Garryowen and the Giltraps

James Joyce would certainly have heard about Garryowen, the champion Irish Red Setter, from his aunt Josephine.¹ Quite apart from that source, Garryowen was a household name in the latter decades of the nineteenth century. John Stanislaus and his cronies would have smoked Spillane's Garryowen Flake, a pipe tobacco,² which was named after James Giltrap's famous red setter (Plate 8).

James J. Giltrap (1832-99), a law agent, was a well-known and successful dog breeder who was particularly associated with the Irish red setter. He was the owner and breeder of the dog Garryowen. Mrs Giltrap also bred and showed dogs and had much success with her pompadours and pugs in Dublin from the mid-eighteen seventies onwards.³ In fact there was a special 'Giltrap Cup' awarded for the best pug at the Dog Show held at the Zoolological Gardens in September 1883.⁴

The Giltrap's daughter Josephine married William A. Murray a brother of Mary Jane Murray, who was Joyce's mother.⁵ Josephine first met Murray when he worked as an accountant in her father's law firm at 2 Morgan Place beside the Four Courts in Dublin.

Giltrap loved his dogs and his life revolved around them. From the late eighteen seventies he won the major prizes at dog shows mainly with his Irish setters and especially with Garryowen. He brought his dogs to Britain where he exhibited them with great success; he was also successful at shows in the United States.

Garryowen, who appears in three of the episodes in Ulysses ('Cyclops', 'Nausicaa', and 'Circe'), was born in 1876 and was by Champion Palmerston out of Champion Belle.⁶ He was called after a place named Garryowen in Limerick.⁷ He had a very successful career in the show ring spanning a number of years and was cited in the press on numerous occasions.

In November 1880, Garryowen won first prize and a silver cup in his class at the National Dog Show at Birmingham. He sired many successful progeny. At the Westminster Kennel Club Show in New York in May 1882, the 'Champion Prize' was awarded to the Irish Red setter bitch Noreen whose sire was Garryowen. Garyowen had a great influence on the breed in the United States, because Noreen was the dam of Champion Elcho Junior.⁸

In November 1882 at the Birmingham Dog Show, Garryowen won premier honours having been awarded first prize in the champion class of Irish setters. The following year there was an advertisement in The Irish Times informing readers that Garryowen, the champion Irish Red Setter, winner of numerous prizes at the principal shows in England, Ireland, and Scotland, sire of several first prize winners, was at stud. The stud fee was five guineas. At this period the Giltraps were living at Whitehall House, Dargan Terrace, 23 South Circular Road, Dublin.⁹

In early May 1883, the British Kennel Association's first dog show was held at Aston near Birmingham. In the Irish Red Setter class the main prize was awarded to Mr Giltrap's 'famous prize dog Champion Garryowen'. A couple of months later in the same year Garryowen won the champion prize at Crystal Palace Dog Show in London.¹⁰

In the champion class of Irish Setter dogs at the Dog Show held at the Royal Zoological Society in Dublin in August 1884, the eight-year-old Garryowen won the first prize. By this time, he had won an amazing thirty-four major awards. He had beaten his brother 'Count' for the ninth time. At this show, Garryowen wore a collar around his neck, on which were displayed the numerous medals won on former occasions,¹¹ a decoration which certainly created much interest amongst the spectators. Garryowen had now become a household name.¹²

The Giltraps moved in exalted circles having the Gogartys as friends.¹³ In March 1885 at the formation of the Irish Red Setter Club Giltrap was elected Hon Secretary with Dr Henry Gogarty as Hon Treasurer. Colonel J.K. Millner, who had a portrait painted of Garryowen, was a member of the committee. The objectives...