Even nostalgia ain’t what it used to be
The wind howling in off the north and east was enough to skin the hide even of those pitched up alongside the covered stand, shouting the odds, and believe me, there’s no thicker hide in humanity than that of an Irish on-course bookie.
“They should have their licenses taken off them!” is about the only comment on these estimable gentlemen (and occasional lady) that’s printable this morning, when the disgruntled punters saw the prices on offer for quarter winners, overall winner, etc.
“What has Caoimhe’s Boyo won?” wondered Mark Meehan from Kilmallock, who had been thinking about a punt on the O’Dea dog, neighbours of Mark’s from up the road in Kilfinane. “He’s in the same quarter as Yes Jimmy Ha and Castle Pines, and they won the Derby and the Irish Cup last year. He’s only 5/1; he should be 10/1 at least.” “Disgraceful,” agreed his buddy, Jimmy Mulcahy, “but sure what can you do?”
Anthony Daly is wondering the same thing. “You have the Derby winner from Clonmel a few weeks ago, last year’s Derby winner, last year’s Irish Cup winner, two Champion Stakes winners, including Boavista (beat Anthony’s Murty’s Blaze in Clonmel on a just up, with many reckoning Murty’s should have got the nod, given he held a better line on the hare), ridiculous the odds on offer. It’s a cosy cartel, no-one’s going to go 3/1 on a dog when the others are offering 6/4. What you need are a few gutsy bookies to take on the punters, like you have in Clonmel, but then you have more punters in Clonmel, which forces them to be more realistic in their odds.”
That’s Anthony Daly, Clare senior hurling manager, who is just recovering from a traumatic few days, the effects of which were very visible. No, not the headlining head-butting Banner county farce we’ve all been saddened by in the last week; a hip operation a few days ago following which he is now on crutches, that hip problem a by-product of the steroids Anthony had to take to overcome a debilitating illness in 2002. It was going to take more than a few drilled holes in his bones, however, to keep this coursing fanatic away from Patrickswell.
Murty’s Blaze, son of 2002 Derby winner, Murty’s Gang, is a real prospect, a fact reflected in the odds of those same generous gentlemen in the ring.
“They have us down to meet Judicial Roy in the final of the quarter,” said Anthony (so they had, at 5/2). Beyond A Joke may yet have something to say about that, but it was another dog, Tito, that had the Clareman worried. As it happened, however, poor ould Tito fairly beat himself, switched sides early on in his course, beaten by Carrowkeal McCoy, owned by a neighbour of my own, Noreen McAuliffe from Charleville.
“There was a lot of talk about Tito beforehand, they had him geared for this one, put away for it; you don’t like to see anyone beaten when they go off-line, you don’t mind when it’s fair and square, but that’s coursing.”
And therein, one of the main talking points of the day, the hares. Long slip after long slip, dogs losing sight, hardly a turn all day, and when there was - trouble.
“A bit dodgy alright,” Anthony agreed, “but having been involved with our own club, some years you have great hares, some years you’re unlucky, you just can’t catch good ones, and then it’s tough, especially for the slipper (Richie Quinn), it’s very hard for him to judge it. He’s obviously acting under instructions today, keep it long, which is what you have to do, but it is unusual to see so many experienced dogs going off-line. It’s like Mark Prescott said, it’s like a Trial Stake, when you see pups, still green, chasing off after everything, crows, shadows, into the crowd, all over the place.”
The same Mark Prescott is one of the many English visitors to the Irish Cup; he is, in fact, a titled member of the British aristocracy, but over here he’s plain Mark, just another son of the soil, in the company of long-standing Irish buddies like Fintan Kirwan, from Cork. Mark was indulging in a bit of nostalgia, recalled one of the great days in Clounanna, that storied spot outside Adare in the lands of the Earl of Dunraven where the Irish Cup spent most of its 100 years. Primitive stand, primitive conditions, stark contrast to the luxury of its new surroundings, but oh, what sport!
“I loved the old Irish Cup,” said Mark, “I always thought it was one of the finest coursing meetings in the world, though I would have preferred to see it judged according to English rules, there was so much work after the turn. I’ll never forget one particular meeting with Walter Dick as Judge, somebody read the rule book, he started pulling against the lead left right and centre. The craic that day with the crowd, the bookmakers, Walter, it was the most enjoyable day I’ve ever had. The Irish Cup now is really a 64 Champion Dog Stake, isn’t it?”
Well it is; straight run, one turn, first up, winner, as adjudged by the imperturbable Tony Reddan. A century on, this is the new Irish Cup, reflects fairly the new Irish society. Gone is a lot of the old earthiness, the rawness, the toughness (Patrickswell is a stroll in the park compared to Clounanna), the mate-n-mustard sandwich with the flask of tay, the ball o’malt, the afters, the afters after the afters. This is cleaner, quicker, more decisive, more clinical, more comfortable, with fully-fitted bars, coffee-shops, closed-circuit TV with commentary on every buckle, every mod con.
It’s richer too, a massive €80,000 on offer to the winner, courtesy of main sponsors J P and Noreen McManus. As Mark says, it remains a superb spectacle, prestigious prize, and the sport on offer for the final two days will be top class, given the fantastic quality of the field. Still, what everyone would give for a return to its spiritual home, but what’s this the fella said? Even nostalgia ain’t what it used to be.
