‘We love it, all of us — it’s in the heart, in the blood’
As a gamble, doesn’t make much sense, does it? Last year, in the way that the gods organise these things, all those planets aligned for Christy Murphy, a Patrickswell publican, owner of the popular Cuchulainn bar in the village, hit the jackpot.
As this son of a bookmaker explains, however, it’s got absolutely nothing to do with calculating the odds.
“Nominating is a tradition in the Irish Cup. In the old days there were 64 nominators appointed, spread throughout the whole country from Donegal to Wexford, and his job was to get the best dog he could from his own area, a top quality dog.
“So, if you had a good dog and you weren’t a nominator yourself, you went to whoever was the nominator and you canvassed for your dog — there was a lot of jiggery-pokery went on over the years, I can tell you!
“That was the case ‘til 10 or 15 years ago when the decision was made to have a draw. This year there are 14 owner/nominators but the other 50 went into a hat and they were just plucked out. I was fortunate enough last year to pick out Bexhill Brian and he won the Cup, in very exciting circumstances.
“It rarely happens that a dog changes sides and still wins, because he then has to come back around, make up a lot of ground, but that’s what Bexhill did. I was at the top of the field, looking head-on, saw him changing sides and I thought to myself — his goose is cooked. But then, with the reaction of the crowd, I knew he had a chance; he came and came and in the last few strides he got up. Mighty!”
Still though, how much satisfaction can you get, if it’s not actually your own dog? Plenty, says Christy.
“Ah it was a great thrill to be a part of it. I have the photo of last year’s presentation here on the wall (of the Cuchulainn), and it’s still a thrill. Conor Sheehan and John Barrett from Glin were the owners so it was a Limerick dog, trained by Brendan Matthews in Newry.
“The nominator gets a slice of the prize, 10%, but it’s not about the money; you get €8,000, which will cover your expenses for a while — after the party we had last year, enough left for about two years!”
The Irish Cup, which starts tomorrow, is held these days in the luxurious surrounds of Limerick Racecourse, just over the road from the Cuchulainn, but there are still those hardcore coursing enthusiasts who look back misty-eyed at the old days in legendary Clounanna.
But that’s just what they are, says Christy — misty-eyed.
“The old course was unique, loved by the old coursing men, and it was a different breed of a dog back then, tougher, more stamina.
“I actually paced it from the slipper’s hut to the escape and it was 800 yards, and that was in a straight line, which was never run — you had the dyke to contend with as well.
“At the end of the stand the ground started to undulate and if the course made it that far the hare was home and dry, the dogs just weren’t able to manage the undulating ground.
“Often you’d see the dogs pull up, exhausted, and some of them just fell into the dyke, had to be pulled out of it. But it became too difficult to keep it up, crowds were dropping off, interest was going, and in 1999 it ended, went to Tralee for a while.
“I know, looking back, we’d all agree that there was no place like Clounanna; it was unique, without a doubt, but it had its day. If you were offered that field again in the morning you’d have to turn it down — you’d have to build a new stand, you’d have to provide car-parking, all the different things people expect nowadays that cost a fortune to do. Now, if you could transfer the field up to the racecourse, that would be ideal!”
There are those, in fact, who would argue that the racecourse is the way to go, that all the boggy fields exposed to the elements in the dog days of darkest winter have had their day. But isn’t that what makes the sport so unique, that it is so elemental, so basic — field, hare, dogs, chance, all out in the open air? Nevertheless, even if only for this one occasion every year, it’s nice to get a taste of what might be, and Limerick Racecourse does that.
“A lot of people felt it should come back to this area, that this was the true home of the Irish Cup,” Christy explains. “Getting a new field was considered but then the racecourse was developed, all the top-class modern facilities — you can go in your shoes, which can’t be said for anywhere else!
“It’s a fantastic set-up, but there’s a huge amount of work that has to go into it every year. It starts immediately after the last ace meeting at Christmas and continues non-stop for the next few months, a gang of people there every day.
“I won’t name names, they know who they are. You come whenever you can, whatever day you can, and you do whatever you can, but there’s so much to be done, miles of fencing to be erected.
“The catching of the hares is another big job, done at the weekends — days this year when we had close to 100 people out catching hares. A great committee there for that also, and again, couldn’t mention them all by name, but we love it, all of us — it’s in the heart, in the blood.”
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