NEW YORK, NY.- For 25 years, Tony O’Shea made an annual pilgrimage to his home county to photograph the Kerry Beagle drag hunt. The resulting pictures, are published—many for the first time—in Kingdom of Hounds.
 
Kerry Beagles, one of the oldest native Irish dog breeds, are bred as hunters and trained by the local huntsmen. Many of the huntsmen come from families who have been breeding and training hounds for generations and the rivalries between neighbouring hunts have been around for just as long. The huntsmen photographed are O’Shea’s old neighbours and friends, giving him a unique perspective on the community that an outsider would never achieve.

In a drag hunt, an artificial scent—in this instance aniseed— is laid by a human rather than the pursuit of a live animal. The route is pre-determined to take advantage of the best jumping opportunities. The narrative of the book mimics that of the hunt with the participants—human and canine— congregating in the countryside, lined up at the start, the frantic following and pursuit followed by the celebrations of jubilant winners. The hounds are shown, often in gruelling weather plunging into river currents, soaring over high hedges and rough terrains.

‘In Tony O’Shea’s images they are a powerful physical presence as they emerge in a quicksilver burst from car boots and trailers, or are caught in steeplechase flight across a high bank, or navigate with precarious balance the vertical hazards of barbed wire. A platoon of brave bobbing heads swim up-river against a strong river flow, in an image that is both thrilling and strangely moving.’ - Paul O’Sullivan

Tony O'Shea was born in Valentia Island, County Kerry in 1947 and lived there for the first 20-years of his life. He studied English and Philosophy at University College Dublin and towards the end of the 1970s became increasingly interested in photography. By 1981 he had begun working full-time as a photographer with In Dublin magazine and once it ceased publication he went on to work for Sunday Business Post for many years. He lives in Dublin with his wife Sarah, and their daughters Keelin and Siúin.