The absolute history of the Setter from Ireland is questionable by the lack of records from ancient times. The story is further clouded by the exaggeration of sportsmen who have owned and bred the dogs inthe past. Finally, one cannot discount the distortion by myths that seem to be a main constituent of the heritage of a land and people famous for their myths and legends. What has survived the distortions of time and oral history are several paintings and a few written descriptions from the 17th and 18th centuries that attest to the presence of the white "setting dogges" with red markings.

However, the lack of irrefutable facts has never stood in the way of relating the history of dogs in the past, and it certainly will not impede this effort. If you wish a more authoritative history, I suggest you refer to Anna Redlich's The Dogs of Ireland. Another good reference is Patricia Brigden's The Irish Red and White Setter. (You will probably have to go to a real library to get these.)

Way back in the early days of what we now call Ireland, the Romans took up a temporary residence and brought with them the sport of hunting birds using trained hawks and falcons to catch game birds on the fly. Eventually the Romans went

back to Rome, but left the tradition of hunting for sport. Later on, returning crusaders brought home sporting dogs from the continent, generically referred to as Spaniels. Spaniels find game and flush it so the hunter can get a clear shot (in early days with a bow and arrow). You can easily find references that claim that the term "spaniel" was used loosely and may have been used to describe any sporting dog.

The Irish developed such a dog, a white dog with red markings. Legend and paintings from the 17th century reflect dogs very similar to the documented pedigrees of the 18th century. But before one gets too excited about the fact that we can actually see paintings similar to today's dog from 200 years ago, keep in mind that before the middle of the 19th century dogs were bred to work, and any notion of breeders being concerned about any particular conformation have never been demonstrated.

By the end of the 18th century, the white and red breed was well established and several kennels were known for supplying purebred dogs. There are references to several varieties of white and red dogs, and these varieties were found in different regions of Ireland. Travel was difficult during the 18th century, so it shouldn't be surprising that different varieties developed and were maintained in various regions. All of the varieties, however, had one thing in common: the were white with red markings, varying from the legendary "shower of hail" coloring, to nearly pure white and nearly pure red. The patched variety that is seen today was the most prevalent. But even today's patched variety can vary from scattered small patches to large blankets. Remember this, "ne'er a hair of black on an Irishman." The presence of any black hair on a purported Irish Setter means the dog is not purebred.

The earliest references to any kind of setter are from the 16th century with depictions of a hunter with a net and a supine dog pointing toward a doomed grouse or quail. The "setting spaniel" is one of the earliest references to the setters we know today. Hunting with a net requires the dog to find the bird, freeze the bird in place and not be so close to the bird that the hunternets the bird and the dog at the same time. Only a superior dog could manage all of these tasks.

The introduction of firearms into every day life eventually led to shooting birds in flight, which added the additional stress of demanding the dog stand while the bird is flushed so it won't get shot as it chases the bird.