A cantankerous old English teacher taught me many life lessons, though perhaps too few regarding poets and scribes and too many regarding my attitude. His methods involved the hairdryer treatment and a one-way economy class ticket to the principal’s den.

“Mr Lenehan, why were you not in lessons yesterday?”

“Sir, you weren’t here at five past, I assumed you were absent…”

Cue the Richter scale hitting eight, a spiel about “assume” making an “ASS” out of “U” and “ME” and some frequent-flyer miles.

On Friday, I was thrust back to that classroom – assumptions were causing trouble again. The school corridor was my front door and the roles were reversed. I was the educator and two students stood before me, introverted and desperately apologetic.

Huntsmen

They were huntsmen who’d ridden up our land, which had been sodden at the time. We’d asked the local clubs not to do this, but the doorstep men maintained that their chief navigator had taken a fall before the encroachment – they were riding blind.

“We assumed that we could go in…” muttered the younger one. His bloody face told a story of an eventful day’s hunting and he still wore his riding gear from the waist down.

“That’s quite a destructive attitude to have…”

“I’m very sorry. I’ll return in the springtime and harrow that ground. The fence is being fixed as we speak…”

“Do you know that when you crossed our boundary ditch, you were on to land where pregnant ewes are grazing?”

“Sorry.”

This isn’t a lambaste against the hunt. Hunting is an important part of country life. In recent times, relative harmony has been achieved between horsemen and local farmers. Live and let live.

It is disappointing, however, that an agreement crumbled based upon an assumption. While the humility and compassion of our visitors on Friday was evident and admirable, it can be assumed that it wasn’t their first rodeo.

Then again, it’s dangerous to assume things isn’t it?

Listen to the podcast below to hear Ciarán talk about his plans for the farm this year, improving relationships with factories, synchronising cattle and why a breeding focused agenda works for him.