbally Ned Flannelley’s Irish Red & White Setter dog.
2nd Kenmilfore Evening Glimmer Wilson Harrison’s Red Setter dog handled by Desi Linton
3rd Craigrua Kobie Vincent Flannelley’s Irish Red & White Setter dog.
