Hit Report: Connacht Sabs: Grallagh Harriers
Grallagh Harriers, Monivea Coillte Woods, Co Galway.
It was time to pay the Burkes a visit again. We had been receiving some tip offs lately on these thugs but we were preoccupied in other areas. It had been some months since sabs had been on them so we were eager to get back. We know Grallagh love to dig and love to kill.
After a tip off came in early in the morning that they would be hunting someplace north of Athenry. We gathered our crew and got hot on their heels. We scouted their usual hunting locations in this area, after about 40 minutes we found them. The reason it took us a little longer to find them was we could not believe they would have the audacity to hunt a PUBLIC WOODLAND at 12pm in the day on a Sunday. When sabs arrived it was evident the woods would be full of other dogs, children and folks generally not prepared to meet 30 hunting hounds, bumpkins on horses and road raging quad driving terriermen.
Our first sab team landed and immediately made tracks from where they had unboxed. The hunting horn sounded toward the north so our sabs went into chase. Once sabs caught up one particular member of the hunt decided to continuously ride her horse very aggressively on top of sabs. The appearance of sabs in a woodland the hunt knew they couldn’t get us out of (it being public) did not deter huntsman David Burke who aggressively hunted the hounds on regardless.
At this point the hounds began to pick up, only for sabs to immediately step in and take them off the scent. David then decided to dismount to attempt to get them back on but it was to no avail as sabs were rating the hounds. This pack really loves sabs! A fox was spotted here exiting the woodland for a moment, but thankfully headed rapidly in the opposite direction and was helped to safety by a quick citronella sweep.
The hunt moved off rapidly from here down towards the centre of the woodland again at a fast pace, likely to evade the four following sabs. Little did they know the second team had landed 6 more en route on foot to meet them in the centre. These sabs met them, some blocking off and using their horse as a weapon by whip Damien Burke. The hunt congregated here for a moment whilst David continued for a long length to gather the hounds (a common occurrence with this pack all over the woods). We were then met by Ireland’s finest An Garda Siochana who asked “how are ye folks” followed by “off with the masks”... we simply replied “are we under arrest” followed by “good bye!”. The hunt took off towards the east, sabs immediately on their tails.
At this point we were driven past by the terrierman and a young child on a one person quad bike, driving extremely fast down a public road barely missing sabs. Clearly this terrierman didn’t go to driving school, or hard man school as using vehicles as weapons really isn’t that ballsy! Garda didn’t seem fazed by this, likely bamboozled by the thoughts of being on Davids Chrismas wish list next year.
The hunt proceeded down to the main road where both sab groups met. They then moved into another adjacent public woodland and sabs split in two to cover as much ground as possible. One team staying on them the other entered the woods to check on and setts and dens inside. Another bit of GTA style quad biking from our terrierman friend followed, very scary! At this point the sett checking team found two hounds well off the pace crying and searching for the others. One of these was very young, scars all over their face and they were crying likely due to food deprivation (they starve the hounds to make them ravenous to kill). This hound was running all over the road, scared and just about missing passing cars. Sabs stayed with them until the Garda passed in their vehicle again, nearly running over the hound themselves. After about ten minutes the hunt came running around the corner so the hounds rejoined the pack. Once the hunt went back onto the main road (lots of cars driving past very nearly hitting both riders and hounds who were taking up the entire road) they moved back west towards the large woods where Monivea castle and many dog walkers / children were out on their Sunday stroll.
We stayed hot on their tails, one team again staying on them the other staying on the main road to keep eyes on the woods to see if any foxes break cover. It was clear at this point that sabs were really frustrating the hunt. We then observed the hounds break cover very sporadically a randomly trying to pick up. They then entered multiple residences north of the woods, many hounds jumping through barbed wire trespassing on private property. Thankfully nobody had any cats or other animals about as this could have been fatal.
Some hounds ventured out of control onto the road, which is when whip Damien and his quad wielding sidekick came bumbling down the road. They attempted to beacon the hounds back into the woods to no avail. Sabs were there to the rescue to keep the hounds off the road. At this point some locals drove up to wish sabs luck, another furiously shouting at Damien as they could not take their dogs into the woods due to the hunts presence.
At this point the entire hunt came around from the North west on the main road to retrieve the lost pack, holding up traffic all along the way. They circled back around and re entered the woodlands. They pranced around for another half hour moving fast west trying to avoid sabs (our two vehicles had eyes and ears on them when we didn’t) to try to pick up, but it wasn’t going to happen. Another bit of road rage from the terrierman driving like he didn’t know how topped off a very successful day for sabs. Our vehicle also had to drive one hound that had run nearly 3 miles the opposite direction back to the hunt meet, the same hound whimpering with hunger.
We were on them practically the entire day, when they did pick up they were immediately sabbed. They packed up at just after 4, a righteous effort by them in fairness considering they were never getting anywhere. Small field and small support for them, hunting really is in decline.
No kills. That’s what we are there for. If you hunt, expect us at any time.
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