In County Kerry, the Kerry Blue Terrier had been known for a long time before England’s Kennel Club recognized it officially, but the first “strain” of the breed that was shown in 1913 in Cork was called the Irish Blue Terrier, the name by which it went at a Killarney show in 1916 (and with a sizable entry).  Some sources, however, maintain that the Kerry Blue actually came from Carrick-on-Sur in County Tipperary where it was first called the Carrick Blue Terrier;  this information has been disavowed by most credible sources, including the AKC.

Philip Doyle with his dog “Terri” at the Killarney Show, 1916 shared was one of the first Kerry Blue Terriers to be shown. Photo by Anonymous – Der Terrier – Rasseheft Kerry Blue Terrier (1998), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15314167

In one of the first written descriptions of the breed by Irish breed expert, H.D. Richardson, he wrote as late as 1847 of a breed of terrier in Ireland that he called the Harlequin Terrier. He wrote, “…in form it is, as it were, a perfect English Terrier; in color, it is a bluish-slate marked with darker blotches and patches, and often with tan about the legs and muzzle. It is one of the most determined of the race, and is surpassed by none in skill and the ability with which it pursues and catches its game and the resolution with which it battles and destroys it.”

In Rawdon B. Lee’s book, “Modern Dogs” published in 1894, he that mentions the color “blue” with specificity. He writes that at a show held in Limerick in 1887, there was “a class given for “Silver-haired Irish Terriers,” and that the fine specimens exhibited were of a slate-blue color.”

Old terrier men in Ireland recall their fathers and granddads owning these dogs which were also known as “stonegray” terriers. Their reminiscences described dogs that hunted rats in rivers, took on badgers, dispatched rabbits bolted out of their holes, and served as watch dogs for homesteads in Ireland.

Since Kerry Blue puppies can still exhibit dark coats and tan points, and may perceived as silver or gray, most authorities agree that the “Harlequin Terrier,” “Silver-haired Irish Terriers” and “stonegray terriers” were certainly the same breed as the Kerry Blue.

When it came time to recognize the breed,  the Kennel Club of the United Kingdom chose to recognize the breed as the Kerry Blue Terrier (Irish: An Brocaire Gorm), in recognition of the breed’s origin. In Ireland, however, the breed is still known as the Irish Blue Terrier, or sometimes just “the Blue.”

Image: Kerry Blue Terrier by Victoria Petersen Laird. Find other Kerry Blue prints for purchase by this artist here