As regards the origin of the Irish Wolfhound, more than one theory is advanced.  By some authorities it is suggested that it was the dog which we now know as the Great Dane.  Others hold that as there were rough-coated Greyhounds in Ireland, it is this dog, under another name, which is now accepted.  But probably the late Captain Graham was nearer the truth when he gave the opinion that the Irish hound that was kept to hunt wolves has never become extinct at all, but is now represented in the Scottish Deerhound, only altered a little in size and strength to suit the easier work required of it—­that of hunting the deer.  This is the more probable, as the fact remains that the chief factor in the resuscitation of the Irish Wolfhound has been the Scottish Deerhound.

The result of Captain Graham’s investigations when seeking for animals bearing some relationship to the original Irish “Wolfe Dogge” was that three strains were to be found in Ireland, but none of the representatives at that time was anything like so large as those mentioned in early writings, and they all appeared to have deteriorated in bone and substance.  Sir J. Power, of Kilfane, was responsible for one line, Mr. Baker, of Ballytobin, for another, and Mr. Mahoney, of Dromore, for the remaining strain.  From bitches obtained from two of these kennels, Captain Graham, by crossing them with the Great Dane and Scottish Deerhound, achieved the first step towards producing the animal that he desired.  Later on the Russian Wolfhound, better known as the Borzoi, an exceedingly large hound, was introduced, as also were one or two other large breeds of dogs.

The intermixture of these canine giants, however, was not at first very satisfactory, as although plenty of bone was obtained, many were most ungainly in appearance and ill-shaped animals that had very little about them to attract attention.  Captain Graham, however, stuck to his work, and very soon the specimens that he brought forward began to show a fixity of type both in head and in general outline.  Brian was one of his best dogs, but he was not very large, as he only stood just over thirty inches at the shoulder.  Banshee and Fintragh were others, but probably the best of Captain Graham’s kennel was the bitch Sheelah.  It was not, however, until towards the end of the last century that the most perfect dogs were bred.  These included O’Leary, the property of Mr. Crisp, of Playford Hall.  O’Leary is responsible for many of the best dogs of the present day, and was the sire of Mrs. Percy Shewell’s Ch.  Cotswold, who is undoubtedly the grandest Irish Wolfhound ever bred.  In height Cotswold stands 34-1/2 inches and is therefore perhaps the largest dog of any breed now alive.

In 1900 Mr. Crisp bred Kilcullen from O’Leary, this dog winning the championship at the Kennel Club Show at the Crystal Palace in 1902 under Captain Graham.  This was the year the Irish Wolfhound Club presented the hound Rajah of Kidnal as a regimental pet to the newly formed Irish Guards.