The History of the Sporting Irish Water Spaniel Club

The history of the Sporting Irish Water Spaniel Club is a fascinating one stretching back 100 years to an era when shooting was the preserve of the wealthy and the development of dog breeds invariably involved the aristocracy, the wealthy and the well connected, to a greater or lesser extent. The Irish Water Spaniel was no exception with the Barrington family of Glenstal Estate, Limerick and the Clancarty family featuring prominently in the breed’s development.

The Club was originally formed in 1908 by the second Lady Dunleath, Norah Mulholland, of Ballywalter Park, Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland (location for the second oldest game fair in the world) (www.ballywalterpark.com) who was the granddaughter of Viscount Bangor of Castle Ward. She was married to Lord Henry Mulholland, who had been elected Conservative MP for Londonderry in 1885 and who inherited the estate in 1895.

Lady Dunleath was universally known as Gogo and by all accounts somewhat overshadowed her husband. She was a great entertainer, regularly holding great house parties, dances, shooting weekends and cricket weeks. Lady Dunleath became the president of the newly formed Club and her co-founder, Mr C.E. Wright from Camberley became the Secretary.

The aims of the Club were to hold field trials for the breed and not to undertake showing, something the constitution of the modern Club still prohibits.

In each of the years 1908, 1909 and 1910 the Club held a Field Trial on land owned by Mr Percy St. Gerrans, near Mildenhall in Suffolk. These trials were held as retriever trials not spaniel trials, although in 1907 the first field trials held for the breed, by The Sporting Spaniel Club, had them running as Spaniels.

The results of these trials, all run under Kennel Club rules are given below:

Some of the guns, dogs and competitors at the first SIWSC Field Trial
Co-founder Mr C.E. Wright is second from the left.

Winner of the first SIWSC Field Trial, Lady Dunleath's Ballywalter Avick

How the Daily Mirror reported the first Field Trial in 1908

The formation of the Club in 1908 meant that we are, at least by date of original formation, the oldest breed Club in the UK dedicated to the Irish Water Spaniel and, after the Irish Water Spaniel Club (Ireland,1890), the second oldest in the World . However, unlike the Irish Water Spaniel Association (UK), that was formed in 1926 and the Irish Water Spaniel Club, ours has not been a continuous existence.

Indeed, after the 1910 field trial the Club seemed to just disappear, although perhaps the onset of the first world war was the reason. Mind you, the other two clubs of Britain & Ireland went through a few trying times themselves. In 1928, for example, the Irish Club was down to just 3 members and no further meetings occurred until 1946 and in the 1950s the Association went through a period of very little activity due to a loss of interest in the breed.

However, after an absence of almost 80 years, an inaugural meeting was held on 14^th May 1989 at Newbury in Berkshire for the purpose of reforming this historic Club. Already able to boast a membership of well over one hundred, its founder members included professional full-time gamekeepers, top professional gundog trainers and field trialers, the top handlers in the breed for two decades in the United Kingdom in both field trials and working tests, and owners who rough shoot, wildfowl, pick-up and beat with their Irish Water Spaniels, and it is still the only breed Club in the world solely catering for the welfare of the working Irish Water Spaniel. At the inaugural meeting a Chairman, a Secretary, a Treasurer and a Committee of four were elected, and a Constitution and set of Rules were adopted.

In 2000 the Sporting Irish Water Spaniel Club was proud to announce that Brian Henry Mulholland, the 6^th Lord Dunleath (and great grand son of the 2^nd Lady Dunleath) had graciously agreed to become the club’s Patron, thus firmly re-establishing the link with the original founders of the Club back in the early 20^th century.

From 2001 the membership grew considerably, indeed membership reached in excess of over 200 members. At the end of 2006 membership stood at 204. Not bad for a breed where, in 2006, only 105 dogs were registered with the Kennel Club, the majority being born to show breeders.
In 2003 the Club was proud to be recognised by the Kennel Club and now holds working tests under Kennel Club rules.
The Club continues to thrive and remains committed to the interests and development of the Sporting Irish Water Spaniel.