In ancient Ireland, only nobility and royalty were allowed to possess Irish Wolfhounds, and just how many Wolfhounds one owned spoke volumes about that person’s station in life. At one time, Ireland was divided into five provinces with a ruling king, and the entire island held 150 sub-kingdoms,  so a few Irish Wolfhounds populated the country. Interestingly, the ‘Filid,’ a professional class of singers, poets, and composers, were entitled to own two Irish Wolfhounds. 

The American writer, Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews, once said: “Being Kentuckian, I like men and dogs by the yard, so wolfhounds have an instant appeal for me.

Image of Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews with her Irish Wolfhounds, “Patricia” and “Cymbaeth.”