Car-boot commune spare no expense

We’ve spoken before in these pages about the earthiness of those who go to Clonmel every year for the annual National Coursing Meeting, of how grounded they are in nature, how self-sufficient.

During the regular season they’ll go from Trial Stake to Trial Stake, to places where the facilities are first, last and foremost for the hares and the hounds, and where the humans are expected to look after themselves.

These events last for several hours, from mid-morning to mid-afternoon, and for all of those hours you’re on your feet, exposed to the elements. The break then, when it comes, is a special time; some will go to the mobile chipper, most head for the car-boot, for the flask and the sandwiches.