I have always enjoyed a good read first thing on a Sunday morning with a nice hot cup of coffee to hand, given the vast collection of dog books I have, I’m never to short of reading material. There are some books that no matter how many times I read them, I never get bored of them. They are absolutely timeless…
Anyone that knows me well knows that I am a keen historian and enjoy doing as much research on breeds as possible. I don’t think we can fully understand the breeds that we have today without knowing their history, the people that created them and the land they originated from.
A question that’s always played on my mind in my research on the terriers of Ireland has been the few stories I’ve found about, the now extinct Carrick Terrier. It’s meant to have originated in and around the town of Carrick-on-Suir in County Tipperary. However, there is very little information on this local working terrier that Mrs Anna Redlich speaks so highly of in her little book ‘Dogs of Ireland’ and the odd article that mentions them. They are described as looking like a cross between a Kerry Blue Terrier and a Wheaten Terrier but with a wire haired blue or wheaten coat, it was renowned for its firey temperament and being a great sporting dog.
There is some that say that the Carrick Terrier was the original Kerry Blue Terrier and that the Blue Terrier of Ireland originated in Carrick-on-Suir and not County Kerry as the history books will have us believe. Allegedly, when the Blue Terrier was up for recognition, the Kennel Club mistakenly called it the Kerry Blue Terrier in error and started a whole new history chapter on the breed. I have to say that I find this a bit far fetched and in my opinion the Carrick Terrier was just one of many various local types found all across Ireland that came in a blue coat. There would have existed a variety of terriers in every corner of Ireland that came in all shapes, sizes, colours and coat types. What’s known for definitely is that the Carrick Terrier was neither half Kerry Blue nor half Wheaten as this was long before any of these two breeds existed and had been named as we know them today. There is also mention of it having a wire haired coat which neither the Kerry nor the Wheaten are allowed to have today as per their silly breed standards.
Like with the Terriers found up and down the UK, every region in Ireland had their own type known by a local name long before any of the terriers were recognised by the Kennel Club. Some of them went extinct whilst others were used in the creation of the breeds we have today. There is no denying that all of the Irish Terrier breeds alive came from the same pick and mix root stock of Terriers. In 100 years of breeding for the four very distinct breeds that we have today, we still see the odd discrepancy in litters which proves how close they originally were. I would go as far as saying that they were all just various types of the same breed and solely differed due to local preferences and influences.
I know this is a bitter pill for some people to swallow but they were not one trick ponies or solely used for one function as some people with very little knowledge and experience of Irish breeds and Irish history will lead you to believe. The Irish Terrier breeds were Jack of all trades and this is well and truly documented. It was not until the Kennel Club got involved that the Teastas Beag and Teastas Mor were decided upon as the two tests of courage that were to be used to test the dogs of Ireland as they were just within the animal rights laws.
The Carrick Terrier was used for a bit of everything including guarding, ratting, hunting and most of all combat sports as it was well known for being quarrelsome with any dog within a mile of itself. The Carrick name is just another one of many that will be forgotten about or left to the history books as like in so many other cases it’s always the name that sounds the best or with the biggest support that gets chosen to be the name of any new breed. If the Carrick Terrier had been known for being Black and Tan or white or brindle instead of blue or wheaten we could today have five Irish Terrier breeds instead of just four.
A very interesting read, thanks. Ive never heard of the Carrick Terrier. Such a pity there isn’t more detailed information on Irish terrier breeds and their origins. A lot of historical knowledge on the subject, seems to have been lost in time.