The Curious History of Irish Dogs

Book excerpt: Did you know that.The Irish have the highest proportion of dog ownership in Europe? The first probable reference to the Kerry Blue comes from 1847, when Major Richardson, the Wolfhound breeder and enthusiast, described what he termed 'a harlequin terrier'? The Irish Wolfhound was first described by Julius Caesar in De bello Gallico? In 1920 Michael Collins organised a breed show for the Kerry Blue? His dog was entered under the show name of 'Convict 224, ' Eamon de Valera's prison number. There are nine breeds of dog that are native to Ireland: four terriers, three gun dogs, and two hounds. Irish Wolfhounds stalked through ancient Celtic mythology, while Kerry Beagles were among the victims of the Land War in the 1880s. Charles Stewart Parnell insisted that his Red Setter stay with him when he was on his death bed. During World War One, hundreds of Irish Terriers served on the front lines of the trenches. The Glen of Imaal Terrier was deliberately bred to have a genetic defect, while the Irish Water Spaniel was reputed to be descended from the dobhar-chu-a Celtic spirit. Six of Ireland's nine native breeds of dog are now considered vulnerable to extinction, but they are an integral part of the island's cultural narrative, and have added both to its social history and to the happiness of its people. In The Curious History of Irish Dogs, David Blake Knox tells the remarkable stories of each of the nine breeds, and reveals how they have become inextricably linked with the people of Ireland. [Subject: Irish History, Irish Studies, Dogs