(Afghan Hound Database and Breed Information Exchange)
IRELAND (By Steve Tillotson Dec 2017)
1. IRISH KENNEL CLUB 1922 (Source - Irish Kennel Club Website) Prior to Ireland establishing its own Kennel Club, events were conducted under the rules and regulations of the English Kennel Club. In October 1920 the Dublin Irish Blue Terrier Club held the first breed show outside of the Kennel Club's jurisdiction. This show was followed on Saint Patrick's Day 1921 by a show involving other breeds and was held at the Concert Rooms in Dublin's North Brunswick Street. The success of this show spurred the foundation of the Irish Kennel Club on January 20, 1922. Classes for Afghan hounds were not scheduled until the IKC show in 1932. 1.1 BREED HISTORY ARCHIVES/RECORDS Dog Shows in Northern Ireland (Ulster) are regulated by the English Kennel Club. Dog Shows in the Irish Republic (Eire) are regulated by the Irish Kennel Club. Dogs bred in Eire are registered with the Irish Kennel Club and we do not always have their details because unless they are exhbited at UK shows, or formerly registered in the UK, Irish Republic bred hounds will not appear on the KC's records. We do not have copies of the Irish Kennel Club's stud books, or any books/magazines providing any early Afghan hound references, so we are largely dependent upon newspaper archives for our Irish breed history research. 2. THE EARLY AFGHAN HOUNDS IN IRELAND 2.1.COVE AND BELL MURRAY AFGHAN HOUNDS VIA LT COL W ADYE-CURRAN 1926 The first Afghan hound registered with the Irish Kennel Club was the bitch - Kibi Of Cove (Potentate x Aru) whelped 19th October 1926, bred by Jean C Manson (Cove), owned by Lt Col W Adye-Curran. The Colonel also owned Mem-Sahib (Khym x Daghai) a fawn bitch whelped 17th April 1924, bred by Major Bell-Murray. We have yet to find a report or photograph of any of the Colonel's Afghan hounds. We do find several news reports of the Colonel's Cairn Terriers being exhibited during the first half of the 1930's in Ireland. Available records indicate that the Colonel bred just one Afghan hound litter and the only offspring we have a record of is Souriya Of Enriallic (Kabba x Mem-Sahib), whelped 10th July 1930, which became the foundation bitch of Mr and Mrs Cronin's Enriallic kennel in Killarney, Ireland. Will Hally (UK Breed Columnist) wrote that Miss Manson (Cove) had exported so many hounds to Col Curran CBE in Ireland that the Irish numbers are likely to lead those in Britain !! *****Lyall is currently researching the Lt Col and we will add further bio information to this section shortly. 2.2 ASMAN OF GHAZNI AND LADY DE COURCEY WHEELER 1930 The earliest photograph of Afghan hounds in Ireland we have found is one of Lady De Courcey Wheeler and Ch Asman Of Ghazni taken at the Irish Kennel Club Show in 1930
The photo on the right was published in the UK Dog World Annual for the year 1929 and it shows Asman of Ghazi as a young puppy. The photo on the left was published in The Tatler, March 29, 1930 and the caption stated "The Afghan hound at the Irish Kennel Club show on St Patricks day at Ballsbridge. Lady de Courcy Wheeler is a well known exhibitor at all the dog shows in Ireland and won several first prizes at this show with other dogs.
On July 29 1931 The Tatler published a letter from Lady de Courcey Wheeler which was as follows - " Lady de Courcy Wheeler writes from Ireland as follows; "As I have gone to live in Dublin I cannot keep the lovely Afghan hound Asman Of Ghazni, a most lovely son of Champion Sirdar of Ghazni. He is the same colour as his illustrious sire and has won whenever shown. As there are no classes for Afghans over here, he is wasted. He is in splendid condition and a great bargain and should do "a power of winning" for someone. I do want him to go to a kind home where he'll get lots of the exercise he loves.". Asman eventually became the property of Daniel Conin's Enriallic and was used in their breeding program. 2.3 PHOTOGRAPH OF AN AFGHAN HOUND AT CLONMEL DOG SHOW 1931 We have found a photograph of an Afghan hound in Ireland which is dated 22nd October 1931 and was taken at the Clonmel Dog Show. The photo-set below portrays a light coloured hound, possibly a yearling, which has the look of the Bell-Murray type. We have no additional information to identify the above hound but we continue to research..
2.4 MR MRS CRONIN, (ENRIALLIC) Enriallic was the name of the Afghan hound kennel owned by Mr and Mrs Daniel Cronin and was located in Killarney, County Kerry, South West Ireland. The kennel was active from 1929 through to the end of the 1930's. The foundations of the kennel involved the Cronin's foundation dog - Asman Of Ghazni, (Sirdar Of Ghazni x Shireen Of Ghazni) bred by Mary Amps and littermate to Am Ch Asra of Ghazni, the Cronin's foundation bitch - Souriya of Enriallic, (Kabba x Mem-Sahib) pure Bell Murray, bred by Lt Col W Adye-Curran. A third foundation was an external stud dog - Rupee (Kymn x Sirfreda) bred by Mrs Squibb and owned by Mrs Nora Coombs. In the decade that Enriallic was active they bred a total of 7 litters, never going outside the aforementioned foundation lines and, in the process they were one of the breeders to incorporate the import lines of Shahzada and Afroz into to their breeding program and create a different blended line to the more typical Ghazni/Bell Murray crosses. Lyall Payne in his research has discovered the origin of the kennel name "Enriallic" - "Cill Airne" is Irish (Gaelic??) for "Killarney" where the Cronin's lived and Enriallic is Cill Airne spelt backwards !! Further research reveals that Cill Airne, refers to the "church of sloes"; which is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Ross Castle, Muckross House and Abbey, the Lakes of Killarney, MacGillycuddy's Reeks, Purple Mountain, Mangerton Mountain, the Gap of Dunloe and Torc Waterfall. Its natural heritage, history and location on the Ring of Kerry make Killarney a popular tourist destination. St Mary's (Church of Ireland) Killarney, is a beautiful church in the heart of Killarney which serves a small congregation as well as tourists. There is evidence as far back as the 1200s of a Church in this area.
The Enrallic kennel was a very important kennel for many reasons. It was one of the founding kennels in the Irish Republic, the kennel provided foundations for kennels in Holland, France, Switzerland and elsewhere in Europe, and foundations for several kennels in the USA.
When Eta Pauptit's Baruhkzy Khan was six years old Eta researched all available pedigrees and breeders and imported Aruna Of Enriallic to breed to him. Aruna arrived on a boat from Ireland and was selected from her litter for her refined elegant head and dark eyes. She was mostly Ghazni, with a touch of Bell-Murray in her pedigree. She was the first black and tan and the twelfth Afghan Hound import into Holland. (source Eta Pauptit). 2.5 PHOTO OF SIX AFGHAN HOUNDS EXHIBITED AT IKC SHOW, BALLSBRIDGE, DUBLIN, MARCH 1937
2.6 SOME EARLY IRISH EXHIBITORS The early exhibitors, starting from around 1936 included Dr R Hasting Weir of Lifford, Donegal, N. Ireland. He exhibited Zamindar Of Enrialic, Yakub Khan of Enriallic, Azura Chota Khan. Mrs M Earle (Ispouzmai), Thorpe Bay, Kent, England exhibited her homebred bitch Much Muchay Malika (bitch CC winner Birmingham Natl 1938) and some other hounds. Molly Sharpe (Chaman) moved her kennel to Londonderry, N. Ireland in 1939 and exhibited in both North and Southern Ireland with her Juanita Of Chaman, Garrymhor Faiz Bu Hazzid, Kala Of Chaman, Tarik of Chaman, Hassin (later Ch Taj of) Chaman, A Miss J Davison exhibited her Afghan Redcliffe Trouble. Miss Dorothy Power exhibited an afghan hound named "Tibet" in 1937, no further details known.
3, 1940/50'S ONWARD 3.1 MRS MARGARET "PEGGY" O'TOOLE (KOHISTAN) Mrs O'Toole started out with a hound bred by Mrs V J Smith (Vendas, UK) that would become famous on the show circuit, and who would go on to sire one of the most influential Afghan hounds in the history of the breed. Mrs O'Toole's first Afghan hound was the gold dog, - CH Vendas Tash Down (Tash Garift Of Pushtikuh x Fay Down) born 6th August 1939, bred by Mrs V J Smith). Vendas Tash Down was hugely successful as a show dog in the UK and in the Irish Republic, picking up many Best In Show Wins.
In 1948, at the age of 9 years, Ch Vendas Tash Down won Best Of Breed at the first Crufts show held after the end of WWII. Marjorie Doody (Yazdan, IRE) in her "Glimpse into the past of Ireland" published in the UK Afghan Hound Year Book 1985 quotes what Mrs O'Toole said about Tash Down's Crufts win - "Presently the judge (Mrs S Rhodes) compares the second placed dog with mine again, then she moves me to second place and I still have a chance of first place -- Has the judge made up her mind finally? No -- she now compares the first with mine -- She tells me to run him up again, now the first dog again -- That decides her, she points to first place for me -- We have won the supreme award and the proud title of International Champion. I heard a voice shout "Hurrah for Ireland", and I know that some Irish spectators had got a thrill, while I left the ring walking on air. Later we had the distinction of being one of the six selected out of about 100 dogs from which the Best In Show was chosen. The wonder of that day at Crufts will remain with me for the rest of my life." (AHT - We checked the Crufts catalogue for the class results. Vendas Tash Down beat Mrs. F . C. Riley's. Bletchingley Tajomeer in Open Dog class and went on to win the Dog CC. He then. competed against Mrs. F. C. Riley's CC winning bitch Bletchingley Zara to win the Best Of Breed. Vendas Tash Down also won the hound group)
Ch Vendas Tash Down sired an important dog for Mrs O'Toole - Kohistan Shahudin. Mrs Ide, (Jalalabad, UK), used Shahudin on her Jalalabad Marana and the resultant litter produced one of the most influential hounds in the breeds history - Jalalabad Barwala Of Carloway, Shahudin was later owned by Dr Byron Unkauf (Barukhzy, UK) and was eventually exported to Canada where he proved to be a valuable stud dog. departing Southampton for his new home in Canada
Allan Brooks (Bondor, UK) in conjunction with Sheila Devitt (Carloway, UK) wrote about Barwala in 2000 -" Barwala probably had a bigger influence on the breed than any other - there are not many Afghans today that do not carry his blood, in spite of the fact that he was not used a great deal at stud, and would not tolerate any inteference. However, his first bitch was the greatest "Star of the Day", I don't know how many CC's she won, but she was the reigning queen, and of course, everybody was hoping that she would be mated to their own Champion dog. Imagine my joy when Peggy Riley sent her to Barwala - his first bitch, Bletchingley Zara - luckily no problem; it was love at first sight! So it just went on from there, producing Bletchingley Hillsman and my own pick of the litter Barzara Of Carloway, who is the sire of Ch Muphytt of Carloway and so like him.. He was not a big dog, but he had "type" in extremes, and possibly one of the most perfect heads, almost black eyes with all the etching and moulding on his face that made artists and photographers want to paint or take him. He had a huge coat, huge feet, and a very short, back, low set perfect ring tail, and of course he had super breeding behind him. Both his sire and grandsire were great dogs(Kohistan Shahudin and Int Ch Vendas Tash Down). The latter one I can see today, moving round the ring at 8 years of age, with the movement that I find so hard to describe, but he had it!" (AHT note - We should also note the other Irish influence in Barwala's pedigree - Chitor Of Enriallic who occurs in the 4th generation). Mrs O'Toole also bred the black and tan bitch - N DK CH Kohistan Faida (Vendas Tash Down x Golden Ranee) that was exported to Norway. Interestingly, Molly Sharpe (Chaman, Scotland) was the first owner of Faida who produced a litter of 6 for Molly on 17th January 1947
Mrs O'Toole bred the combination Vendas Tash Down x Golden Ranee three times, 1944,1945,1946. The 1945 litter included the gold bitch Karola Of Sharaz. Mrs J Polson (Sharaz UK) was the first owner. Karola was subsequntally exported in whelp to Azad Of Chaman to Eva Gudgeon's Birchwood kennels in Canada. One of the ensuing littermates was the red dog Kingway Ben-Bhey of Birchwood who went to the Kingway Kennel of Mrs Porter in Colorado. Karola was later mated to Am Can Ch Asri Havid Of Five Mile which produced two champion bitches Ch Birchwood Shireen and Ch Birchwood Astaria, the latter producing Birchwood Golden Ranee, foundation bitch for the Smiech Diamond kennel. Mrs O'Toole collaborated with the English breeder Mrs Muir (Densevarg). Shown below is Mrs O'Toole handling Densevarg Kharanji (Ravelly Patrols Ali Bey x Kohistan Kuch Behar) (left photo) and Mrs Muir (right photo) handling Densevarg Ramadhin (Bletchingley Tribesman x Ajawaan Ranee Tamba).
3.2 OTHER HOUNDS/KENNELS/EXHIBITORS
To be continued..... Related content Mr, Mrs Cronin Enriallic Kennel Molly Sharpe (Chaman) |
