Ralph Montagu Scott started his Ifold Kennel with the purchase of a litter brother and sister from Mr. E. MacLeod. Their names were Fland and Ferb and they were by Sheelin of Caldy out of Hindhead Molly, were born July 7th, 1918, but were not registered until February, 1920.
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| Ralph Montagu Scott with three winners from the Kennel Club Show, 1923. From l to r: Morna, Deirdre, and Eogan. |
The Kennels were at the Ifold Estate, near Horsham in West Sussex, but Ralph Montagu Scott also had a house in London, first in Piccadilly and later in Lancaster Gate, where he presumably spent much of his time since it was the London address he gave in advertisements for anyone wishing to purchase a wolfhound. The Ifold Estate consisted of a mansion set in 120 acres of parkland, plus 500 acres of woodland, 300 acres of pasture, and 300 acres of arable land. This gave the hounds wonderful opportunities for exercise and for hunting, and hunting with his hounds was one of Ralph Montagu Scott's main interests.
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| A group of Ifold hounds out for exercise |
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Ferb produced a litter by Fland on March 27th, 1920, which was registered in July 1921. In the same month, Montagu Scott registered another litterbrother and sister bought from E. MacLeod - Eogan and Lady Crochen. These two were by Cathal-na-Gael out of Lady Erell. In December, 1921 was registered Lady Clodagh, bred by Capt. Hudson of the Brabyns kennel, by Brutus of Ifold (from the Fland/Ferb litter) out of Tanaise-na-Gael. He also bought another litterbrother and sister, Muggins O'Moyle and Mavourneen O'Moyle, from Major and Mrs. Moore. They were by Cormac Boroimhe out of Miss Dinah O'Moyle and were whelped on July 27, 1921.
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Lady Crochen |
A second litter was born at Ifold on January 20th, 1922, by Fland out of Lady Crochen, and a third on January 27th, 1922, by Eogan ex Deirdre of Ifold (Deirdre was from the first Fland/Ferb litter). From this litter came Torna of Ifold. [In 1925 Torna was transferred to Capt. Massy.] On July 26th, 1922 came a litter by Michael (Felixstowe Regan/Lindley Brenda) out of Ferb, from which came Lupin of Ifold, and Cruachan of Ifold who became one of the mascots of the Irish Guards.
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| Torna of Ifold | Lupin of Ifold |
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| Torna of Ifold as he appeared in the
Kennel Gazette, February 1923, in which the accompanying article read: "Our second full-page illustration is of the young Irish Wolfhound Torna of Ifold, the property of Mr. R. Montagu Scott, Ifold House, near Horsham. At twelve months old this young dog weighted 152 lbs., standing 35 inches at the shoulder, and 41 inches girth. He is a very typical Irish Wolfhound of light brindled wheaten colour, and last week at Cruft's secured signal success by winning all through his classes, including Special Limit, Limit, and Open, finally annexing the Challenge Certificate." |
| Cruachan of Ifold of the Irish Guards Winner of Height Cup, Kennel Club Show 1924 |
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On September 12th, 1922 came a litter by Eogan out of Felixstowe Ballyneety, from which came a bitch, Heks of Ifold, who was one of the first Irish wolfhounds to be imported into Norway. The other was Varg of Ifold, a dog from the Michael/Ferb litter, and they went to a Mr. Cappelen, seen below with Heks and Varg at the Christiana Dog Show in Norway. Another bitch from the Eogan/Felixstowe Ballyneety litter was registered as Moyna of Ifold, but was known as Morna of Ifold. She is shown in the picture at the top of the page with Ralph Montagu Scott and two other hounds.
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In March, 1923, Deirdre of Ifold had a litter by Wyke Mark Dan O'Hagarty, from which came Wolf of Ifold and Patrick of Ifold. Patrick became a Champion, though Scott only kept him for two years.
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Mrs. Massy's Wolf of Ifold, winner of the dog Challenge Certificate Bath 1924 and the Royal Show, Leicester 1924. |
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| Above and below: four different views of Ch. Patrick of Ifold | |
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Patrick was used as the frontispiece for the Kennel Gazette of June, 1924
and the article that accompanied his photograph read: "Our frontispiece
this month is the Irish Wolfhound dog Patrick of Ifold, the property of Mr. R.
Montagu Scott, of Ifold House, near Loxwood, Sussex.
"Patrick of Ifold is by Wyke Mark Dan O'Hagarty, out of Deirdre of Ifold,
and was whelped on St. Patrick's Day, 1923. A light brindled hound, he has a
most typical head, is straight in front with plenty of bone, excellent quarters
and stern, and gives promise of sound development in the loin. He is in every
way a credit to the Ifold Kennels. The first time out, at the recent L.K.A.
Show at Olympia, he won the President's Cup for the best hound under 18 months,
bred by exhibitor, and on that occasion beat his litter brother, Mrs. Massy's
Wolf of Ifold, the Challenge Certificate winner at the previous Bath Show. He
has yet to meet another litter brother in Mrs. Ellis' Gerg of Ifold, at present
unshown, but a hound of great promise. His dam is the wonderful brood bitch,
the winner of the Brood Bitch Cup at the last two Kennel Club Shows.
"She is a dark grey brindled hound on the small side, but of excellent
proportions and is an exceptional mother.
"In her first litter, at the end of January, 1922, she whelped to Eogan
another outstanding litter of puppies. Among them Torna of Ifold, who at 12
months of age won right through his classes at Cruft's 1923, taking the
Challenge Certificate and Cup for the best hound under two years of age. Kerri
of Ifold, who won two firsts at eight months of age at the Kennel Club Show,
1922, and many specials since for limbs, quarters, and movement; Tess of Ifold,
a winner of many specials and the Type Cup for bitches at the Kennel Club Show,
1923.
"Deirdre is the product of a brother and sister mating, and is by Fland
out of Ferb. Only three of the resulting litter are left in this country, the
others are Brod of Ifold, and Captain Hudson's Sheila. These are also typical
and beautiful hounds and the risk taken by such close breeding to emphasise the
qualities of their parents has been amply justified.
"Some breeders still maintain that the Irish Wolfhound hunts by sight,
like the greyhound. It is difficult to believe that the Irish Wolfhound of past
centuries was able to bring down his quarry in this way only.
"Mr. Montagu Scott tells us that the hounds of the Ifold pack never fail
to pick up a fairly recent scent of fur and track it faithfully, the Fland and
Ferb descendants being exceptional in this respect. He states that the hounds
hunt mute with a wonderful burst of speed on view.
"If the Irish Wolfhound Association are able to devise a suitable form of
Field Trial it will be interesting to see if the modern breeders of the oldest
breed of hounds are able to prove their utility in the field to-day."
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Patrick of Ifold as he appeared in the Kennel Gazette, June 1924 |
Patrick measured 37 inches to the shoulder. He died in 1931 and was donated to the Ulster Museum.
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| Postcard of Patrick of Ifold as he appeared in the Ulster Museum |
Many other breeders used the Ifold hounds at stud, or bought bitches for breeding. Patrick of Ifold was the sire of the two hounds which were the foundation of the Raikeshill Kennels - Gelert and Roderick of Raikeshill.
On July 4, 1923 Tess of Ifold (litter sister to Torna) had a litter by Owen Oge of Rockburn, from which came Maureen of Ifold
| Mrs. Massy's Maureen of Ifold, winner of bitch Challenge Certificate, the Royal Show, Leicester 1924 |  |
Around 1924-25 there were between thirty and fifty hounds of all ages in the Ifold kennels, but at one time there were as many as sixty-nine.
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Updated September 12th, 2005