Pallas Green Harriet Fieldtrial
Champion in Ireland
White memories of times goneby
Kicking and alive is usually not what history is about. This story is. Imagine an old card of Ireland with on it all ancient tribes of setters. Call them the Adams and Eves of Irish setters. These were red, red and white, white and red and sometimes even shower of hails (white dots spread allover a redcoat). Yes, past. But Harry's life story, a red and white setter born from red parents and his daughter Pallas Green Harriet revive that old card. Harriet is running on landscapes of that card alive, topping field trials.
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Pallas Green Harriet Fieldtrial
Champion in Ireland |
Dutch setter wins Irish trials
Once upon a time...Yes some reality reads like a fairy tale. Anno Domini 2008: Pallas Green Harriet becomes Irish Field Trial Champion. As first Dutch bred setter ever. Main actors in this scene: breeder Gerard Mirck (Pallas Green) in Almere, me as her caretaker thereafter for half a year in our O'Conloch kennels and Europe's best working Irish red and white setter breeder/trainer, her owner/trialer Jim Sheridan (Craigrua Irish setters).
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| Harriet born | Mother Craigrua Goldie |
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Sheridan is the only one who successfully completed a scheme of crossing red and whites with working red setters. A pioneer in bringing this working breed back to its roots and on top in the field.
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| Team: Harry en Gerard Mirck | Made by an Australian:Harry's best pic |
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Star in the making
Sheridan smells victory on trials, although she did not win immediately. "Without getting carried away I think I have a star on my hands", he wrote Harriets breeder, confessing he was rarely in control and she mostly out of control. Convinced of stardom, the future hope enjoyed royal feeding with under more chicken wings, raw eggs, minced steak, honey and olive oil.
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| Jim Sheridan visits Almere |
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Both owner and breeder are in the clouds after her first victory on Dublin Mountains preceding Spring. Absolute highlight is September 12th and 13th. During celebration of the centennial of the Ulster Red Setter Club, Harriet wins in competition with forty pointers and setters.
Present is as well the top of the Irish Red Setter Club, chairman Raymond O'Dwyer as lecturer on his new book (see elsewhere on this website) and secretary Eric Lynch is one of the judges. Judges chose Harriet as well as the dog with whom they would most like to hunt for a day, making a double win.
"As a breeder, you can only dream of such a happening", Mirck reacts.
Rebaptized
Anno Domini 1997. Harry is born from red parents at the place of Joop Harms, Uden. As only red and white between red littermates. His buyer Mirck is on cloud nine.
Mirck swears he will do all he can to get a red and white on top of the continental European scene. Often the national team for the working European championship consists of three litter brothers: Harry, Rhu (Harms) and Revolution called Red (Els and Rembrandt Kersten). Only non-littermate: Echlin O'Conloch who happens to be close family via shared forefather International working champion Charly von Royal .
A small group of enthusiasts in the Netherlands is at that time working hard for a resurrection of the original Irish setter able to perform the job it was bred for. This initiative is called A new Spring for an ancient working breed. It appears to be swimming against the stream. Outside this group nearly no one is interested in the original Irish setter in this show dominated world.
Rivers deep, mountains high becomes Harry's life song. Battles of pedigree bureaucracies. Increasing interest in his backgrounds as well, due to excellent photography of Australian Sandy Peter'ka along with some stories by undersigned. Especially a story entitled Like a Bat out of Hell hits. It generates admiration but plain jealousy and hatred as well .
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The rare red and whites offspring spreads worldwide. They provide broader lineage, under more by Danish lines of Tommy Pedersen under whom the in Scandinavian and German setter circles well known stud dog Lasse. Described by Pedersen as his very best ever.
His red family lives on as well. A sister, Grouse, allround hunting dog, had a litter in 2006 sired by Echlin O'Conloch. Daughters of them are available for breeding, one stayed at the breeders place and another, Innes, after a short childhood with some field experiences in the O'Conloch kennel, moved to Dirk Westera (Of the Lands End Irish Setters).
Enjoyment and irritation
Experts are battling over the question whether Harry is an Irish red setter, color red and white or an Irish red and white setter. Some purists are irritated to the max because of all attention for a few flecks, others enjoy. The small group of enthusiasts for A Spring for an ancient working breed begins to fall apart. Breed clubs and kennel clubs join battling over Harry's identity.
In own country Harry meanwhile is provided with a pedigree stating his identity is Irish red and white setter. Under protest of under more the Irish breed club plus the British show oriented breed club. Because in their eyes Harry is not an Irish red and white setter, but an Irish setter red with the wrong color.
The Dutch kennelclub decides to make Harry the first and last to be rebaptized. Some fanciers of the Springgroup promote breeding of red and whites within the red population, because in their eyes the decision to divide both breeds over colors, is wrong. One such vision is published in the book Hond Staat (Dog Points) see elsewhere on this website.
Humor and horror
Harry himself meanwhile leads an adventurous life faraway from all pedigree problems. He and owner travel to the USA for a mating, repeats that to participate in trials of the fifty years old National Red Setter Field Trial Club (he wins a walking stake confined to red and whites), participates in EC's in Germany, Italy and France, trains in terrific landscapes in Poland and Denmark.
One time he wins silver in the EC held in Germany, immediately after the trial followed by a chase (and catch!) of a hare otherwise an eliminating fault in trials that way switching from hero into anti-hero. Harry's life story is humor and horror, heaven and hell combined in a split second.
A monks work
Around 1920ies or beginning thirties. As a kind of monks work, Dutchman Jan Hesterman chases history of Irish setters before registry began.
Part of that work is to bring earliest known breeders and dogs on a card. Tens of thousands earliest pedigrees are made as well. Extended pedigrees colored in after main ancestors, to be traced to first families on the card are produced. Hesterman is working into detail, probably because of his profession restoring old paintings one of them was the Nightwatcher of Rembrandt van Rijn.
This card illustrates that Harry's story is as old as the Irish setter itself. In one and the same strain there were more color-variations. From all red to white and red, red and white and even the legendary shower of hails (small white dots all over a redcoat).
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Click on map for larger version
Made by J.A. Hesterman (O'Cuchulain Irish setters, Netherlands) probably
end twenties/beginning thirties last century. Source archives Foundation
for original setters www.Iersesetter.com |
When Harriets series of successes starts, the yellowish card seems to fall apart. Modern technology helps it to survive on the internet. On the card, under more Muskerry is mentioned. He is the direct tail male ancestor of....Harry.
Henk ten Klooster, 2008, December 12th (updated version).
