Legends

[Pick and bar 381]

Gone

Edited September 14, 2015 by Pick and bar

[neil cooney 10,415]

How good would it be to get those days back Marshman.

A pint or two on the way home was always well earned after some hard digging.

I was too young for a pint when I started but in those days it was back to the pub and we always had a strongdog on a days hunting and IMO the strongdog had the easy job compared to our little workers but at the end of the day it was he who'd look the worse for wear.

So into the boozer we'd go and to make sure there was no accidents in the back of the van it was always the strongdog that we took in.

I'd sit there drinking my Coca-cola holding a battle worn strongdog feeling like the biggest man in the pub.

Imagine doing that nowadays ?????

[liamdelaney 2,586]

I once played a two hour gig in The Pig and Whistle in Thurles with a staff who had plenty of battle scars tied to the speaker stand.As you said Neil imagine that now.

[Pick and bar 381]

Gone

Edited September 14, 2015 by Pick and bar

[marshman 7,756]

How good would it be to get those days back Marshman.

A pint or two on the way home was always well earned after some hard digging.

I was too young for a pint when I started but in those days it was back to the pub and we always had a strongdog on a days hunting and IMO the strongdog had the easy job compared to our little workers but at the end of the day it was he who'd look the worse for wear.

So into the boozer we'd go and to make sure there was no accidents in the back of the van it was always the strongdog that we took in.

I'd sit there drinking my Coca-cola holding a battle worn strongdog feeling like the biggest man in the pub.

Imagine doing that nowadays ?????

good days indeed mate ,another one I can mind was being put in the back of an old escort van with all manor of digging stuff and I garrantee I fight between the dogs would brake out with my father shouting " brake them up " lol me trying not to look scared . Nah you're right them days are gone you'd be lock up nowadays .

[staffs riffraff 1,068]

brilliant thread guys

[pablo esc 1,598]

Neil, did you ever go digging with the pensioner? Nc

[neil cooney 10,415]

 

How good would it be to get those days back Marshman.

A pint or two on the way home was always well earned after some hard digging.

I was too young for a pint when I started but in those days it was back to the pub and we always had a strongdog on a days hunting and IMO the strongdog had the easy job compared to our little workers but at the end of the day it was he who'd look the worse for wear.

So into the boozer we'd go and to make sure there was no accidents in the back of the van it was always the strongdog that we took in.

I'd sit there drinking my Coca-cola holding a battle worn strongdog feeling like the biggest man in the pub.

Imagine doing that nowadays ?????

good days indeed mate ,another one I can mind was being put in the back of an old escort van with all manor of digging stuff and I garrantee I fight between the dogs would brake out with my father shouting " brake them up " lol me trying not to look scared . Nah you're right them days are gone you'd be lock up nowadays .

 

LOL, been there, done that. If it wasn't two having a go at each other it was a dog puking. Then it was all windows open, and it might be a pissy day in December, LOL.

If a lot of drink was consumed the night before and a dog puked tripe everywhere then it was pull over of there'd be lads puking.

We drove to Galway one evening for a nights ratting. My father drove, I was in the passenger seat, three friends on the back seat and my young brother lieing across their legs. Four or five terriers in the boot and a couple in the car. A 200 mile round trip and we caught well over 100 rats.

Then there were the days were there was no transport available. Men carrying shovels with terriers on leads walking along the roadside.

Nowadays there'd be a SWAT team arriving.

[neil cooney 10,415]

Neil, did you ever go digging with the pensioner? Nc

Doesn't ring a bell I'm afraid.

[Lenmcharristar 9,200]

 

 

How good would it be to get those days back Marshman.

A pint or two on the way home was always well earned after some hard digging.

I was too young for a pint when I started but in those days it was back to the pub and we always had a strongdog on a days hunting and IMO the strongdog had the easy job compared to our little workers but at the end of the day it was he who'd look the worse for wear.

So into the boozer we'd go and to make sure there was no accidents in the back of the van it was always the strongdog that we took in.

I'd sit there drinking my Coca-cola holding a battle worn strongdog feeling like the biggest man in the pub.

Imagine doing that nowadays ?????

good days indeed mate ,another one I can mind was being put in the back of an old escort van with all manor of digging stuff and I garrantee I fight between the dogs would brake out with my father shouting " brake them up " lol me trying not to look scared . Nah you're right them days are gone you'd be lock up nowadays .

 

LOL, been there, done that. If it wasn't two having a go at each other it was a dog puking. Then it was all windows open, and it might be a pissy day in December, LOL.

If a lot of drink was consumed the night before and a dog puked tripe everywhere then it was pull over of there'd be lads puking.

We drove to Galway one evening for a nights ratting. My father drove, I was in the passenger seat, three friends on the back seat and my young brother lieing across their legs. Four or five terriers in the boot and a couple in the car. A 200 mile round trip and we caught well over 100 rats.

Then there were the days were there was no transport available. Men carrying shovels with terriers on leads walking along the roadside.

Nowadays there'd be a SWAT team arriving.

 

and what a fcuking disgrace it is, the swat team being the truth

[the goat 642]

Great thread lads , keep it going . Best I've seen was a mates dog called striker . Steady and determined every time

 

From NI?

[BGD 6,385]

 

 

 

How good would it be to get those days back Marshman.

A pint or two on the way home was always well earned after some hard digging.

I was too young for a pint when I started but in those days it was back to the pub and we always had a strongdog on a days hunting and IMO the strongdog had the easy job compared to our little workers but at the end of the day it was he who'd look the worse for wear.

So into the boozer we'd go and to make sure there was no accidents in the back of the van it was always the strongdog that we took in.

I'd sit there drinking my Coca-cola holding a battle worn strongdog feeling like the biggest man in the pub.

Imagine doing that nowadays ?????

good days indeed mate ,another one I can mind was being put in the back of an old escort van with all manor of digging stuff and I garrantee I fight between the dogs would brake out with my father shouting " brake them up " lol me trying not to look scared . Nah you're right them days are gone you'd be lock up nowadays .

LOL, been there, done that. If it wasn't two having a go at each other it was a dog puking. Then it was all windows open, and it might be a pissy day in December, LOL.

If a lot of drink was consumed the night before and a dog puked tripe everywhere then it was pull over of there'd be lads puking.

We drove to Galway one evening for a nights ratting. My father drove, I was in the passenger seat, three friends on the back seat and my young brother lieing across their legs. Four or five terriers in the boot and a couple in the car. A 200 mile round trip and we caught well over 100 rats.

Then there were the days were there was no transport available. Men carrying shovels with terriers on leads walking along the roadside.

Nowadays there'd be a SWAT team arriving.

Me and a pal used to jump on the train with our terriers for a days digging, coming home with filthy terriers with swollen faces stinking of fox and no one ever batted an eyelid we'd even get the odd old boy asking how our day had been. Imagine doing that these days?

[pablo esc 1,598]

You'd probably be the ( accused) . And be frowned upon by modern arsholes,

[neil cooney 10,415]

 

 

 

How good would it be to get those days back Marshman.

A pint or two on the way home was always well earned after some hard digging.

I was too young for a pint when I started but in those days it was back to the pub and we always had a strongdog on a days hunting and IMO the strongdog had the easy job compared to our little workers but at the end of the day it was he who'd look the worse for wear.

So into the boozer we'd go and to make sure there was no accidents in the back of the van it was always the strongdog that we took in.

I'd sit there drinking my Coca-cola holding a battle worn strongdog feeling like the biggest man in the pub.

Imagine doing that nowadays ?????

good days indeed mate ,another one I can mind was being put in the back of an old escort van with all manor of digging stuff and I garrantee I fight between the dogs would brake out with my father shouting " brake them up " lol me trying not to look scared . Nah you're right them days are gone you'd be lock up nowadays .

LOL, been there, done that. If it wasn't two having a go at each other it was a dog puking. Then it was all windows open, and it might be a pissy day in December, LOL.

If a lot of drink was consumed the night before and a dog puked tripe everywhere then it was pull over of there'd be lads puking.

We drove to Galway one evening for a nights ratting. My father drove, I was in the passenger seat, three friends on the back seat and my young brother lieing across their legs. Four or five terriers in the boot and a couple in the car. A 200 mile round trip and we caught well over 100 rats.

Then there were the days were there was no transport available. Men carrying shovels with terriers on leads walking along the roadside.

Nowadays there'd be a SWAT team arriving.

Me and a pal used to jump on the train with our terriers for a days digging, coming home with filthy terriers with swollen faces stinking of fox and no one ever batted an eyelid we'd even get the odd old boy asking how our day had been. Imagine doing that these days?

 

Reminds me of seeing lads getting on my fathers bus when I was young. They had a few jack russells, a couple of wheatens and they're shovels. They went down the back of the bus but my father made them leave they're gun on the dash board of the bus so he could keep an eye on it.

 

Telling a yarn earlier on about a pub reminds me of a badgers mask I have on my wall.

There's a good sporting pub in Westmeath and it's one of Fatmans locals (there's around 20 pubs he call's his local) and years ago they had a full badger mounted sitting on the shelf in the bar.

Fatman was in it one day after hunting and had a terrier called Rip tied to the leg of the bar stool he was sitting on.

Another local sportsman, Dessie, untied Rip's lead. Rip jumped up on to a stool, then onto a table and from the table on to the shelf holding the badger.

Both Rip and the stuffed badger ended up in the middle of the floor rolling around.

A few years ago the pub was getting re-furnished and Fatman and I went in for a pint after hunting and here in a skip was the old badger.

Looking at it we could still see the big bald patch on it's arse where Rip had tried to kill the already dead badger.

I took it home and cut the head of it and put it on a plaque. It looks shite but at least there's a story behind it. It was dug nearly 50 years ago.

[foxdropper 17,097]

I can remember my early days as if it were yesterday,the smell of cut wood in the back of an old escort van where i sat surrounded by all the digging kit and dogs and ferrets if we were ratting .Norman ,Clive and me .Very often it was off to a place by invite to clear up a few for a landowner where we were always treated well ,coffeee ,cakes a dinner if we never had anywhere to be .One old lady who owned an orchard and kept chickens would insist on paying the men but they never took it ,so she bathed the terriers instead ,it was a routine .One place we went the farmer used to scare me .He'd ,at some time tried to shoot himself in the head with a shotgun failing miserably but took the side of his face off instead .He wore a skin coloured mask on that side his face and used to creep the hell out of me when he leaned in the van to say hello.That place was made for digging .Hedgerows in chalk and only ever 3-4 ft deep.

Through these lads i was introduced to many landowners and keepers and eventually took on their land when they gave up.The terriers were bull headed Nuttalls ,Kipper,Val ,Brock and Sarah lol (who calls a terrier Sarah)

I do remember i was me that did the digging mostly with Clive jumping in to finish .They were Normans terriers but cant ever remember him doing much with the spade .

A dig ill never forget was across fields ,on a bank overlooking a village .We had the bitch Val in at quarry when we heard hounds in the distance fading away to nothing ,thought nothing of it until they spoke again 2 fields away and screaming in our direction .Youve guessed it ,fox comes through the hedge and straight into the end of our bury .We were on permission as always but no one had said they were meeting locally .Hounds milling everywhere screaming ,Norman as white as a sheet and Clive and me digging like mad men but it was inevitable that the green coats would show up sooner rather than

later .The huntsman dismounted and came over asking if we were going to be long and could we try for a bolt after ,lol.

Apparently their own terriermen had broken down on the road somewhere .The whip helped dig our bitch out quarry shot and Kipper duly fetched to try for the fox .Hounds were taken to the far end of the field and Kipper was soon on . The old style Deben was used to locate the bitch and it was apparent a bolt wasnt happening so another dig with me and the whip in a contest to dig the fastest lol.Thats was the first time i was ever allowed to break through on my own as the other two

were backfilling our first hole .Foxy was in a bad way so Clive shot it and the body tossed to hounds .This was my first encounter with hounds and sparked a love hate relationship with my local pack .I love to watch them but they hate me lol.

I dug with these lads for 6 -7 years watching Norman deteriorate in health poor bugger until one day he came to my mum and dads house and asked if i would like to have the dogs as they were too much for him at home now .Dad was all for it but mum not so keen as we had 2 dogs already,ferrets ,chickens and a goat.Kennels made and that was me sorted for life.

Norman died a year later,RIP,aged 76.

In those early years of having my own dogs ,i did try to fit in with the hunt but certain individuals wernt having it so i dug more and more in their country by invite of course until a certain terriermen came along and made me welcome but thats another story .