Lamping With A Bike

[Sean Hartigan 101]

From The Rabbit Industry in Ireland by Michael J. Conry

[neil cooney 10,416]

Sean, is that the new book ?

What did you think of it ?

There's plenty about local men and country to me in it and was thinking of getting it.

[Bosun11 537]

Lamping was a bit different back then. For those early pioneers you didn't need a fraction of the power we now use.

As for bikes, i enjoy a lamp on my bike early on in the season. I can rip round my local walk in a fraction of the time and so extend my range. Much more silent than boots clumping round and i can belt across a stubble and into gear before it has time to think. Dog loves it too, an all-action night for him!

Don't forget though, you can come a cropper dead easy, so always wear a helmet, i've wrapped up a few times now but thankfully only cuts and scrapes so far.

[strongbow1 257]

I've got an railway line near me that been turned into bike/bridle way. I often take the dogs up there with the lamp, alway seem to catch the odd rabbit or two out in the surrounding fields. Like has been said the dogs love it.

[Sean Hartigan 101]

Sean, is that the new book ?

What did you think of it ?

There's plenty about local men and country to me in it and was thinking of getting it.

Its a very interesting book Neil. It's hard to believe how big the rabbit industry was. Conry must have spoken to hundreds of rabbit men throughout Ireland, fair play to him for recording this bit of history, its a bit repetitive in that a lot of the stories are similar, but there are a few gems. There wasn't a lot about my part of the Country East Limerick/North Tipperary but there's a huge amount about other places. Its some lump of a book for €30 over 500 pages hardback, you wouldn't read it cover to cover. There's only a few pages on hunting with dogs. The story of how myxomatosis was introduced is interesting and a bit sickening If you knew some of the men mentioned in the book you should definitely buy it.

[neil cooney 10,416]

Thanks Sean, you've made up my mind.

Yes I've hunted over the years with some of the families who are mentioned or their buyers are mentioned in it and it's amazing how the rabbit got them through the hard times.

A fact that makes this new disease even more sadder.