INTERNATIONAL FIELDTRIALS

 The Irish Red & White Setter Club held two International Fieldtrials on 8th – 9^th August ’07. This was the culmination of over one year’s planning and building of contacts with the Irish Red Setter Club of France. It could not have happened without the consistent efforts of Jean-Yves Prigent and Ludovic Ivchs and the entire Red & White Club committee. A special thanks to Dave Byrne our FT secretary and Christy Davitt!

 The first day was a combined stake of eight Irish Red Setters from France and eight of our Irish Red & White Setters. The first round was quite exciting as we met a lot of grouse. It was interesting to see how the French dogs reacted to running on Irish mountains and handling grouse. All I can say is that due to the amount of birds we were meeting there were a few accidents on both sides! We went into the second round with eight dogs. Two of Davey Byrne’s Irish Red & White Setters with finds and one French dog with a find, owned by Bernard Trubuilt the FT secretary of the French Club. It was a very warm day and the wind seemed to be constantly changing and swirling around behind us. Consequently six dogs were eliminated including the three with finds. The two survivors Davey Byrne’s Bawnrhu Glencora and Laurent Pemin’s  Urtis de la Chaume rigault who was handled by a professional handler, 

 M.H. Munini. The judges ran these two dogs nearly to the point of exhaustion. The Red Setter pointed, worked out, produced his birds and was steady to wing and shot.

We headed back to the cars where there were speeches and presentations. M.Monini was presented with a bronze statue of a Red Setter on point. This statue had been donated by Christy and Maeve Davitt for the best French dog and so could be taken back to France. This made the dog an International Fieldtrial Champion! Dave Byrne and his dog Bawnrhu Glencora were presented with a trophy donated by Jean-Yves Prigent for the best Irish Red & White Setter on the day, A French dog owned by Bernard Trubuilt won the Fieldtrial on day two; also with a first excellent making him an International Fieldtrial Champion!  Bernard Trubuilt and his dog Saphir De L’anse de t’y roux were also presented with a statue of a Red Setter on point which was presented by Tim Fox. Needless to say the French contingent went home very happy!

 This is the first time that International Fieldtrials have been held in Ireland and the Club is extremely pleased with the success of the event.  It was a momentous occasion with twenty-eight people travelling fro France to attend the trials. We have already received requests from France to hold more International Fieldtrials in the future.

 Terry O’Leary, Chairman IRWSC.

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THE FRENCH PERSPECTIVE

 

Two International Field Trials were held in the Wicklow Mountains on Wednesday 08^th and Thursday 09^th August 2007.

The story began last year in France during the woodcocks field trials held in Brittany in November.  Christy Davitt was there to judge some of these events.  During a meal, Bernard Trubuilt, (Field Trial secretary of the Red Setter Club) has had an idea to propose to Christy to try to see  if it could be possible to create some special events in Ireland in 2007.  When Christy went back home he discussed this proposal with Terry O’Leary. Then the story started.

Terry and all his friends from the Irish Red and White Setter Club of Ireland worked hard to organize and make these events a reality.  The week 32 was proposed in Ireland and in France.  During this time in France, a group of friends said: OK, if possible we will go!!!

It was a race against time to be ready to go. The dog’s owners had had only 2 months to prepare their dogs - Vets passports and blood tests.

We have met Christy, Terry and Davy a second time during our Spring Field Trials in March 2007.  A meeting to discuss the week had been organized, exploring the differences between the Irish and the French field trial rules.  28 people from France and Switzerland were ready to go, and also 8 dogs, all Irish Red Setters.

At the end of the Spring, we received some bad news from Ireland.  It was feared that all the field trials may be cancelled. We were devastated.  But the party wasn’t over. Some people: Christy, Maeve Waters, Terry, David Byrne, and most of the field trials passionate members, worked hard to let their vision happen.  After some long weeks of waiting, when nobody thought it would end well, we received good news: things were looking better. We were happy for our Irish friends and also for ourselves! 

It was the end of June.

Mr. Daniel Munini, a professional handler and trainer and his wife Renée were contacted and agreed to transport the dogs on through France and Ireland. It was decided that I would go with them to handle translations if necessary. We came by boat and the others came by plane.

Before crossing the sea, we have had a big shock. Some of the vet papers weren’t OK!!

All the blood tests were good, but some were not specified on the passports. We had only 90 minutes to find a vet, to explain the situation and luckily one agreed to sign the passports. We were back to the boat with only 20 minutes to departure.  This crossing was very lucky for me. It allowed me to meet 2 lovely people: Daniel and Renée.

We arrived in Cork, and travelled on through the country until we reached Laragh in County Wicklow.  We found our cottages, and I thought: “Thanks a lot, Christy and Maeve, you couldn’t have found a better place”. There were 5 superb cottages. We were all together in a very calm place with a wonderful view of a part of the Wicklow Mountains.  We also had a place to let the dogs run, it was great.  Every morning we saw some deer, we were enchanted!

On Sunday, we participated in an open stake held by the English Setter Club in Kippure.

We have had no luck with the weather. It was cold and rainy. We had seen some very good dogs, but the grouse weren’t there.  At the end of the journey, we were all happy to go to our new headquarter: the Lynhams pub in Laragh.

On Tuesday was held a Confined Field Trial Stake by the Irish Red Setter Club. This took place in Kinnitty. The ground was really hard, spongy, and the heather was very high. It was a superb sunny day and we have seen a lot of grouse.   We have had the pleasure of seeing a lot of good dogs, to compare their styles -We like the style and seeing the differences in the handling. This was one other real great day.

Saphir de l’Anse de Ty Roux, one of the Bernard’s dogs, received the first point of a French Irish Red Setter with grouse in Ireland. It was a big day and an honour for his owner.

A good evening was waiting for us; we had some nice times in pubs and during the meal organized by the Irish Red Setter Club.

On Wednesday the first Field Trial of the Irish Red and White Setter Club was held.  It was held at the fall of Laragh on the Kippure Road. It was a combined stake - 8 Irish Red and White Setters against 8 French Irish Red Setters. Some of the Irish Red and White Setters owners have driven a long time, some from Ulster to participate to this event.

I will never forget.  I have to say that these 2 events were a big honour for us, because CACITS were to be awarded.

I really thank, as I am sure does everyone from France, Terry and all his friends from the club for what they have done for us.   It was incredible. Davy was there with his truck, a big table was prepared with breakfast, coffee and tea and it was wonderful.   Hughie Brady and Christy were the judges on the day. Davy was the steward.  The sun shone, the place was my favourite - A big flat valley, with mountains all around. It was incredible to see - a picture postcard from Ireland.

Not many people from France knew the Irish Red and White Setter style of working.  It was a big surprise for us to see them running. We have gained great knowledge and can now talk about them!

The ground was full of grouse, Bernard’s dog, Saphir, once again had a super first round. Sadly, he was beaten out by a red and white during the second round. It could have been a great day for Saphir.  Davy’s Red and White bitches were really good on game - fast  and it was cool to look at them running.  My wife Sophie and I really admired Craigrua Ospree.  He is a beautiful dog, full of quality, always under control, really stylish; the kind we’ll like to have at home.  At the end, only two dogs had game: The Davy’s Glencora and the Laurent Pernin ‘s Urtis, handled by Daniel Munini.  These two dogs were really good on game during this day - magic I can say!!  During the ultimate round, Urtis scented the air, crawled, and settled on a pair of grouse. Daniel asked him to show the birds, they flew off and Christy asked me to fire the shot.  Urtis stayed steady on point!!!  We saw Hughie jumped in the air, it was great: a judge really happy to see a good damned point.

Back to the cars, after the meal offered by the Irish Red and White Setter Club members, we waited for the awards.  Urtis, 1^st excellent CACIT!! With this award, Urtis was now an International Field Trial Champion. I have seen the red eyes of Laurent and Daniel. It was grand!!!  Some beautiful trophies were presented by Christy and Maeve for the Best Red, and by my old friend, Jean-Yves Prigent for the best Red and White owned by Davy Byrne.

The journey was over. We went back to the Lynhams pub to celebrate the result. Urtis was the first FCI International Field Trial Champion in Ireland.

We spend some great times on the pub, listening to Terry speaking about Mr. Jack Nash and talking about...dogs, of course.

Thursday the 09^th was the last field trial day. An open field trial was organized by The Irish Red and White Setter Club. More than 20 dogs took part.  Declan O’Rourke and Timmy Fox were the judges. The event took place beyond Kippure, in a place where no trial had been held for a couple of years.  The weather was good, the sun shone, it was a great day. The view was... whao!!! We could see a big part of Dublin bay, the sea and beyond.   That place was another superb ground to trial.  Some places were burned, some grasses were low, and some were very high.   It was the day where the grounds were spectacular.  The French dogs were better now, they were trained and they knew what kind of birds they were looking for. Once again, we walked for a long time facing the wind (we have walked a lot during this week) and once again we have seen great dogs running.  I cannot speak about all of them but what I can say is that I have not seen a bad dog with game. There is an important difference between Irish and French dogs: most of the time, Irish people trained their dogs by themselves. In France most of ours dogs are trained by professional handlers. And I have realized that Irish people are really good trainers.

This day, Saphir has had one more find during his first run. During his second run, he was not very deep, but very wide. Then Christy’s Cindy had a find too, I was happy for him.

Cindy is a real good small English Setter bitch.  She was a mother for two or three weeks, but she was fast. This bitch is very smart; we can see this in her eyes.  I like how she looks.

After the last run I thought: “it is already finished...only one day and we’ll go back”.

We waited for the awards. Saphir, 1^st excellent CACIT said Declan. It was incredible, Saphir, also was FCI International Field Trial Champion with this result. Everybody congratulated Bernard.

Back at Laragh, tired but happy, we had a gala dinner organized by Terry and his friends. It was a lovely evening, full of discussions about dogs.   Half of the French team returned to France after this night. Some of us stayed in Laragh until Saturday. Terry was there, again, to drive some of us to Dublin airport.  Daniel, Renée and I spent a lot of time on the road to drink our last Smithwick’s, and we arrived to the ferry boat in Cork only 15 minutes before departure.

What I can say is that I am sure we will talk a long time in France about this week. Most of us had never been to Ireland before.  These days will stay among my favourite memories.

I realise it must have been a lot of work to make this week come true and I know that everybody worked really hard  to welcome and entertain 26 French people and 2 persons from Switzerland.

I wanted to thank you all, members of the Irish Red and White Setter Club for your real friendship and specially you: Terry, Davy, Christy and Maeve. Without you, none of this could have been possible.

See you in France!

By Ludovic IUCHS

 

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NORWEGIAN IRISH SETTER CLUB 90th ANNIVERSARY

 In February 2007 the Irish Red & White Setter Club received an invitation to send representatives to the Norwegian Irish Setter Club’s 90^th Anniversary celebrations which were held on 24^th – 26^th August 2007. I decided to attend on behalf of the Club and used this opportunity to meet Irish Red & White Setters owners in Norway and discuss other matters with the Norwegian Irish Setter Club who had been appointed to monitor Irish Red & White Setters by the Norwegian Kennel Club.

 On arrival at Torp Airport I was met by Thor Erik Pape who although I have corresponded with him on the net I had never met before. He was instantly recognisable as he sauntered through the airport with three Irish Reds & White Setters! Thor had kindly offered to drive me up to Nøsen which was a journey of more than three hours. This gave us plenty of time to discuss matters relating to Irish Red & White Setters in Norway.

 We arrived in total darkness. When I woke up the next morning I rambled out to have a look around and was greatly impressed by the magnificent scenery. Over the next three days I took a decision to attend the non-winners’ stakes in which three Irish Red & White Setters were entered.  On the first day I saw a bitch which I sent to Norway Deargbán Binchy who is owned and handled by Tore Oppen. She gave a good account of herself but could have been fitter and did not have a chance on birds.

  In the same trial a bitch, Shannonlee Snowgrouse owned by Nina and Narve Krhjohan. She ran extremely well and as they were running dogs down wind she was one of the few dogs that took a wide cast and went down wind to hunt into the wind back towards her handler. The other Red & White Setter I saw was Gun Carmland Craigrua Rogue. This dog ran well, had a find on a bird. From what I could see the bird started to run, the dog recast and cut down wind to repoint the bird. As the dog pointed the bird broke. I thought that this was an excellent piece of dog work but the judge stated that he would have liked the point to have been longer before the bird broke.

 My overall impression of the fieldtrials in Norway is that they are run quite differently from the trials that I have seen in both Ireland and France. The fact that they run dogs with the wind behind them, I would think puts the dogs at a distinct disadvantage and leads to a lack of quartering of the ground for I noticed even when running into the wind a lot of the dogs did not quarter the ground in a fashion that I would expect as a fieldtrial judge. I suppose one has to take into account that the dogs are run in a totally different system in Norway. I saw quite a few Irish setters that were as good as any we have here in Ireland and was impressed by their game handling ability and their retrieving of the birds when shot.

 There was a meeting between officials of the Norwegian Irish Setter Club, the Scandinavian Club, the Swedish Irish Setter Club and the Irish Red & White Setter Club. A decision was taken to set up a Scandinavian Irish Red & White Setter Breed Council.  Its first task will be to set up a breeding and health screening programme. The Irish Red & White Setter representatives on this committee are Gun Carmland and Thor Erik Pape. It will also include a representative from the Swedish Irish Setter Club Mayvor Jonsson. Each club represented which includes the Irish Red & White Setter Club will have a vote on all matters and all decisions must be unanimous.

At the Anniversary Dinner I presented on behalf of the Club a bronze Irish Red & White Setter on point to be awarded to the best Irish Red & White Setter over the three days. This is a perpetual trophy and it was won by Gun Carmland’s Craigrua Rogue. I personally presented a bronze statue of a Irish Red Setter on point for best young Irish Red Setter.

 I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Norwegian Irish Setter Club for its hospitality and Thor Erik Pape for his assistance throughout my visit. Finally I would like to say thank you to Margret Egirlog from Iceland for supplying the photos. No its not that I spend all my money on ‘doggy’ trips and cannot afford a digital, its just that I had trouble with my camera over there!

 Terry O’Leary, Chairman IRWSC

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IRWS TRAINING IN SCANDINAVIA.

 

 

On the 13th and 14th of October the Scandinavian Association for IRWS held a training weekend with grouse in Tanndalen/Bruksvallarna, Sweden.

This ground is for training and trialling only, no hunting, so there is usually plenty of game and this time was no exception.

When we started our journey in Karlstad 600 km south of Tanndalen on Friday afternoon it was sunny and +10C.  When we arrived to Tanndalen after 7 hours driving it was dark, -10C and 1 dm of snow.

The last 100 km we had to drive on icy roads.  We were a little worried if people had managed to drive on this icy roads but everybody arrived safely.  It was still cold on Saturday morning but during the day the weather changed and we had a few degrees above zero and also some sunshine.

On our way to the training ground we had to stop our cars, the icy road was covered with black grouse; about 50 birds were sitting on the road and in the trees around. I have never seen so many black grouse at the same time before!

About 25 people and their dogs came to this training, many of them from Norway.  It was a mixed group, for some dogs and their handlers it was the first time training with grouse, others were open class dogs and almost professional handlers.

During the weekend some of the dogs that had never been in the mountains before developed greatly, it was interesting to see how they reacted on the scent of grouse.  We saw some very good dogs, both Irish Red and Red and White Setters, doing a good job of handling the birds.

After a long day in the mountains we had a nice dinner at the hotel and after a good night sleep we were ready for one more day of training.

On Sunday you could see that many of the dogs that weren’t used to hunting and running hard were tired. But some of the younger dogs did well on Sunday also, as did the more experienced dogs.

It’s good that the cooperation between Sweden and Norway is working. It’s necessary to work together - with a breed as small as the IRWS.  Some of the dogs we saw were very promising, needing a little more training and work.  I’m convinced that there is a future for the IRWS as a hunting and trialling dog in Scandinavia.

Gun Carmland

 

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 Rossmore Kennels from Argentina

 The Rossmore Kennels are situated in Canuelas, 80km south of Buenos Aires, in the middle of the Pampas.  The kennel, the only one for R&W Setters in LatinAmerica, was started in 1998 after a visit to Ireland, where we came across the IRWS and fell for their intelligence, their hunting instinct and their beauty.

 The first dogs arrived at the end of 1998, and they were:

•  Fergus (Sheebhinn Easpaig) and

• Shannon (Ardbraccan Shannon).

 And in the year 2000 we also imported

•  Clover (Caispern Snowhite at Ardbraccan) and

• Sugar (Dairerose Crystal Clear)

 These dogs have been the base for our breeding programme. We wanted hunting lines that could be dual, and up to now we have been very successful in achieving both our objectives. We would very much like to add a new male at some stage which we hope to concentrate on next year.

 As we had anticipated, the arrival of the IRWS to Argentina was met with a mixture of admiration and apprehension. Here was a dog that not only could hunt but which also looked well in the ring.  The breeding program was looking very hopeful and there was keen interest from other setter breeders.  However, at the end of 2001, a major financial crisis occurred in Argentina and we had to review our whole strategy. We had managed, up to 2002,  to get our dogs to many shows (where they were very much admired) and to hunting trials, even though the distances were enormous (one must not forget that the province of Buenos Aires is the same size as France; and many of these trials were held outside the Province ). 

 The wins were very consistent in both beauty and trials and Fergus also turned out to be a great hunter, he excelled at the trials and was the first dual champion in the breed, ending third overall in the ranking of hunting dogs in Argentina in the year 2001. This was of course a credit to Canon P. Doherty and Ms Maureen Cuddy, their breeders. Fergus is a very special dog, very intelligent and a great companion, he is at the taller end of the IRWS and heavy boned, extremely fast and tireless, moves very well, has a good nose, a biddable disposition and a steady character. It has given us a strong start to our lines and we can see in their offspring that the nose, the drive and the character are absolutely first class. Some of our dogs have been very successful at shows and, even though there is no competition from other IRWS, they've managed to win and get placements in the gun dog group on a number of occasions and even BIS. We bring our dogs mostly to International shows, we are reluctant to show them at National show as judges, not familiar with the IRWS standard, have penalized our dogs for their coat (poor in comparison with over groomed and over haired North American style Irish Setters). In fact a month before the World Dog Show in 2005, when Rossmore Oisin not only won BOB but was selected amongst the 6 final hunting dogs in group 7, a local judge refused him a CAC because of his poor coat!!!.  By the way, he is absolutely speckless, but he certainly does not have a flowing coat.

 We live in the middle of the Pampas and the kennels are next to our house. Because there are only two of us managing the kennels and enjoy having the dogs around us, we are very strict with their upbringing and their obedience. In that way, we manage to set them free twice a day even though there are no fences to stop them from running away. I cannot say our dogs are saints, and we certainly have had our scares, but we have not lost a dog as yet and they enjoy their freedom. The 15 dogs (plus a stray) eat outside the kennel together (most breeders that visit our kennels cannot get over this) and there’s never been a problem with aggression. Our dogs are accustomed to cattle, horses and cows and have learned to respect them, although we do keep them under closer control when calving season arrives.

 We also have hens and even though the puppies must learn from an early age, they eventually recognize them and respect them.  Occasionally, there can be minor accidents, but the dogs either learn fast or the hens reproduce faster. Every morning all the dogs are brought for a long run with Juan Jose accompanying them on horseback across the fields to keep them in good physical condition, and twice a week they are brought hunting in groups of two or three at a time. Our dogs are trained to hunt partridges, although we hear that some of the dogs we've sold are also used on ducks and pheasants (not indigenous, planted from farms on hunting reserves). 

 We have 15 IRWS at the moment, seven demented hunters, three keen ones and five which pretend not to hunt but who are as good as the rest.  The point is (no pun intended!), the instinct is there, no matter what. We've had dogs returned to us that were kept in small gardens for most of their early months and, two weeks after they arrive, are as good and as keen as the rest. Our dogs love hunting, and we love to see them hunt. 

 Our aim is to establish the breed in Argentina, or at least to get it started. We've had four litters so far, most of the puppies have gone to hunting homes in Argentina and abroad, and some as pets. Our last litter was particularly successful; we sold one of our puppies to the Editor of the most important hunting magazine in Argentina. He's been a very good Ambassador for the breed; he attends field trials all over Argentina and reports have arrived to us from different sources with glowing comments on the excellence of this particular dog. That sort of exposure, we think, works much better than dog shows which, sometimes, are more beauty shows and attract the wrong sort of owners.  At the same time, not all our dogs will turn out to be keen hunters, and some can adapt very well to live as pets. We always go to great pains to try to place them with the right owners; this, to us, is one of the most difficult parts of breeding dogs. A good dog can be destroyed by a bad owner and the wrong dog going to a good owner can damage one's reputation. I'm sure it's the same problem all over the world, especially with conscientious breeders.

Our breeding plans were seriously curtailed after the financial collapse of 2001, as it became very difficult for dog breeders to make ends meet. People did not have the money to keep a dog, let alone buy one and, on top of that, the price of dog food skyrocketed. [A word of warning here: we tried to change their diet and started giving them raw chicken but it affected their immune and hormonal systems due to the enormous amounts of antibiotics and hormones they give to poultry over here. They are on a special diet now, half raw bones, half dog food; they do not eat raw vegetables; this seems to be working).

 Fortunately, things are improving on the economic side in Argentina and we are planning a litter at the end of this year between Rossmore Orlagh and Rossmore Oisin, both World Champions in 2005. We are very careful to whom we sell our dogs.. We've had problems with some owners in the past who did not realize that the naturally ebullient character of these dogs is one of its greatest assets (but can, and we do admit it, be occasionally trying). It's usually the case that these people end up not being able to manage them and bring them back to us. There is no Setter rescue association in Argentina, only dog pounds which are kept in appalling condition.  Therefore, if we do take a dog back, we try to re-house them, and when that's not possible we keep them, hence our care when breeding.

 Overall, the IRWS has adapted very well to Argentina.  The summers can be sweltering (up to 42 degrees) but they don't seem to mind the heat that much. One drawback could be that their coats are not as exuberant as their brothers/sisters abroad, who live in much colder climates (Russia, the US, even Alaska) and seem to have (with the same parents, same litters) a much thicker coat. So, perhaps, a poor coat is not genetic but perhaps a way of dealing with different temperatures? 

 As for illnesses and health problems in general, there were very few. We've had one bitch with pyometra and one bad case of skin allergy (caused perhaps by a combination of heat and the aggressive bushes in the summer that stick to their coat and skin ) but, apart from the problems we had when we changed their diet,  and the usual doggy ailments, no major complaints. Because of technical and financial problems, it is almost impossible to test our dogs for all the related health issues IRWS seem to suffer from. We do test their hips, and perhaps in the near future Argentine vets might get the expertise to do these tests in an affordable way. We trust our dogs come from clear lines and have had no problems up to now; but if the tests become available, of course we'll go through with them.

 It's very important for us to feel connected to a sort of fraternity that strives for the betterment of the IRWS. Because of the distance and lack of communications (we live in the middle of the country, without a computer, sometimes not even a phone, and if it rains we can be land-locked for days) it's very rewarding to hear about the goings-on of these wonderful dogs everywhere else in the world.

 With best wishes!

 Ruth M. Casey and Juan Jose Iniguez

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NEW FCI INTERNATIONAL FIELD TRIAL CHAMPION

Italian Ch Pepperstown Polly has become the first IRWS to win the title of FCI International Field Trial Champion, when she won her second CACIT at the International Field Trials in the Czech Republic on 13 September 2006.

Pepperstown Polly (Int FTCh Rushfield Rascal ex Lusmagh Polly) was bred by Dennis McCartney of Ardee, Ireland, and has been on loan from Margaret Sierakowski (Dalriach)  for the last two years to Fiorella Mathis (United Spots) in Italy , where she has been trained and handled by Carlo Sardone.

Polly will be returning home before the end of 2006, and will running in trials in Ireland in 2007. She leaves behind in Italy a daughter, Pollina, who is also being trained by Carlo Sardone

NEW FULL CHAMPION IN IRELAND  - CH DALRIACH GARRYOWEN

Congratulations to Marc Ruymbeke , whose dog Dalriach Garryowen ran in the Confined Stake in September 2006 and won his qualifier, making him the first full champion IRWS  in Ireland for around ten years. The last one was Trudy Walsh's Ch Ardbraccan Dailtin Dilis, a litter sister to Garryowen's great grandsire, Sh Ch Ardbraccan Dunboyne

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