The O'Donovan Family Profile

Pictured on the right is Jim O’Donovan, the first generation of four, taken in November 1945 in Terramount at the age of 71 years, heading off for a day’s shooting with his black cocker (back right), black & white springer spaniel (centre) and his fox terrier who was his loyal companion and whom he never left home without.

A tradesman of renown and fowler, stone mason by trade and wild game fowler by sport, there is hardly an old farmyard in the parish that he didn’t leave his mark – be it the building of the farm houses, cow stall, pig sty or just the entrance walls – this in itself earned him the open invitation to shoot on those lands and in return the generous fowler always left some of his catch at the back door for the pot. Widely proclaimed for having a great shot, he was in popular demand by the farmers for vermin control, especially, when the geese and turkeys were being reared for Christmas.


































Having taken the legacy from their father, the O’Donovan twins, Jimmy & Michael (RIP), were also good shots – pictured above left is Jimmy after winning a rifle shooting competition on the River Bride in 1946 at just 19 years of age. Pictured above right is Jimmy and Michael O’Donovan releasing pheasants in Castlelyons in 1961 and above left in 1969 is Jimmy with his famous red setter dog (Kilshannig Ranger) and Michael with his favourite, the English Springer Spaniel (Major) after a good weekend’s shoot in Rathcormac.

Jimmy’s love for the sport was just for training dogs, especially, the red setters – Jimmy was involved in the early days of the Cork Field Trail Association pictured below at the first AGM held by the Cork Field Trial Association taken in 1961, in the Imperial Hotel, Cork, (Jimmy standing front right). Jimmy’s first success was with Kilshannig Ranger in 1965, in Crookstown, Co. Cork, taking 3rd that day in the red setter class.

Renowned for breeding and training red setters, Jimmy had a keen eye for picking a pup and therefore his pups were in popular demand, and by the 70’s he was sending litters of pups to England & Scotland to their shooting fraternity, many of which made it to the Field Trials and produced a few champions. One of these champions went all the way as an International Field Trial Champion. However, a lot of credit must go to Jimmy’s wife Mary who raised the pups until they were sold. Showing dogs went hand in hand with the trials and breeding so that task was taken up by Mary as can be seen on the photos below.

Jimmy’s admiration for gun dogs and field trials still continues to this day and he can be seen training his old favourite, the red setter, along with his english pointer. Now in his 83rd year, Jimmy is still an active member with the Cork Field Trials and with the last three years in succession Jimmy has been honoured with the title as President of the Cork Field Trial Association.


















Like the generation before it, the third generation of the O’Donovan clan (James and Mick) is no different with their love and passion for gun dogs and fowling “and this generation don’t miss many shots either!” Mick, having joined the Rathcormac Gun Club in 1985 after been given his first gun (a Harrier Deluxe) by his father Jimmy, to this day Mick would use nothing else.
James and Mick are some of the major driving forces behind the Rathcormac Gun Club, Mick has held the position Rathcormac Gun Club, Chairman, for 12 years from June 1995 to June 2007, Mick currently fulfils the role of Rathcormac Gun Club, Secretary.
James is also heavily involved in the club working behind the scenes to propel the club forward particularly in the area of game keeping and researching ongoing improvements to release programmes. James, from the early years, showed more attention to gun dogs and attends trial with his father. Mike early success was in 1980 when he was just 12 years of age, securing 3rd place, same as dad 15 years earlier and needless to say, it was with a red setter, the trial was held in Kilworth Army Range Lands and the game of the day was on pheasant & snipe. However to this day James still has a keen interest in Field Trials.



Mick and James first started shooting over setters and pointers but then changed to springer spaniels when his father and mother travelled to Galway to buy a springer bitch named “Nessa”. She soon became the first choice for both James and Mick, now both prefer to shoot over springer spaniels, between them; they kennel 5 spaniels. Mick, having built up an impressive kennel of spaniels from this line, mating “Nessa” to a field trial champion and out of a litter of five, two were kept, a dog named “Dustin” and a bitch named “Dang” – otherwise known as the “pups”. The pups reined the parish with their supremacy for over a decade, and at the grand old age of 14 (still collectively known as the “pups”??), Dustin still ventures out for an hour or so in the shooting season. With two more Springers added to the kennels in recent years, this year sees the coming of two dog pups (“Max” and “Tuff”), Mick is cautiously optimistic with his view on the new pups “Well, we will have to wait and see, but things look promising”. Mick has also built up the name as an outstanding dog trainer like his father and if frequently called upon for advice and assistance in training any gundog breed “if you have a problem with your dog, ask Donovan”, with two boys of his own, Jack and Alex, Mick is passing on the knowledge gathered by the three generations to his sons.




















The fourth generation is what it’s all about, and the tradition lives on. Even at this early stage the interest these two boys are showing towards their dogs and wildlife is incredible. Alex the youngest, took ownership of the intermediate springer dog “Buster”, Alex adopted Buster as soon as he arrived to the Kennels, all the way from Easkey, Co Sligo, the two have growing up together and are inseparable around the kennels. In the off season, when they go to the river to keep the retrieving sharp, Buster hands the training dummy to Alex every time, Alex is too young to go shooting, never the less he accompanies his older brother on the training fields, and especially to the release pins.

Jack the eldest by two years is a wildlife man true & true, and loves the rearing and releasing of the pheasants and never shy’s when it comes to tagging the game. Like his brother, Jack too wanted his own dog so when the last litter of pups arrived Jack took his pick, like his grandfather before him, he has a keen eye and picked a smashing pup ("Max"), prompting Liam O’Sullivan quote “You can’t beat Breeding”.
The training of the two pups (“Max and his comrade Tuff”) is a seven day a week job and when its time for Max to go through his paces, Jack is always there, keen to learn and picks up all the words and actions to get their pups working correctly. Jimmy is proud the see the interest these boys have and it takes him back to the 1930’s, when he was a boy out in the fields with his father.

This is family profile that can be classed as “To Be Continued” as the 4th generation take to the field with their gun dogs.