John and Kathleen Kelly, live on a farm in Ballyboughal, North County Dublin, not very far from Dublin Airport. The Nutstown Irish Wolfhounds live as a family group, enjoying an idyllic life of freedom and good living and have the run of big fields. Many of the hounds like to bath in the lakes of the surrounding Golf course - Hollywood Lakes.

Nutstown Irish Wolfhounds go back  over 40 years and are found  in many Pedigrees around the world. Their lines go back to old famous Irish Lines, such as Ballytobin, St.Doulaghs, Ballykelly, Carrokeel, Nendrum and English Lines as Felixstowe, Boroughbury etc.

It all started in 1959, when the couple went to Sunday mass and Dr. May, family doctor and friend asked John if he had any Greyhounds in winning form (they then had Greyhounds). When John told him, no not at the moment, Dr. May said: “ you have a winner now”, and later that day delivered a fine Irish Wolfhound bitch to the Kelly’s house. This was Bernie of Termon. She was to be the great-grandmother of the famous Int. Ch. Nutstown King.

After Dr. May’s death John and Kathleen continued breeding with his and their own Wolfhounds. Since 1975 they regularly show their dogs and won many champion titles with them since. Nutstown Hounds also won many titles in such different countries around the globe, as Switzerland, South Africa, Canada and New Zealand.

Their experience and success made that they are invited to act as judges in many international events. Kathleen Kelly has judged the Irish Wolfhound bitches at the World Dog Show in Dortmund in June 2003.

She says, judges look for a strong upstanding dog with good movement and good conformation or poise, as well as heavy bone structure.

They certainly take pleasure in the fact that The Black Knight of Nutstown won the title of Best Irish Wolfhound in Ireland 2002. To top this Blacky’s half-sister, My Bernie of Nutstown, was judged to be best Irish Wolfhound bitch 2002 in Ireland.

John Kelly spends about 6 hours a day keeping his hounds in top form in taking them in batches for exercise in the vast fields.

Both, John and Kathleen,  serve also on the board of the Irish Wolfhound Club of Ireland.