The Blue Maestro is an English Setter who was bred in Ireland by Michael Casey from Waterford.  The Maestro was whelped in July 1988 from parents Tyone Banner x Cranna Lass.  Michael Casey ran the dog in a puppy stake the following year which Johnny Geoghegan was judging – he was a beautiful dog over the ground and found grouse, but undid any chance of winning by attempting to chase them to the next county! Johnny fell for him in a big way, shortly afterwards purchasing him when he was still a pup from Michael for £1000 – a large sum for an unproven young dog at that time.  Johnny set about schooling the immensely talented youngster and within a very short time was competing with him at the highest level. He reports that The Maestro was always a natural dog to quarter and find game, but he had more trouble steadying him to wing that he had with any other dog.  However, this may well be due to the fact that he had got away with chasing for quite a while before moving to Johnny’s kennel and of course, the one place a trainer must tread with extreme caution is in working with a dog around game.

The Blue Maestro was only trialled in 1990 and 91 and won 13 Open Stakes in a 6 month period during that time.   Johnny travelled to the Scottish Spring Trials with The Maestro in Spring 1991 which at that time took place on the open dogging moors of the far north of Scotland – immense tracts of flat wide-open country perfect for exhibiting a setter which wanted to run and The Blue Maestro could certainly do that!  Due to the Kennel Club regulations which do not recognise the qualifications of any other Kennel Club and the high number of entries, Johnny was only able to enter the dog (an Irish Field Trial Champion) in 2 Novice Stakes but his majesty was noted by all and he sailed away as the victor in both, with performances which would have graced and challenged in any open stake. John Woodburn (Jonsmae) wrote to the Irish Shooters Digest shortly after The Maestro’s visit to Scotland outlining his view of the dog.

            “A truly magnificent animal in every way, a field trial champion, showing his ability and fitness to run in any company of the highest level. My opinion of this dog was to be confirmed over the next two days, by judges of these stake, alas Novice Stakes, as the powers that be insist that dogs must qualify under English Kennel Club Rules. This dog was fit to go home an International Field Trial Champion was the general consensus of opinion.

The dog Irish FTCh The Blue Maestro, this dog, all Irish bred, could be the saviour or English Setter this side of the water, is my conviction.” John Woodburn

Michael also had a sister called The Blue Rose, which Johnny also rated very highly – possibly even more impressive than The Blue Maestro.  Unfortunately, her potential was never realised either as a trial performer or as a brood bitch.

Michael Casey had always kept English Setters as shooting dogs and he liked nothing better than to take them to the hill and give them their heads, thus reinforcing the innate instinct of the English Setter to hunt independently.  Michael had had a nice ESB Cranna Girl and had spoken to Johnny about who he might breed her to – Johnny recommended Millmeadow Lark who was a litter brother to his own Stoneview Princess (very much the foundation bitch of the Lefanta Line) and that mating produced Cranna Lass – The Blue Maestro’s mother.  

Cranna Lass was subsequently bred to Storeskars G’Snorre and produced an excellent and influential litter on 28 January 1990.  Two of these dogs went to Johnny Geoghegan when they about a year old – The Mighty Viking and The Dark Viking.  When he got The Mighty Viking, the dog hadn’t had any training and the pair bonded immediately and he was a very straightforward dog to work with, one of the easiest dogs that he ever trained.  However, The Dark Viking was the antithesis of his brother, being much more challenging and difficult to work with.  Despite achieving his title, Johnny feels he never got the best out of this dog. 

This Storeskar G’Snorre x Cranna Lass mating also produced Little Magic who was the mother of Liam Law’s FTCh Ardera Sparkie.  The fourth sibling was FTCh Texas Tomboy, an impressive ESB, who was trained and handled by Eamon Keogh.  Texas Tomboy when mated to Lefanta Ash (Wealdmoors Windward x Miss Katie) produced Comeragh Flash who when crossed with Emerald Banner (The Blue Maestro x Ballyscanlon Cherchez) produced Will Sloan’s ESB FTCh Molly Iken who won the English Setter Club’s Breed Stake at Eggleston twice and was placed third in the 2002 Irish Championship.  The 2002 Championship saw a clean sweep of awards for English Setters directly from the above breeding.  The winner on the day was Liam Law with ESB Ardera Sparkle (FTCh Sexton Lord, a son of Lefanta Pip x Toryview Queen) with Christy Davitt taking the runner-up spot with his FTCh Blackstairs Spice (Locgorman Sorcerer x Coolhand Jennie). Locgorman Sorcerer’s line features Cranna Lass, The Maestro, G’Snorre heavily.

The measure of a truly great dog is not so much what he achieves himself, but what qualities he passes on to his progeny. The Blue Maestro‘s place in English Setter history is assured by the success of the generations which came after him.

Even by 2020 the foundation of the most successful trial dogs in the 30 years since The Blue Maestro first came to the public’s attention are grounded on a handful of inspired matings in the eighties and early nineties when the quality of English Setters bred in Ireland placed them in the ascendency in the bird dog world.

Some of The Blue Maestro’s awards       

Summer 1990
1st	Open	English Setter Club of Ireland	Dublin Mts
3rd	Open	Irish Red and White Field & Show Society	Dublin Mts
3rd	Open	Premier County Field Trial Association	Kinnity
Autumn 1990
1st	Open	Munster Pointer & Setter Association	Clonmel
1st	Open	Wicklow & Wexford Gundog Association	Ferns
2nd	Breed	The English Setter Club of Ireland	Tinryland
1st	Open	Golden Vale Gundog Club	Mungret
2nd	Open	Irish Gundog Field & Show Society	Wilkinstown
1st	Open	South of Ireland Gundog Club	Cappoquin

Spring 1991
2nd	Open	Cork Field Trials Club	Churchtown
Summer 1991
1st	Open	Munster Pointer & Setter Association
2nd	Open	Irish Pointer Club	Dublin Mts
2nd	Open	The English Setter Club of Ireland	Dublin Mts
1st	Breed	The English Setter Club of Ireland	Dublin Mts
2nd	Irish Champs	The Irish Kennel Club	Aughavanna
Autumn 1991
1st	Open	Munster Pointer & Setter Association	Clonmel