This “Irish greyhound” appears in the second edition of Bewick’s A General History of Quadrupeds.
There is quite a bit evidence that the original Irish wolfhounds were mostly smooth-coated and were more or less like a Great Dane lurcher. Of course, it is likely that this heavy sighthound is actually the ancestor of the German mastiff, and the Spanish variant of this dog, often just called “the lebrel” in historical texts, was a very important weapon in the early years of their colonization. The Spanish wolfhounds hunted Indians in very much the same way the Irish dogs coursed wolves– as macabre as that sounds.
The modern Irish wolfhound is a recreation of this old dog. It has a lot of Scottish deerhound and Great Dane in its background. Even today, there is a lot of debate about how much the modern wolfhound looks like the original. Some authorities claim that there were two types of wolfhound– one a greyhound-type and the other a mastiff. Others claim that the wolfhound was a cross between a mastiff and a greyhound type. But still others point to the existence of other heavy sighthounds in Eastern Europe and Spain and claim a connection with those dogs.
There is even a debate about whether any of the original Irish wolfhounds were used to found the modern breed. It is possible, but the original dogs were so rare in Ireland that it is unlikely that they played a role in creating the modern breed, which, as we all know, is a large wire-haired greyhound.
Every Irish wolfhound I’ve seen has impressed me. Their height at the whithers is much greater on average than any other dog I’ve seen.
Of course, according to breed lore, the old Irish wolfhound stood as much as four feet at the shoulder. It should be noted that the same lore claims that Irish wolfhounds hunted schelch or Irish elk. That species of deer went extinct at the end of the Pleistocene, and if wolfhounds hunted them, they would have to have been among the earliest dog breeds developed. I don’t think that’s possible.
Irish wolfhounds have a lot of lore and legends about them. That is because dogs of this type were quite common in Ireland for many centuries. We have lots of evidence of these dogs in the historical and archaeological record.
My favorite story is that when Cromwell invaded Ireland, the English passed a law that prevented Ireland from exporting its wolfhounds. Ireland had a large population of wolves, and the English colonizers wanted to make Ireland safe for the wool industry. So the wolves were hunted intensely.
Not being able to export these dogs likely led to their demise. As soon as the wolves became extinct in Ireland at the end of the eighteenth century, the dogs lost their reason for being. It didn’t take very long for the dogs to become quite rare. After the Revolution, George Washington tried to import some wolfhounds to Virginia, but after his contacts in Ireland scoured the countryside, they could find only a single bitch living in the north of the country. It is possible that there were some strains left in England and Scotland, which may be where Bewick was able to find a model for this engraving.
The Irish Wolfhound is a breed I am intimately familiar with having grown up with this most precious of breeds. The breed was recreated by Captian George Augustus Graham. In his book Irish Wolfhound (1879, revised 1885) he writes of his efforts to bring back the Irish Wolfhound. Historically there where three great gaze hounds of the UK, the Irish Wolfhound, the Stag hound, and the Scottish Deerhound. The Stag hound as a breed is extinct it had an intermediate weight between the Wolfhound and the Deerhound. Captian Graham traveled around the country side and rounded the largest of the broken coated greyhounds he could find and then in order to return them to the size there where supposed to have he out crossed them into the German Mastiff. This is recorded in his book. The interesting thing about this whole topic is this. There is a family in Ireland who want to maintain their privacy who have been breeding the Irish Wolfhound for well over 300 years. I have corresponded with this family and they tell me Captian Grahman never stopped by their estate when he was collecting up what remained of the Wolfhound. Had he done so he would have found it unnecessary to recreate the breed. What this family have always bred looks like the present day breed except the theirs are more like the stag hound form but more muscular. What I have always found interesting is while an Irish Wolfhound will live perhaps 9 years, if coursed several times a week perhaps 12 years. This families dogs live upwards of 14 years.
To Kenneth,
This is the first I’ve ever heard of anyone that would say that they have “original IWH”. This peaks my interest, and would be knowing what part of Ireland this family is in? I would love to meet someone that would have these majestic
dogs.
Hi Keneth
It is very interesting what you say about the lifespan. It is very sad that a wonderful great dog has so short live. On the other side that family has the real strain rich in history, that hunted wolves centuries ago.
Are that dogs as big as the new strain? For keeping a breed of dog I think that the must have had a lot of dogs to avoid inbreed problems.
That family in 300 year must have many relatives now. Is that breed of real Irish Wolfhounds spreaded in their homeland or in their town?
Thank you very much.
Best regards.
Fossilised remains of dogs (Irish Wolfhounds?) found in the UK may indicate a dog that averaged 40-44″ at the withers and weighed 250lbs, approx. I’ve always felt that the IWs that existed during the middle-ages were probably larger than what exists today. Although I’ve run across a few breeders over the years that have had a male hit 40″ and 220-230lbs. I would also like to know more about that family in Ireland. Cheers!
Can you provide me a link to any study that documents these remains?
I have come across the claim in historical accounts, but I’m still a week bit skeptical.
Hi again.
It is very interesting that info about the fossilised remains from UK. Perhaps are related with the model used to make The Lydney Dog. It would be great what DNA tests could tell us about the present realtives and descendants between today sighthound breeds.
I have read that a Polish king purchased a lot of wolfhounds from Ireland. And there is a fierce sighthound strain in Poland that was used in wolf hunting.
You can see a painting of a real Irish Wolfhound from the 17th century (1680) in the portrait of Sir Neill O’Neil. It is a smooth haired dog.
Best regards.
http://www.greyhound-data.com/d?i=234770
Hi
I’ve found some old paintings of dogs that could be original Irish wolfhounds.
This one resembles a mastiff.
This could be only a large common greyhound.
“Some authorities claim that there were two types of wolfhound– one a greyhound-type and the other a mastiff. Others claim that the wolfhound was a cross between a mastiff and a greyhound type.”
This is Hecla a cross between a Great Dane sire, Cedric the Saxon and a mainly Deerhound bitch, Lufra.
http://www.irishwolfhounds.org/others.htm
Here says that there was two types of wolfhound. One a greyhound and other a mastiff.
http://www.irishwolfhoundtimes.com/twotype.htm
Here says that there were Irish wolfhounds hunting wolves in Spain.
“On the 13 January 1890 a paper entitled Notes on the I.W. Dog, consisting of (6 ½) pages of printed matter—was read by Professor O’Reilly before the Royal Irish Academy. The sole matter of interest was to this effect . . . . . . about 1775 one William Bowles . . . . . an Irishman residing in Spain — wrote a book in which the following remarks occur: “The ordinary wolves are rare (i.e. in Spain) either because there are few small cattle or because the whole country being covered with farms – he is at once hunted and killed by the excellent greyhound dogs – which they have brought here from Ireland.”
Page 49
Nothing can be more precise than the terms used by Bowles and it would appear from this that it was customary to import from Ireland Wolfdogs for the purpose of hunting the wolves in this part of the Pyrenees. The one used by sportsmen for hunting that animal, the Irish Wolfdog, being known in Spain by the term “lebruel” possible by reason of his lithe form and likeness in shape to the greyhounds proper.
Taking for granted that there was an importation of I.W. dogs in Spain during the 17th and commencement of the 18th Centuries, it would be reasonable to presume that the race of these dogs may still survive in Biscay or other parts of the Pyrenees since wolves exist there. Swine are herded as of yore and the climate of this mountainous district would not materially tend to the degeneration of the race.”
http://www.irishwolfhoundarchives.ie/graham1885.htm
As far as I know that is a job for the Spanish (or the Pyrenean) Mastiff. An ancient breed.
Some are coarse dogs but others are lighter types.
Spanish Mastiffs carry the tail curved upwards in the same manner that Irish wolfhounds carry their tails in some old paintings.
You can see here many types.
http://elmastindecampoytrabajo.blogspot.com.es/2012_03_01_archive.html
“I am inclined to think thai the Irish greyhound or wolf dog was originally produced by crossing the rough or wire-haired greyhound and the mastiff, being merely two removes, in this way, from the latter:—it appears in fact to be the strength and courage of the mastiff united to the speed of the greyhound; and if we consider the nature of the employment for which they were originally intended, nothing could be better calculated for the purpose.”
http://www.irishwolfhoundtimes.com/cab33.htm
And finally this is from the Táin Bó Cúailnge:
“An excellent bloodhound have I, that was brought from Spain. There are three chains upon him, and three men at each chain. Because of our goods and our cattle he is slipped and the liss is closed. When his dog-chain is loosed from him, no one dares approach the same cantred with him to make a course or a circuit, and he knows no one but myself. The power of hundreds is in him for strength.”
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16464/16464-h/16464-h.htm
‘I have a blood hound,’ [i.e. a hound brought from overseas, i.e. the whelp of a mastiff.] said Culann. ‘There are three chains on him and three men holding each chain. He was brought from Spain. Let him be loosed to guard our cattle and our stock and let the fort be shut.’·
http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/T301012/text001.html
Best regards.